The ''viola caipira'', often simply ''viola'', (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

for ''country guitar'') is a Brazilian ten-string guitar with five courses of strings arranged in pairs. It was introduced in the

state of São Paulo State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, where it is widely played as the basis for the

música caipira Música sertaneja () or sertanejo () is a music style that had its origins in the countryside of Brazil in the 1920s.

, a type of

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

originating in the

caipira A Caipira () is an ethnic group native to Paulistânia, cultural area in Brazil, the term "''caipira''", of origin in the Paulista General language, probably influenced by the terms "''kai'pira''", "''ka'apir''", "''ka'a pora''" or "''kopira'' ...

country of south-central Brazil.

Origins

The origins of the viola caipira are uncertain, but evidence suggests it evolved from the vihuela/viola de mano that Spanish and Portuguese settlers took to the new world. It has also similarities with the 5 course

baroque guitar The Baroque guitar (c. 1600–1750) is a string instrument with five courses of gut strings and moveable gut frets. The first (highest pitched) course sometimes used only a single string. History The Baroque guitar replaced the Renaissance lut ...

, that elsewhere evolved into the modern guitar. It is likely a descendant of one of the many folk guitars that have traditionally been played in Portugal. The

viola braguesa Viola braguesa is a stringed instrument from Braga, north-western Portugal. It has 10 strings in 5 courses. The strings are made of steel. It is tuned C4/C3–G4/G3–A4/A3–D4/D4–G4/G4. The scale length is about . Requinta Many , such as the ...

and

viola amarantina The viola amarantina is a stringed musical instrument from Amarante, Northern Portugal. It is also named viola de dois corações (two-hearted guitar) because of the two heart-shaped frontal openings. It has 10 strings in 5 courses. The strings ...

, for instance, are two types of ten-string guitars from the north of Portugal, which are closely related to the viola caipira. Some have described the viola caipira as Brazil's national instrument, but others argue that the tambourine-like

pandeiro The pandeiro () is a type of hand frame drum popular in Brazil. The pandeiro is used in a number of Brazilian music forms, such as samba, choro, coco, and capoeira music. The drumhead is tunable, and the rim holds metal jingles (''platinelas'') ...

has a stronger claim. The Brazilian Embassy in Washington lists a national flower among the official symbols of Brazil, but no national musical instrument. What is undisputed is that the viola caipira was introduced in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

before the

violão The classical guitar (also known as the nylon-string guitar or Spanish guitar) is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string instrument with strings made of gut or nylon, it is a precursor o ...

, and is the basis for the

música caipira Música sertaneja () or sertanejo () is a music style that had its origins in the countryside of Brazil in the 1920s.

, or São Paulo's folk music, as

Inezita Barroso Ignez Magdalena Aranha de Lima Barroso ( ''née'' Aranha de Lima; March 4, 1925 – March 8, 2015) was a Brazilian sertanejo singer, guitarist, actress, TV presenter, librarian, folklorist and teacher. Biography Inês Madalena Aranha de Lima w ...

states.

Tuning and playing technique

A large number of tunings are used;

open tuning Guitar tunings are the assignment of pitch (music), pitches to the open string (music), open strings of guitars, including acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and classical guitars. Musical tuning, Tunings are described by the particular pitc ...

s are common. Unlike most steel-string guitars, its strings are plucked with the fingers of the right hand similarly to the technique used for classical and

flamenco guitar A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar but with thinner tops and less internal bracing. It usually has nylon strings, like the classical guitar, but it generally possesses a livelier, more gritty sound compared to the clas ...

s, rather than by the use of a

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

Popularity

Violas are present in nearly all

Brazilian music The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European, American, African and Amerindian forms. Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as forró, repente, coco de roda, axé, sertanejo, ...

forms, anywhere in the country (although it is declining in some places). It most often associated with ''Caipira Music'' (Brazilian country music), with some forms of North-Eastern music and with folkloric music. It was once used to play urban music, like

choro ''Choro'' (, "cry" or "lament"), also popularly called ''chorinho'' ("little cry" or "little lament"), is an instrumental Brazilian popular music genre which originated in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. Despite its name, the music often has a ...

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

and Maxixe, but has been replaced by the acoustic guitar. Well-known players of Brazilian viola include Zé Côco do Riachão (composer from

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

Toninho Ramos Toninho is a Portuguese diminutive nickname for Antônio or António in use in Portugal, Brazil, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Angola. It is loosely equivalent to Little Tony in English. Nicknames Football * Toninho (footballer, born 1947), ...

(composer from

live in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) and

Almir Sater Almir Eduardo Melke Sater (born 14 November 1956) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and actor. Early life and career Born in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso (now in Mato Grosso do Sul), Sater went to Rio de Janeiro when was 20 to attend the Law School ...

(successful singer-songwriter from

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay, to the southwest, and ...

). A National Association of Viola Players (''Associação Nacional dos Violeiros'') has been founded in 2004 and the Ministry of Culture has declared the preservation of the Viola tradition as of national interest.

Notable performers

* Andréa Carneiro * Bambico (artistic name of Domingos Miguel dos Santos) * Bemti *

Braz da Viola Braz Roberto da Costa (born 1961), known professionally as Braz da Viola, is a Brazilian multi-instrumentalist musician, luthier, conductor and teacher. He runs workshops of viola caipira The ''viola caipira'', often simply ''viola'', ( Port ...

* Bruna Viola * Chico Lobo * Helena Meireles * Fernando Sodre *

Heraldo do Monte Heraldo do Monte (born 1 May 1935 in Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil) is a Brazilian guitarist. He has played on albums by Gilberto Gil and Hermeto Pascoal. In 1966, Quarteto Novo (with Airto Moreira, Hermeto Pascoal, Theo de Barros Theo is a given ...

Ivan Vilela Ivan Vilela (born August 28, 1962 in Itajubá, Minas Gerais) is a Brazilian composer, arranger, researcher, teacher and ''viola caipira'' player. Ivan Vilela is currently a professor at the ECA - School of Communication and Arts of the Universi ...

* Fabienne Magnant (France) * Mazinho Quevedo * Nestor da Viola * Ramon Thiesen * Renato Andrade *

Renato Teixeira Renato Teixeira de Oliveira (born May 20, 1945) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter. He is a representative of sertanejo music and folk rock, linked to the ''caipira'' culture and dialect. Teixeira is the author of several hit songs including "Roma ...

* Roberto Corrêa * Teddy Vieira *

Tião Carreiro Tiao may refer to: People * Diao or Tiao, a Chinese surname * Xie Tiao (464-499), Chinese poet * Tião (basketball) (1925-unknown), full name Sebastião Amorim Gimenez, Brazilian basketball player * Tião Macalé (1926-1993), Brazilian comedian * ...

(artistic name of José Dias Nunes) * Toninho Ramos * Zé Mulato

References

External links