About the Portuguese guitar

portuguese language

1.Where did it all began?

There’s a theory that says the Portugese Guitar appears in Europe as the instrument that accompaned a Congolese dance called "Lundum". Meanwhile it was imported to Brazil an then influenced the portugese courtship. Others say that its origin was much more distant, they say that its roots became from the "Lyre" used at Anciente Greece, and that some years after was improved for the instrument called "Zyther". This instrument has also 12 strings as the Portugese Guitar. It appeared in Portugal as accompaniment of a dance such as "Lundum", "Fandango" or "Modinha", and became very popular since 18th Century. Before Piano was known in our country, Portugese Guitar was the favorite instrument used in the Reception Room of His Majesty the King; and even after the Piano’s appearence, the Guitar’s harshfull sound continued accompaning the Piano. The Ladies in the courtship studied the art of playing guitar as they learn Piano or "Harpsichord" lessons. As the Guitar was the favorite instrument as for the Ladies as also for the tramps, in the Luis XV courtship; its strident strings also heard at the "golden" Reception Halls of Marquis the Marialva till the dark alleys of Bairro Alto and Alfama of the last period of the 18th Century.

On 1786, a different method of playing Guitar was introduced by Master António Silva Leite (Chapel Master) born in Oporto. This method has a new tune, different to the one that was used, and similar to the "Zyther’s" way, that was:

This is the methos used even today for the traditional Lisbon Guitar; in Coimbra’s Guitar, the tune remains a tone bellow. After the instrumentalist learn this theory, he "explores" the instrument in his own way, that means, every person’s different, since the Portugese Guitar "soul" is in the sound that anyone takes from the instrument. So, it’s very peculiar the differences of sound between each one of those, and also easy to recognize the sound belonging to each of them. One other thing that contributes to this difference, is their nail, an artificial nail that they must do by them selfs; this object is made of turtle or plastic and it’s for the right index-finger, as for the thumb, the nail is usually universal. This nail also identifies the Guitar player because it can be big or small, flattened or small, flattened or hollowed.

2. Something that cannot be explained...

Speaking of soul can look quite strange, but it’s neaded even to play guitar. As it is an instrument of common roots, with no classical characteristics and its even played with no musical learning lessons, its understood that its a major passion learning how to play an instrument just by hearing its sounds and trying to pressure the fingers against the strings. As I already told, the identification between the person and the instrument is absolutely unique _ when its played it stirs up our ears for the purest of the sounds as it is so clear, that’s why we currently use the expression _ "This sound is in my soul!..."_ it reminds "Saudade" a mist of love and sorrow, a word that has no translation for any other language, used even by our ancestrals when they left the quay..."for seas never explored before"...

3. Lisboa e Coimbra

There’s two different tunes for the Portuguese Guitar _Lisbon and Coimbra_ curiously it’s the name of two important Cities of our country; the 1st is the Capital of Portugal and the other is the most important University City. For those 2 methods there’s different shapes. They’re diverse since the "volute" _ at Lisbon Guitar it ends in a curl, at coimbra’s ends in the shape of a tear. The resonating body has different sizes: Lisbon’s smaller then Coimbra’s. Stringing are also distinct: · At Lisbon’s strings are _ 10 (si) 8(lá) and 6(mi) · At Coimbra’s strings are _ 8, 6 and 4 (because the instrument tunes in a tone bellow).

4. Guitars construction

Curiosly, Guitars began their life in England, Mr Simpson was the best constructor, the sound of his guitars and also his method of construction was known all over the country. But there’s also a portugese constructor named Luis Cardoso Soares Sevilhano that was very similar to the first one. We suppose the motive why those portugese instruments were constructed in England was the fact that Portugal, at that time, was very connected to England, specially Oporto _ there were many englishmen stablished in Portugal and interested in learning our tradition. It takes between 2 and 5 years for the "birth" of a guitar, because it is all hand made, it’s also important to mention that even today the art of constructing Guitars is very rare since there’s just 3 constructers in the intire country. This instrument can cost between 300.000$00 and 500.000$00 (Three hundred thousand and five hundred thousand of Escudos). Its high price is due to all that hand working hours and also for its high quality woods that must be seasoned in the shade which can take years. The wood used to make this kind of artifact is called "Brazilian Ebony" or "English Wallnut-tree. Each of those woods have different sounds, and it’s the instrumentist that must choose the material that has the sound similar to his "feeling", because the Ebony produces a "Middling/Sharp" sound as long as the Wallnut-tree wood has a "Middling/Bass" sound that gives the instrument a deeper/high sounding, much more involvent. This guitar you see, is made of Wallnut-tree root and has an interesting aspect. Its resonating body shape is Lisbon’s and the neck is Coimbra, because its gamut has one other fret than Lisbon’s which makes it easier to play. The body is Lisbon because the develloped technic is traditionally Lisbon.

5. Portugese Guitar in Fado

This instrument accompanied Love Songs, Protest ones, Satire and so on. It was the previliged vehicle to enlarge imagination. Every today, Fado is considered as a strange melody and also as an unique art of singing each other feelings. There’s no strictness, the words float above the Guitar’s trill. The base to play Fado’s music, is the "Fado Corrido" too much alike the music the "Jesters" played when travelling from Village to Village _ the same music accompanied the different attitudes from each culture. The same music was used for Northern poems or Southern ones, this music was the "motto" for every poem. And after the appearence of the Portugese guitar, Fado keeps going al over the country _ from North to South _ and even nowadays.

6. Portugese Guitar

The instrument of the people Portugese Guitar is not oficially taught in Conservatory, because it is an instrument due to its origin not considered classical since there’s no stablished method of teaching it. It’s just a culture through generations, that’s the motive why it’s considered as a people’s instrument, Portugese People’s instrument. It’s technic is based in the soul of the one that plays it, in the energy the guitarrist puts in the instrument when he plays it.