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Playable heritage gameCharango
The charango is a small ten-string lute of the Andean highlands of Bolivia and Peru, strung in five pairs and played with quick strums and plucked melodies. Its bright, high voice carries dance tunes and songs in the mountain towns.
How to play
- Five pairs of strings and a strumming bar sit in rows; the lowest pair is on the left.
- Notes travel toward a line at the bottom of each lane; strike the lane just as a note reaches it.
- Strum on the strong beats and pluck the single strings in between, as the pattern asks.
- Each song plays twice through; try the dance step, the bass-and-strum figure and the walk down the strings.
Rules at a glance
- The five courses are tuned in the re-entrant order G, C, E, A, E, so the lowest sounding pair is not the highest string.
- A stroke within a hair of the beat is perfect, a near one is good, and a missed one scores nothing.
- An extra stroke while a song is running costs a few points.
- Each song plays twice; three stars need roughly nine notes in ten on time.
- The strum lane stands for a whole-chord sweep and is sounded as one note here.
About the tradition
Charangos are played from the high plains of Bolivia and Peru, in village dances and in town ensembles, and makers build them in many sizes. The body was once made from an armadillo shell, and carved wood is common today.
Origins
Usually placed in the era of Crossroads and Golden Ages (about 500 to 1500), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of The Americas: Andes and South America.
Credits
- Tradition: Andean charango music; figures written for this game
- Photo of a charango from Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
- Photo: Villanueva, Public domain, source on Wikimedia Commons
- Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.
Sources
Get the app
Charango is one of 11 instruments in the String Music of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Live on Google Play. Submitted to the App Store; in review, and the store link appears here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.
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