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Also known as rajao

The rajão () is a 5-stringed instrument from Madeira, Portugal. The instrument traces back to the country's regional folk music, where it is used in folklore dances of Portugal in addition to other stringed instruments from the same region.

Wikidata facts

Country
Portugal
Image
Rajao in Porto.jpg
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Commons category
Rajão

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Encyclopedic overview

4 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Construction and tuning
  • Related instruments
  • References

The rajão () is a 5-stringed instrument from Madeira, Portugal. The instrument traces back to the country's regional folk music, where it is used in folklore dances of Portugal in addition to other stringed instruments from the same region.

== History == There is little information of the origins of the rajão, but it is often associated with traditional folklore dance of Madeira and the origins of the ukulele of Hawaii. As early as 1879, Portuguese immigrants (who also owned business in musical instruments) brought the rajão (as well as a viola and braga) to Hawaii, where it was later given the nickname of the "taro-patch fiddle." The rajão can be known as the "mother of the ukulele."

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “rajão” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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