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Topic: Portuguese 12-string guitar construction |
Per Berner
From:
Skovde, Sweden
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Posted 23 Oct 2007 3:16 am |
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Last week I watched a BBC documentary about Portuguese fado music and was fascinated by their round-bodied, short-scale (around 18") 12-string guitars with weird keyless tuning machines and extremely radiused fingerboards (looked like just 4-5 inches) - a stunning look and a very sweet, crisp, bell-like tone.
My first thought was "I need to build me one of these", so I began searching for information on the "Lisboa guitarra" but came up with nothing. A few pictures, a few short descriptions - that's all. There must be more out there, though probably only in Portuguese, which makes searching as difficult as if it was in Chinese...
Does anyone on the forum know more about these instruments, where plans could be obtained, or an internet source for buying such a guitar? I need basic dimensions, bracing patterns... |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Rick Batey
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Posted 23 Oct 2007 4:18 am
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Last edited by Rick Batey on 7 Apr 2008 2:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 23 Oct 2007 6:08 am
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Google Fado Guitar, lots of stuff.
I want one too. I played one at a jam in New Bedford
at a religious feast.
I had my mandolin and we traded off for a bit.
Fun instrument.
Here's a link.
http://paginas.fe.up.pt/~fado/eng/guitarra1.html
The tuning listed here is a common variation.
But not the only one. It has similarities to the
Citern used in Irish music
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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Per Berner
From:
Skovde, Sweden
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Posted 23 Oct 2007 10:28 pm
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| Thanks for the help, guys! |
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Chris Brooks
From:
Providence, Rhode Island
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Posted 25 Oct 2007 10:11 am
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It's called the "guitarra portuguesa", i.e., "Portuguese guitar."
6 courses of double strings, attached to that beautiful headstock.
Note the funny RH position, with the R index finger sticking almost straight. But they can really pick with it.
I was in Lisbon all of May (2207), taking Portuguese classes. Used to go on Saturday and Sunday afternoon up towards Castelo Sao Jorge to a hole in the wall to hear fado, drink vinho, and eat bacalhao. Boas memorias, com certeza!
Cristovao |
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 25 Oct 2007 2:40 pm
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The Spanish have a similar instrument called a laud (pronounced la ood).
The laud is similar in shape, but it has f-holes and a slotted guitar-like headstock.
Steve Howe of Yes plays a laud on the song 'Your Move'. He mistakenly called his laud a 'vachalia' or 'Portuguese 12 string'. |
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Chris Brooks
From:
Providence, Rhode Island
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Posted 25 Oct 2007 5:51 pm
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That sounds like the Arab oud--with the definite article, it would be spelled something like this:
al-'ud
where the apostrophe indicates the Arabic letter "ain", a phoneme not in Indo European languages. (It is a constricting and loosening of the throat.
I believe it has a slotted headstock, too, but not violin holes. Rather, a large sound hole like a folk guitar and 2 smaller ones closer to where the neck joins the body.
The English word "lute" comes from the Arabic.
To hear the guitarra portuguesa, get tapes or CDs of Amalia Rodrigues, the (late) queen of the fado.
Chris |
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Per Berner
From:
Skovde, Sweden
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Posted 25 Oct 2007 10:13 pm
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| I just got myself a DVD with Mariza, apparently the present-day fado superstar, recorded live in London. Great music - and a steel guitar wouldn't make it better! |
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Gordy Hall
From:
Fairfax, CA.
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Posted 26 Oct 2007 4:10 pm
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I had one once that a friend of mine made, but the frets weren't quite accurate, which made playing it a drag.
But he did beautiful abalone inlay on the neck! |
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