List of Caribbean chordophones

This is a list of chordophones used in the Caribbean music area, including the islands of the Caribbean Sea, as well as the musics of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Belize, Garifuna music, and Bermuda.

Instrument Tradition Complete classification Description
calorine See tambou maringouin -
banjo[1]
Belize 321.312 Guitar, used in Brukdown
bass guitar[1]
Jamaica 321.322 Guitar, used in popular styles like ska, reggae and rocksteady
bass guitar, electric[2]
Trinidad and Tobago 321.322 Electric bass guitar, used in soca
bass guitar, electric[2]
Garifuna music 321.312 Electric bass guitar, used in punta
bass guitar, electric[2]
Belize 321.312 Electric bass guitar, used in Brukdown
bass, upright[3]
Cuba 321.322 Used in popular son ensembles, where it replaced the more traditional marimbula and botija
cuatro[4]
Dominican Republic 321.322 Stringed instrument, part of some popular merengue groups' instrumentation
cuatro[4]
Puerto Rico 321.322 Five-stringed instrument
guitar[3][5]
Cuba 321.322 Guitar, used for the Zapateo dance and other rural music
guitar[4]
Dominican Republic 321.322 Guitar, part of some popular merengue groups' instrumentation
guitar[6]
Haiti 321.322 Guitar, used in méringue
guitar[1]
Jamaica 321.322 Guitar, used in popular styles like ska, reggae and rocksteady
guitar[7]
Martinique and Guadeloupe 321.322 Guitar, used in zouk
guitar[8]
Trinidad and Tobago 321.322 Guitar, used in traditional calypso, introduced from Venezuela
guitar, electric[2]
Trinidad and Tobago 321.322 Electric guitar, used in soca
guitar, electric[2]
Garifuna music 321.312 Electric guitar, used in punta
laúd[3][5]
Cuba 321.321 Seven double-stringed mandolin, used in son and other fields
maringouin, tambou[9]
calorine
Haiti 3 Earth bow, made from a covered hole in the ground, across which a bow is laid
piano[3]
Cuba 3 Used in popular genres like son
piano[4]
Dominican Republic 3 Part of some merengue bands
seis[5]
Cuba 321.322 Six double-stringed guitar
sitar[10]
Trinidad and Tobago 3 Indo-Caribbean stringed instrument
tres[3][5]
Cuba 321.322 Three double-stringed guitar, used in son and other rural folk genres
violin[4]
Dominican Republic 321.322 Stringed instrument

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Manuel, pg. 75
  2. ^ a b c d e Manuel, pg. 82
  3. ^ a b c d e Manuel, pg. 30
  4. ^ a b c d e Manuel, pg. 43
  5. ^ a b c d Courlander, Harold (April 1942). "Musical Instruments of Cuba". The Musical Quarterly 28 (2): 227–240. doi:10.1093/mq/XXVIII.2.227. 
  6. ^ Manuel, pg. 73
  7. ^ Berrian, pg. 44
  8. ^ Manuel, pg. 79
  9. ^ Courlander, Harold (July 1941). "Musical Instruments of Haiti". The Musical Quarterly 27 (3): 371–383. doi:10.1093/mq/XXVII.3.371. 
  10. ^ Ramnarine, Tina K. (1998). "Brotherhood of the Boat: Musical Dialogues in a Caribbean Context". British Journal of Ethnomusicology 7: 1–22. doi:10.1080/09681229808567270.