How the Portuguese guitar makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the Portuguese guitar 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.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
The Portuguese guitar is a plucked string instrument with twelve steel strings, strung in six courses of two strings. It is one of the few musical instruments that still uses watch-key or Preston tuners. It is iconically associated with the fado musical genre.
Other lutes
Frequently asked questions
What does the Portuguese guitar 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 Portuguese guitar?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322-5).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q585289 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Portuguese guitar – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by TenIslands – Public domain