The viola de cocho is a singular plucked string instrument from Brazil. It is typical from the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul and it was record as an untangible national patrimony by Iphan - the brazilian institution which is responsible for the preservation of the national cultural patrimony[1]. It is unusual in that it has frets, but only 3 at most. It is also unusually left unvarnished[2][3][4]. The portuguese word cocho used by the man in the field, identifies a log of wood excavated, forming a sort of container. The cocho is widely used, for example, to add salt to the cattle on grassland farms[5].
Contents |
The viola-de-cocho is a musical instrument of the group of short lutes, produced by master craftsmen. After choosing the wood, cut the trunk into two flat parts. With a cast the wood is scratch and on which is carved a sounding board. Once carved the body of the instrument, the soundboard is glued and then are posted the easel, mirrors, pegs and to fuse, which then placed the frets and strings. Some instruments have a small circular hole on top, sometimes not. The viola without hole is something new. Some viola players justified that the viola with hole gave a lot of work, because always came by this hole, spiders or other animals, damaging the instrument's sound. Some former viola players prefer it to the hole because, in the words of one, the hole gives a better sound.[6].
With unique shape and sound, the viola-de-cocho has always five orders of strings, called prima, contra, corda do meio, canotio and resposta. The strings are tuned in two different ways, canotio solto (released) and canotio preso (arrested): bottom-up, re, la, mi, re, sol, and re, la, mi, do, sol[7].
Braz da Viola, besides being an virtuoso instrumentalist is also a constructor of beautiful violas-de-cocho[5]. Another well known performer of the viola-de-cocho is the brazilian instrumentalist Roberto Corrêa.