The Bandolin is a 15-stringed musical instrument from the country of Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

. It is used as a rhythm instrument in the Andean region of Ecuador during festivals where dancing and music are involved. It is a type of mandolin with a flat back and five courses of triple strings. It may be described as a flat-backed mandolin

Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

, which is a general term for various instruments similar to the mandolin such as the bandola

Bandola

This article refers to various South American instruments. Bandola is also Portuguese for Mandola.The Bandola is one oif many varieties of small pear-shape chordophones found in Venezuela and Colombia...

.

Uses

In the Andean region of Ecuador, the bandolin is used during the celebration of The Feasts of San Juan and San Pedro, along with several other instruments including: twin flutes, guitars, violins, quenas, a drum, a charango

Charango

The charango is a small Andean stringed instrument of the lute family, 66 cm long, traditionally made with the shell of the back of an armadillo. Primarily played in traditional Andean music, and is sometimes used by other Latin American musicians. Many contemporary charangos are now made with...

, a rondador

Rondador

The rondador is a set of chorded bamboo panpipes that produces two tones simultaneously. It consists of pieces of cane, placed side by side in order by size and closed at one end, and is played by blowing across the top of the instrument. The rondador is considered the national instrument of Ecuador....

, and a harmonica. The music and dance that characterize the festival is called a sanjuanito. The bandolines and the guitars mark the 2/4 tempo of the sanjuanito rhythm, which is accentuated by the bombo

Bombo

Bombo is a British computer game published by Rino for the Commodore 64.-Plot:Taken from the game's instructions:A wave of insurrection has left the earth littered with bombs primed to explode and destroy mankind.Your commission is to clear the pyramids of ancient Egypt, castles of medieval Britain...

, and the quenas, rondador, and violins carry the melody

Construction and Design

The body shape of the bandolin is very much similar to that of the bandola and the mandolin. It has 15 strings, or 5 courses of triple strings, in a guitar-tuning (can be played using usual guitar chords). Just like a guitar, it has a flat back, metal frets, and a slightly raised fingerboard in the front. The 15 strings run over a loose bridge to a metal stringholder on the end of the body.

Tuning and string gauges

It is tuned E5 E4 E5, A5 A4 A5, D5 D5 D5, F#5 F#5 F#5, B5 B5 B5 or E5 E4 E5, A5 A4 A5, D5 D5 D5, G#5 G#5 G#5, B5 B5 B5.

1 st + 1 st + 1 st = .009 "

2 ª ª + 2 + 2 nd = .011 "

3 rd + 3 + 3 ª ª = .013 "

4 + 4 ª ª ª + 4 = .015 "+ .028" (or 4 th Gt. Ac.) + .015 "

5 + 5 ª ª ª + 5 = .017 "+ .038" (or 5 th Gt. Ac.) + .017 "

See Also

• mandolin
  Mandolin
  A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
  
  
• guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  
• Latin American music
  Latin American music
  Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
  
  
• Music of Ecuador
  Music of Ecuador
  The music of Ecuador has a long history. Pasillo is a genre of indigenous Latin music. It is extremely popular in Ecuador, where it is the "national genre of music." Pasillo as a genre is also present in the mountainous regions of Colombia, Panama and Venezuela, to a lesser extent.Today, it has...
  
  
• string instruments