In Indonesia the cavaquinho developed into two separate highly specialized instruments that play interlocking figures together in kroncong music. This video illustrates the unique sound or timbre of the ukulele’s nylon strings and koa wood: In 1876, immigrants from Madeira arrived in Hawai’i, bringing their instruments with them, and soon after they began making instruments from beautiful Hawaiian koa wood. The Portuguese cavaquinho arrived on the Portuguese island of Madeira by 1854 and became the local regional variants known as “braguinha” or “machete,” as well as a larger rajão. Antão in Cape Verde (not very common) and the standard (note, much larger) Cape Verdean cavaquinho on far right. It is common to have a separate wood (usually a harder, darker wood such as walnut or rosewood) that asks as a scratch plate to prevent damage to the spruce top.įrom left to right: Portuguese cavaquinho, Brazilian cavaquinho, a cavaquinho from the island of St. Unique features include a fingerboard that is flush with the body of the instrument, unlike guitars and the other cavaquinho-derived instruments discussed here which employ a raised fingerboard. They are usually made with spruce tops (soundboards) and walnut or rosewood back and sides. The Portuguese cavaquinho is a small instrument about the size of a soprano ukulele (see images). The cavaquinho appears to have emerged in the Minho province (the region north of Porto) Until very recently, the cavaquinho has remained primarily a folkloric instrument closely associated with the traditional music and dance of the region and its largest city, Braga. Many readers may be familiar with one of these variants, the Hawaiian ukulele. Due to centuries of Portuguese colonialist projects, variants of the instrument exist around the world. The cavaquinho is a small 4-string guitar-like instrument of Portuguese origin. Back in June, my colleague Brian Griffith invited me on his radio show The Humanoid Playlistto talk about the cavaquinho.