Description:
The charango is a small lute that is found in the Andean communities of
Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador and in Northern Chile and North Western
Argentina. It was the contact between the Spanish and the Indigenous
peoples in the 1600s to 1770s throughout the Andes that gave rise to
this new-world instrument that evolved from small vehuela type lutes.
Traditionally the charango is played amongst the camposino's
[rural peasants]. In the life of a rural community the charangos are
played for rituals, funerals and other important celebrations. There
are many regional names for the charango, in Argentina they are muiltu
and tatu. Kirkinchu or Quirquinchu apply to the charango with the
armadillo body, both names are used in Peru and Bolivia.
In rural areas charangos are strung with metal strings they are preferred there is an old saying “the charango should scream like a cat”. In both Potosi Bolivia and Puno and in Ayacucho Peru one can find statues of charango players. A short film called "El Charango" documents the origins of the charango in Potosi Bolivia. The charango would be played solo, or with quena (flute), and in professional ensembles the charango would be accompanied by ronroco, guitar and optionally an electric-bass guitar. Rare forms of the charango exist and once existed. One such example only found in the amazon called a "Tailaka" having only 5-strings existed their bodies were made from tortoise shell. Some other rare examples of charango include a 4-stringed version found in the Lima departmentos of Peru featured on a 4 CD volume focusing on regional and traditional musics of Peru. In Northern Chile one finds a board-zither with the same name. In North Western Argentina a charango having only 5 frets from the body of the instrument to the half way point on the fingerboard.
| Name | Key |
Tuning |
| Standard | A min7 |
G-C-e-a-e |
Ab min 7 |
B-F#-eb-ab-eb | |
| E Minor | E min 7 |
G-D-b-e-b |
| G-D-c-e-b | ||
G min 7 |
E-Eb-d-g-d | |
| Bb-F-d-g-d | ||
Tunings for the Charango De Caja |
||
| Plain | E-A-D-g-b-e | |
| Temple Comuncha | E-B-G-d-b-g | |
| Temple Diablo | E-C-G-d-b-g | |
| Temple Arpa | E-B-F#-d-a-f# | |
Hualaycho or Hualaychito: The smallest of the charango family strung with 10 metal strings it is tuned to a fifth above the charango. Since it is the smallest member of the family it is tuned to the highest pitch.
Charango-De-Caja:
A
type of 12-stringed flat-backed charango which resembles the guitar and
is tuned three octaves above the guitar this version of the charango is
a direct relative to the chillador. This form of charango is popular in
Apurimac, Ayacucho and Puno regions.
Chillador: The
chillador is a flat backed charango tuned the same as the charango
although with metal strings some have up to 14 strings.
Anatomy of the charango: Most
of the charango we see today are strung with 10 nylon strings in pairs
and their fingerboards have 19 frets. Its common place to find
charangos with wooden bodies, necks and head stocks due to local and
international laws in place protecting the 9-band armadillo. When
professional musicians began playing the charango they insisted that
having full note to note intonation on the fingerboard as an important
feature for the instrument. A shell of the 9-banded armadillo would be transformed into a body. The luthier would have a mould that
specifically created to have the armadillo shell shaped to create the
body of the charango. Some very high end charangos do have 3 channel
graphic equalizers small enough to fit inside the front of the body.
A Foot note: I
should point out some charangos are strung with metal strings as well
as with nylon. I have been told that the metal string charangos should
be handled carefully during the tuning process. The metal strings are
quite delicate when taught and are prone to snapping. The neck may also
warp in extreme cases. Nowadays many of the major guitar-string
manufacturing companies such as D'dario and other string makers produce
string-sets for charango. The Bolivian brand "Garcia Charangos" are a
well known. My specimen has no logo since some were sold in Vancouver
some few years ago in the 1990s to 2000s. Apparently Garcia brands of
charango with the logo were sold recently afterward. Compare my
specimen with no logo to the Garcia charango with the logo note the
similarities.