Tiple is the Spanish word for
trebleTreble, a doublet of "triple" or "threefold" , is used in several contexts:Music:*As a term applied in music to the high or acute part of the musical system; see clef....
or
sopranoA soprano is a singing voice with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music...
, is often applied to specific instruments, generally to refer to a small
chordophoneA chordophone is any musical instrument which makes sound by way of a vibrating string or strings stretched between two points. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification....
of the
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
family.
The tiple is the smallest of the three string instruments of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
that make up the
orquesta jibara (i.e., the
Cuatro- The cuatros of Puerto Rico :The cuatro is the national instrument of Puerto Rico. It belongs to the lute family of string instruments. Very little is known about the exact origin of the Cuatro. However, most experts believe that the Cuatro has existed on the island in one form or another for...
, the
TipleTiple is the Spanish word for treble or soprano, is often applied to specific instruments, generally to refer to a small chordophone of the guitar family.-Puerto Rican tiples :...
and the
BordonuaThe Bordonua is a large, deep body bass guitar which is native to Puerto Rico. They are made using several different shapes and sizes....
). According to investigations made by Jose Reyes Zamora, the tiple in Puerto Rico dates back to the 18th century.
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Tiple is the Spanish word for
trebleTreble, a doublet of "triple" or "threefold" , is used in several contexts:Music:*As a term applied in music to the high or acute part of the musical system; see clef....
or
sopranoA soprano is a singing voice with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music...
, is often applied to specific instruments, generally to refer to a small
chordophoneA chordophone is any musical instrument which makes sound by way of a vibrating string or strings stretched between two points. It is one of the four main divisions of instruments in the original Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification....
of the
guitarThe guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that adapts readily to a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six strings, but four-, seven-, eight-, ten-, eleven-, twelve-, thirteen- and eighteen-string guitars also exist. The size and shape of the neck and the base of the guitar...
family.
Puerto Rican tiples
The tiple is the smallest of the three string instruments of
Puerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
that make up the
orquesta jibara (i.e., the
Cuatro- The cuatros of Puerto Rico :The cuatro is the national instrument of Puerto Rico. It belongs to the lute family of string instruments. Very little is known about the exact origin of the Cuatro. However, most experts believe that the Cuatro has existed on the island in one form or another for...
, the
TipleTiple is the Spanish word for treble or soprano, is often applied to specific instruments, generally to refer to a small chordophone of the guitar family.-Puerto Rican tiples :...
and the
BordonuaThe Bordonua is a large, deep body bass guitar which is native to Puerto Rico. They are made using several different shapes and sizes....
). According to investigations made by Jose Reyes Zamora, the tiple in Puerto Rico dates back to the 18th century. It is believed to have evolved from the Spanish guitarrillo. There was never a standard for the tiple and as a result there are many variations throughout the island of Puerto Rico. Most tiples have four or five strings and most tiple requintos have three strings. Some tiples have as many as 6 strings and as few as a single string, though these types are rare.
The main types of tiple in Puerto Rico are:
- Tiple requinto de la montaña - a tiny version of the Tiple doliente with only three strings. It is usually smaller than 12 inches.
- Tiple requinto costanero - a smaller version of the tiplón with only three strings. It is usually about 15 inches in length.
- Tiple doliente - this tiple has 5 single strings and is the most common used today. It is usually about 15 inches in length.
- Tiplón or tiple con macho - a larger version of the tiple with a fifth string peg like an American banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments.The name banjo is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza...
, located on its neck. It is usually about 21 inches in length.
- Tiple grande de Ponce - the largest version (about 21 inches in length) with 5 strings. It is considered to be the link between Tiples and Bordonuas. It is sometimes also called "Bordonua Chiquita" (or small Bordonua
The Bordonua is a large, deep body bass guitar which is native to Puerto Rico. They are made using several different shapes and sizes....
).
