How the colascione makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the colascione belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The colascione (or calascione, Italian: [kolaʃˈʃoːne], French: colachon [kɔlaʃɔ̃], also sometimes known as liuto della giraffa meaning giraffe-lute, a reference to its long neck, is a plucked string instrument from the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, with a lute-like resonant body and a very long neck. It was mainly used in southern Italy. It has two or three strings tuned in fifths.
Noteworthy are the great similarities of the colascione with instruments such as the dutar, the tanbur or the saz. Nevertheless, there are important differences, such as the bridge being on the top of the body.
Other lutes
Frequently asked questions
What does a colascione sound like?
As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the colascione?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.321).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q748420 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Colascione – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Original uploader was User:Opa at hu.wikipedia – CC BY-SA 3.0