The Bordonua (Bordonúa) is a large, deep body (sound-boxes are usually deep) bass

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

which is native to

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. They are made using several different shapes and sizes. The Bordonúa is the least common of the three stringed instruments that make up the Puerto Rican ''orquesta jibara'' (i.e., the

cuatro Cuatro is Spanish language, Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the 4 (number), number four. Cuatro may also refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see cuatro (Puerto Rico), ...

, the

tiple A tiple (, literally treble or soprano), is a plucked typically 12-string chordophone of the guitar family. A tiple player is called a ''tiplista''. The first mention of the tiple comes from musicologist Pablo Minguet e Irol in 1752. Although ma ...

and the Bordonúa). The Bordonua usually has three sound holes, with a large central one and two smaller ones in the two corners of the upper bout. The usual body shape is quite slender and tapers in towards the top, however there is a wide variety of other designs also.

History

The original Bordonua is said to have evolved from the old 16th century

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

Acoustic bass guitar The acoustic bass guitar (sometimes shortened to acoustic bass or initialized ABG) is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar. Like the traditional electric bass guitar a ...

called the ''Bajo de la Una''. There were also special melodic Bordonuas that were used during the 1920s and 1930s as

accompaniment Accompaniment is the musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in different genres and styles ...

to melody instead of the bass role. These were oddly tuned like a

. This configuration is no longer used on the island. They are also related to the Spanish Renaissance

vihuela The vihuela () is a 15th-century fretted plucked Spanish string instrument, shaped like a guitar (figure-of-eight form offering strength and portability) but tuned like a lute. It was used in 15th- and 16th-century Spain as the equivalent of t ...

, brought to the Island by conquering Spanish.

Currently

All Bordonuas made today are used as bass guitars, primarily by initiatives promoting

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. There are several different types of Bordonuas which are made in Puerto Rico today: *6-String Bordonua - This Bordonua has six single strings. *8-String Bordonua - This Bordonua has four pairs of strings. *10-String Bordonua - This Bordonua has five pairs of strings. (This is the most common type)

Baby Bordonua Bordonúa Chiquita

Apparently, a very small Bordonúa also existed in some regions of the island. It is descended from the Spanish

family, in contrast to the

Cuatro Cuatro is Spanish language, Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the 4 (number), number four. Cuatro may also refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see cuatro (Puerto Rico), ...

, that descends from the family of

bandurria The bandurria is a plucked chordophone from Spain, similar to the mandolin and bandola, primarily used in Spanish folk music, but also found in former Spanish colonies. Instrument development Prior to the 18th century, the bandurria had a round ...

. These smaller Bordonúas are the same as the larger

Tiple A tiple (, literally treble or soprano), is a plucked typically 12-string chordophone of the guitar family. A tiple player is called a ''tiplista''. The first mention of the tiple comes from musicologist Pablo Minguet e Irol in 1752. Although ma ...

Guitarrillos. They were figure 8 shaped with a very narrow waist between the upper and lower bouts.

Tunings for the Bordonua

Bordonúa (6 string) *D *A *E *E *B *F# Bordonúa (10 string) *A-a *D-d *F#-f# *b-b *e-e

References

{{reflist

External links

See how a bordonúa is made The Puerto Rican Bordonúa - A Site Dedicated to the Bordonúa of Puerto Rico
Guitar family instruments Puerto Rican musical instruments