THE EIGTH COUPLE
FADO GUITAR & CAVAQUINHO
Traditionally performed in the dark city squares of Coimbra and Lisbon, fado is always accompanied by the metallic plucks and graceful slides of this special and timeless lute guitar, the Fado Guitar. Also known as the Portuguese guitar, it has twelve steel strings set in pairs. With roots in old medieval music, it was played by troubadours and wandering musicians alike, spreading to the theater and taverns alike and now used not only in Portugal but across South America.
The Cavaquinho is the mother of a whole family of smaller-sized strumming instruments. It brought to the world the ukulele, and still serves as the primary bringer of joy and rhythm in songs across Latin America, especially in Brazil and Venezuela and very important in samba and choro music. It was introduced to Brazil by the Portuguese, and from there reached across the world, becoming a treasure in island cultures from Cape Verde to Hawaii.
THE NINTH COUPLE
RONROCO & BOUZOUKI
The aggressive strums of this Andean instrument recollect the vast, indomitable landscapes of Patagonia and beyond. Larger than a charango, the Ronroco is double stringed, unique in that the higher pairs double in unison while the lowers double in octaves, creating a mystical, otherworldly sound.
The long-necked, metal-stringed style of lute known as the modern Bouzouki was developed in Greece in the early 1910s. The locals modified it to handle steel strings, endowing it with its trademark twangy sound.
