Cavakinho: description of the instrument, composition, history, types, build

Cavakinho (or masheti) is a four-stringed plucked musical instrument. According to one version, its name goes back to the Castilian “palique” with the meaning “continuous long conversation.” It produces a more piercing melody than a guitar, thanks to which it has fallen in love in many countries: Portugal, Brazil, Hawaii, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Venezuela.

History

The cavaquinho is a traditional Portuguese stringed instrument from the northern province of Minho. Belongs to the plucked group, since the sound is extracted with a finger or a plectrum.

The origin of the mashet is not known for certain; the instrument was supposedly brought from the Spanish province of Biscay to replace expensive guitars and mandolins. This is how the simplified cavaquinho was born. Since the XNUMXth century, it has spread throughout the world by colonialists, and in the XNUMXth century it was brought to the Hawaiian archipelago by immigrants. Depending on the country, the musical instrument has its own characteristics.

Types

Traditional Portuguese cavaquinho can be recognized by the elliptical hole, the neck reaches the soundboard, the instrument has 12 frets. Music is played by striking the strings with the fingers of the right hand, without a plectrum.

The instrument is popular in Portugal: it is used in the performance of folk and modern music. It is used both for accompaniment and for the performance of orchestral parts.

The structure varies by region. The usual tuning for a Portuguese instrument is:

The city of Braga uses a different tuning (historical Portuguese):

brazilian cavaquinho. It can be distinguished from the traditional one by a round hole, the neck goes on the soundboard to the resonator, and consists of 17 frets. It is played with a plectrum. The top deck is usually not varnished. More common in Brazil. It is used in samba along with other stringed instruments, and also as a leader in the shoro genre. Has its own structure:

For solo performances, the guitar is used:

or mandolin tuning:

Kavako – another variety that differs from the Brazilian cavaquinho in smaller sizes. It is part of the ensemble in samba.

Ukulele has a similar shape to the Portuguese cavaquinho, but differs in formation:

Quattro differs from the Portuguese cavaquinho in its large size. Distributed in Latin America, the Caribbean. It also has its own structure: