The Caipira viola or Caipira guitar (in Portuguese: ''Viola caipira''), is a Brazilian ten-string guitar with five courses of strings arranged in pairs. It is a variation of the Portuguese viola that developed in the state of São Paulo during the colonial period, serving as a basis for

Caipira music Caipira is a musical style of the Caipira culture, which originated in São Paulo, during the period of Portuguese colonization. The theme of the Caipira style, performed mainly to the accompaniment of a Caipira guitar, is especially based on li ...

, especially for subgenres of Caipira

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

, such as ''moda de viola'', '' caipira pagode'', ''catira'', etc.

Origins

It has its origins in Portuguese violas. Violas are direct descendants of the Latin guitar, which, in turn, has an Arabic-Persian origin derived from instruments such as the

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

. The Portuguese violas arrived in Brazil and along with other instruments began to be used by the Jesuits in the

catechism A catechism (; from , "to teach orally") is a summary or exposition of Catholic theology, doctrine and serves as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult co ...

of the indigenous people, and naturally, for Portuguese-Brazilian settlers and ranchers entertainment and company. Later, guitars began to be built with noble wood from the land, which has always been available in large quantities in Brazil. It is likely a descendant of one of the many folk guitars that have traditionally been played in Portugal. The viola braguesa and viola amarantina, for instance, are two types of ten-string guitars from the north of Portugal, which are closely related to the Caipira viola. Some have described the Caipira viola 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 Caipira viola was introduced in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

before the violão, and is the basis for the Caipira music, or Paulista folk music, as

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

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 classical guitars, acoustic guitars, and electric guitars. Musical tuning, Tunings are described by the particular pitch ...

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 lower action, thinner tops and less internal bracing. It usually has nylon strings, like the classical guitar, but it generally possesses a livelier, grittier sound compared ...

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, 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 fa ...

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

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 one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

), Toninho Ramos (composer from

live in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) and Almir Sater (successful singer-songwriter from

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul ( ) is one of Federative units of Brazil, Brazil's 27 federal units, located in the southern part of the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West Region, bordering five Brazilian states: Mato Grosso (to the north), Goiás 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

* Almir Sater * Andréa Carneiro * Arnaldo Freitas * Bambico (artistic name of Domingos Miguel dos Santos) * Bemti * Braz da Viola * Bruna Viola * Cleiton Torres * Chico Lobo * Divino * Helena Meirelles * 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 Hermeto Pascoal (born June 22, ...

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

* Fabienne Magnant (France) * João Mulato (Wilson Leoncio de Melo) * Juliana Andrade * Mazinho Quevedo * Nestor da Viola * Ramon Thiesen * Renato Andrade * 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) * Tião do Carro * Thacio * Toninho Ramos * Zé Mulato

References

External links