Charango?

Subject: Charango?
From: MahoganyFolk
Date: 21 Aug 12 - 03:39 PM

Anybody know what this is?

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 21 Aug 12 - 03:47 PM

yes, it is essentially the Central American ukulele.

Lovely little instrument.

My sister brought me back a cheap charango from her trip to Peru. I love it. It's tuned like a uke, but with double sets of strings, so it chimes nicely (a little like a mandolin might). A very cute, sweet sound.

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Aug 12 - 05:29 PM

The body used to be made from an armadillo shell, but apparently that's passe. I agree with you Matt, it's a lovely sound.

I believe it's used in Andean music as well as Central American.

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: MahoganyFolk
Date: 21 Aug 12 - 05:36 PM

Can you post pictures on here?
Here is a pic of the one I was asking about! I kind of want to try it out now..
Charango

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: BanjoRay
Date: 21 Aug 12 - 06:44 PM

The charango is NOT tuned like a ukulele. Some details here. I brought one back from a great little music shop in La Paz, Bolivia, over 20 years ago. It has a beautiful Andean sound.

Ray

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Aug 12 - 04:27 AM

Wikipedia has a page on "charango," with a photo. Charangos look cheap, but they often have a wonderful sound.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 22 Aug 12 - 10:52 AM

http://www.hobgoblin-usa.com/info/charango.htm

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Nov 15 - 12:46 PM

Charangos are new to me; what my post offers, comes from "La Cancion en el Sombrero," memoirs about Chile's group, Inti-Illimani, written by its musical director, Horacio Salinas Alvarez.

The book volunteers some general remarks about what life is like, performing and touring all over the world, with all those Andean folk instruments. It seems that the "bomba", the drum from a hollow log, is one of the most temperamental of instruments!

Salinas is a guitarist and does not himself play the charango; that is the province of fellow Inti-Illimani member, Horacio Duran. On Duran's behalf, he volunteers some remarks about life with charangos.

"Quirquincho" is the name for the hairy, high-altitude breed of armadillo whose armored shell is used for the backside of the charango. Salinas does not even use the word "armadillo," but only "quirquincho." Duran, he states, only uses charangos made by Orozco in Bolivia, and only charangos made the traditional way, which includes the "quirquincho" shell in the back.

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 Nov 15 - 01:45 PM

This guy lives in Edinburgh and I get to see him play occasionally:

Galo Ceron

The density of sound he gets out of that little thing is mind-boggling.

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 17 Nov 15 - 06:39 PM

Thanks,Jack. That's beautiful.

Subject: RE: Charango?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 17 Nov 15 - 07:23 PM

The charango is often paired with the quena, hence this site, with all the information you could want to get going on either instrument:

http://quenaycharango.blogspot.co.uk/

I found it after buying one of Vannini's quenas in a charity shop:

http://musica-artesanal.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page_8867.html

I must sometime try to play that quena along with Galo or his pal Carlos Arredondo (another terrific charango player based in Edinburgh).