Paraguayan harp

Paraguayan Harp

A Paraguayan Harp
Related instruments
Harp

The Paraguayan harp is the national instrument of Paraguay, and similar instruments are used elsewhere in South America, particularly Venezuela.

It is a diatonic harp with 32, 36, 38 or 40 strings, made from tropical wood, with an exaggerated neck-arch, played with the fingernail. It accompanies songs in the Guarani language.

References

• "The Harp: A Latin American Reinvention". BBC. July 6, 2001. Retrieved December 17, 2007. In Paraguay, (the harp) became the national instrument.
• Schechter, John M. (1985). "The New Grove: Latin America". Ethnomusicology. 29 (2): 317–330. doi:10.2307/852145. JSTOR 852145. The distinctive Paraguayan harp... is featured as lead instrument in hundreds of ensembles in that country, where it is the national instrument. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• {{cite web|work=Dolmetsch Online|title=Paraguayan Harp|quote=(C)

Construction: The Paraguayan harp is constructed in three parts which are never glued or attached in fixed form; the Head (also called the neck) the Arm and the Body. Characterized by a long cone shaped sound box constructed in three parts with face attached and with a flat ovular base and two to three sound ovular holes on the backside ranging 3-4 inches in diameter each.It has two legs on the bottom which are 4 inches long. The Paraguayan Harp weighs approximately 8 pounds and is carried via the “arm” the center pole which creates tension between the sound box and the “head”.

It is constructed of lightweight cedar imported from the United States (the same thickness used in guitars) and has very fine grade Pine imported from Japan (used for violins)creates the thin face from which the stings are strung and pegged in place. Closely spaced high tension strings with 640 pound tinsel strength hold the harp components together as no glue is used between head, arm and body.

Traditionally, in harps older than 50 years, the strings were made of cat gut tightly twisted, however modern harps, made within the last 50 years are strung from nylon strings imported mostly from the United States, and a harmonic curve encompassing four ranges from brilliant at top to clear to soft to muted. The head is made mostly from native Palo Santo wood imported from Brazil and the stings are stung up through the center of the Head which is the defining feature distinguishing Paraguayan Harps from other South American Harps, whose stings are strung on the side of the head. Tuning Pegs were traditionally hand carved, but now newer harps employ guitar levers and sharpening levers imported from the United States on high end harps.

The strings are made from single imported nylon of varying dimension in the high octaves and double wrapped nylon in the lower octaves. There are a range of octaves available from 6 to 8, depending on the maker. There are 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42, 46 strings, depending on the maker. Each maker creates a proprietary and immediately recognizable variant to the exterior hand carvings or lack thereof on the Head and body sides and the quantity of strings and placement of the Red or Blue stings and what note (high C or F) they represent. Dedicated players play only their variant of tuned string color codes, thereby creating two schools of harps. The ones with the red high C and the ones with the blue high C.

The Paraguayan harp is played with the finger nails, like all Latin American harps. The players’ nails are worn long. The right thumb is used for percussive rhythmic “thumping” on the base strings and glissando slides on the high upper strings. The right hand is used for the upper octaves and the left is used for the lower octaves. The left hand carries all the rhythm on the base strings. Players traditionally play with the first four fingers only of each hand starting with the thumb (although newer generation harpists are using all 10 fingers). The pinky fingers are not used traditionally in all Latin American Harps styles, except the Venezuelan Harp. The Tuning for each octave is a seven note pentatonic scale, (the white keys only from a piano). The intricate rhythms played are ¾ beat to 2 beat creating an attractive “lilt” compared in oral tradition to the gait of a horse missing a leg. Minor notes are employed to express the soul of the Guarani.

History: The Capuchin monks from Portugal set up Missions in Brazil and Uruguay that produced traditional folk instruments for importation to royal courts across Europe. These instruments consisted of Harps, guitars, and violins based of traditional Portuguese and Spanish models of the 16th and 17th centuries. These instruments were all hand crafted from the Native Tupi Gaurani Indian consigns who became widely respected in Europe for their fine woodworking skills. The Franciscan Monks from Spain established missions in Paraguay but were less successful in subjugating the Tupi Guarani Indians as a forced labor source and therefor the Guarani in Paraguay became more the dominant culture of Paraguay, with Guaraní as the official second language spoken. Paraguay is the only nation in the Americas with an Indigenous nationalized official language. The Harp instrument makers were entrepenoural Guaraní and Mestizos in Paraguay, and the music came to reflect Guarani lore and legends and appreciation of their environment, with songs largely about birds, women and Guarani lore.

The Paraguayan harp was and is the dominant music source for 'campesinos' (country folk), and became the national instrument of Paraguay with great reverence to its historical roots, as a symbol of liberation and freedom from the missionary systems of the more repressive neighboring countries. It became the singular national pride of being distinctively Paraguayan mestizos of Guarani origin. It is the National symbol of Paraguay.

In the Golden era of Latin American music during the 1930’s to late 1950’s, Paraguayan music came to influence music across the world with many famous Paraguayan performers whose origins were with the folk traditions of Paraguayan Harp and guitar. Paraguayan Harp is played solo or accompanied by another Paraguayan harp, or a guitar, or rarely (prior to 50 years ago), a violin. There is no percussive accompaniment traditionally. It is often accompanied by singing, most often in Guarani or Spanish, or a mix of the two. It is played by young and old, and mostly men. Traditionally, women did not play at all, and only began playing within the last 35 years. Guarani traditions prohibited woman from playing music for religious reasons. This tradition carried through to the harp, where women were discouraged from playing the harp.

Most accomplished male harpists ventured out of Paraguay and traveled the world performing within the last 60 years. Mostly to Europe, Japan and on occasion to the Middle East. This out flux of musicians and their musical remittances has greatly modified modern harp musical styles to include strong western influences including classical harp, jazz and “elevator music”. Modern Paraguayan harpists consider themselves more accomplish if they can play well known top40’s pieces, nationally, the true measure of accomplishment is brought through a players skill at performance of a handful of national harp pieces such as “La Missionera” (The missionary woman), “El Tren Lechero” (The Milk Train, based on lore about the first national train, with a coal steam engine – the first in South America and a source of great national pride), “Pajaro Campana” (the Bell Bird Song, a small very loud bird that is the national bird of Paraguay), “Cascada” (The Waterfall, referring to the great Iguazu Falls, National pride of Paraguay, the largest Hydro Electric Dam in the Americas.)

These National songs are reminders and sources of great National pride for Paraguayans living anywhere in the world. To be considered a good harpist, you must be very proficient at all these songs with your own creative interpretation or intricate fingering that will be your distinctive musical mark as a harp player. Each player has a distinctive trademark fingering technique that is passed down from master to student only. The music is largely unwritten, and is passed from master to student through oral tradition only. It is played mostly by ear.