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proprietary and immediately recognizable variant to the exterior hand carvings or lack thereof on the head and body sides as well as the quantity of strings. Harps from other parts of the world universally use red to denote C strings and blue to denote F strings, but placement of the red or blue strings and what note (high C or F) they represent varies among
Paraguayan harp makers. Dedicated players play only their variant of tuned string color codes, thereby creating two schools of harps, those with the red C and the ones with the blue C.
356:(C)haracterized by a large soundbox with a rounded base, very lightweight, closely spaced light tension strings (usually nylon), a relatively flat harmonic curve, and with the strings running up through the centre of the neck, which are tuned with gear-style tuners (like a guitar). Almost all harps of this style are played with the fingernails, in very rhythmically intricate music. This is the national instrument of Paraguay, and is commonly found throughout South America, Central America, and in parts of Mexico
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head, a defining feature distinguishing
Paraguayan Harps from other South American Harps, whose strings are strung on the side of the head. Tuning pegs were traditionally hand carved, but newer harps employ guitar levers. High-end harps use sharping levers, which raise the tone of the affected string by a half step, allowing the harp to be played in a variety of keys.
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with an indigenous official national language. GuaranĂ and
Mestizo instrument makers were entrepreneurs in Paraguay and the local music came to reflect Guarani folklore and legends and appreciation of their environment in songs largely about birds, women and Guarani lore. The Paraguayan harp, the dominant instrument for
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The strings are made from single strand imported nylon of varying dimension in the high octaves and double wrapped nylon in the lower octaves. The harps range from 4+ to nearly 8 octaves depending on the maker. There are 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42, 46 strings, depending on the maker. Each maker creates a
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Accomplished male harpists ventured out of
Paraguay in the 20th century, mostly to Europe, Japan and, on occasion, the Middle East, greatly modifying musical styles to include western influences including classical harp, jazz and “elevator music”. Modern Paraguayan harpists consider themselves more
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tightly twisted. However, modern harps made within the last 50 years are strung with nylon strings. The harmonic curve encompasses four ranges from brilliant at top to clear to soft to muted. The head is made mostly from native Palo Santo wood. The strings are strung up through the center of the
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The
Paraguayan harp is constructed in three parts which are never glued or attached in fixed form; the head (also called the neck) the arm and the body. Characterized by a long cone shaped sound box constructed in three parts with face attached and with a flat oval base and two to three sound oval
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Between the 1930s to late 1950s
Paraguayan had influence across the world and many famous Paraguayan performers began with the Paraguayan harp and guitar. Paraguayan harp is played solo or in duet with another Paraguayan harp, a guitar or rarely (until 50 years ago) a violin. It often accompanies
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friars who established missions in
Paraguay were less successful in subjugating the Tupi Guarani Indians to forced labor. As a result, the Guarani became a more powerful culture in Paraguay, and GuaranĂ became the country's official second language, making Paraguay the only nation in the Americas
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on the upper strings. The left hand carries the rhythm on the bass strings. Players in all Latin
American harp styles except the Venezuelan traditionally only use the first four fingers of each hand, starting with the thumb, although newer generation harpists are using all 10 fingers. Trademark
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holes on the backside ranging 3–4 inches in diameter each. It has two legs on the bottom which are 4 inches long. The
Paraguayan Harp weighs approximately 8 pounds and is carried via the “arm” the center pole which creates tension between the sound box and the “head”.
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singing in
Guarani or Spanish or a mixture of the two and is played mostly by men. Traditionally women did not play at all until the late 20th century: Guarani traditions prohibited women from playing music for religious reasons. There is no traditional percussive accompaniment.
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The Paraguayan harp, like all Latin American harps, is played with the fingernails, which are kept long. The right hand is used for the upper octaves and the left is used for the lower octaves. The right thumb is used for percussive rhythmic "thumping” on the bass strings and
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fingering techniques are passed down from master to student only. The music is largely unwritten, and is passed from master to student through oral tradition only. It is played mostly by ear. Tuning for each octave is a seven-note natural
159:(country folk), became the national instrument of Paraguay, its historical roots associated with liberation from the missionary systems of the more repressive neighboring countries. It is the national symbol of Paraguay.
205:. The intricate rhythms played are ¾ beat to 2 beat creating an attractive “lilt” compared in oral tradition to the gait of a horse missing a leg. Minor keys are employed to express the soul of the Guarani.
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missions produced harps, guitars, and violins, based on 16th- and 17th-century Portuguese and Spanish models, for import to European royal courts. These were handcrafted by native
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with 32, 36, 38 or 40, 42 or 46 strings, made from tropical wood, pine and cedar, with a rounded neck-arch, played with the fingernail. It accompanies traditional songs in the
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The distinctive Paraguayan harp... is featured as lead instrument in hundreds of ensembles in that country, where it is the national instrument.
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accomplished if they can play popular hits, while the true measure of accomplishment requires performance of a handful of national harp pieces;
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Schechter, John M.; Daniel E. Sheehy; Ronald R. Smith (Spring–Summer 1985). "The New Grove: Latin America".
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workers who became widely respected in Europe for their fine woodworking skills.
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In Paraguay, (the harp) became the national instrument.
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240:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
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271:Learn how and when to remove this message
286:"The Harp: A Latin American Reinvention"
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139:In Brazil and Uruguay, the Portuguese
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84:. Derived from the classical angular
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35:Hornbostel–Sachs classification
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94:Jesuit Guarani Missions
41:(diatonic frame harp)
627:Diatonic instruments
90:Spanish colonization
67:national instrument
47:Related instruments
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501:322.212 Chromatic
485:322.21: w/o tuning
228:list of references
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491:322.211 Diatonic
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341:"Paraguayan Harp"
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173:"El Tren Lechero"
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28:A Paraguayan harp
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177:"Pajaro Campana"
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209:References
157:campesinos
152:Franciscan
261:July 2015
198:glissando
191:Technique
185:"Cascada"
181:Bell bird
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141:Capuchin
101:diatonic
99:It is a
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135:History
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65:is the
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591:Europe
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506:Inline
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124:catgut
576:Kafir
571:Greek
559:Other
546:Pedal
465:Chang
441:Saung
426:Janzi
397:Harps
326:JSTOR
234:, or
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352:2007
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