Paraguayan 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. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/highlights/010705_harps.shtml. Retrieved December 17, 2007. "In Paraguay, (the harp) became the national instrument."
- Schechter, John M.; Daniel E. Sheehy and Ronald R. Smith (Spring - Summer 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."
- "Paraguayan Harp". Dolmetsch Online. http://www.dolmetsch.com/defsp.htm. Retrieved December 21, 2007. "(C)haracterized by a large soundbox with a rounded base, very light weight, closely spaced light tension strings (usually nylon), a relatively flat harmonic curve, and with the strings running up through the centre of the neck, which are tuned with gear-style tuners (like a guitar). Almost all harps of this style are played with the fingernails, in very rhythmically intricate music. This is the national instrument of Paraguay, and is commonly found throughout South America, Central America, and in parts of Mexico"