The tiple that is now most often played in Puerto Rico is the
Tiple Doliente. It has recently acquired a more or less fixed body shape narrowing at the top and having 5 strings (see the accompanying photo). It is usually made like the cuatro, so either constructed like a guitar, or from one piece of wood hollowed out. The bottom half of the body is rounded like a guitar, however the top half is square, or triangular. All other features (like neck and bridge) resemble the construction of a normal spanish guitar. The peghead has tuning machines either from the side or from the back.
The
Tiple doliente is tuned with 5 metal strings: e a d' g' c
.
Colombian tiple
The ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
n tiple is an instrument of the guitar family, similar in appearance although slightly smaller than an acoustic guitarThe classical guitar is a plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones. It traditionally has 3 plain gut bass strings and 3 gut wound silk core treble strings and the modern adaption typically has 6 nylon strings .The basic characteristics of the shape of the...
. Tiples usually have 12 strings grouped in four tripled courses, although some tiples have only ten strings. The four courses of metal strings are tuned to the same pitches as the four upper strings of the guitar: DGBE. The middle string of each of the three lowest triple courses is tuned an octave lower than the other two strings in the course.
This tiple is associated with ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
, and is considered the national instrument. Tiple virtuoso David Pelham has this to say about the Colombian Tiple: "The tiple is a Colombian adaptation of the RenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Florence in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe...
Spanish vihuelaVihuela is a name given to two different guitar-like string instruments: one from 15th and 16th century Spain, usually with 12 paired strings, and the other, the Mexican vihuela, from 19th century Mexico with five strings and typically played in Mariachi bands.-History:The vihuela, as it was known...
brought to the New World in the 16th century by the Spanish conquistadors. At the end of the 19th century, it evolved to its present shape. Its twelve strings are arranged in four groups of three: the first group consists of three steel strings tuned to E, the second, third and fourth groups have a copper string in the middle of two steel strings. The central ones are tuned one octave lower than the surrounding strings of the group. This arrangement produces the set of harmonics that gives the instrument its unique voice."
Spanish tiple
In SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
the tiple has fewer strings than the guitarra, and is strummed. This tiny guitar has four strings and is found in MinorcaMinorca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
. Other types of small guitars in Spain are the guitarraGuitarra may refer to:*Guitarra , a 1973 Argentine film*Gittern, a string instrument...
, guitarrico, requintoThe term requinto is used in both Spanish and Portuguese to mean a smaller, higher-pitched version of another instrument. Thus, there are requinto guitars, drums and other instruments.- Requinto guitar :...
, braguinhaBraguinha can be:* one of the names of the cavaquinho, a string instrument of the guitar family;* the nickname of Carlos Alberto Ferreira Braga, a Brazilian songwriter....
, and rajâo. Actually the requinto (a 3/4 sized guitar) was developed in Latin America, the braguinha, and rajâo are from Portugal and Madeira.
Canary Island timple
Migrating from North Africa in the 16th century to the Canary IslandsThe Canary Islands are a Spanish archipelago which, in turn, forms one of the Spanish Autonomous Communities and an Outermost Region of the European Union. The archipelago is located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the disputed border between Morocco and the...
and then on to MurciaMurcia is a city in south-eastern Spain, capital of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, located along the river Segura. Its current population is 433,850 , ranking seventh in Spain, and the population of the metropolitan area is 743,326, ranking ninth out of the largest metropolitan...
, the timpleThe timple is a traditional Spanish plucked string instrument of the Canary Islands.In the north of the island of Tenerife, many timple players omit the fifth string, in order to play the timple as a four-string ukulele, though this is considered less traditional...
has become the traditional instrument of the Canaries. In the north island of TenerifeTenerife, a Spanish island, is the largest of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. Tenerife has an area of 2034.38 square kilometers, and 886,033 inhabitants, which make it the most populated island of the Canary Islands and Spain. About five million tourists...
some players omit the fifth string, tuning the timple like a ukuleleThe ukulele , sometimes abbreviated as the uke, is a chordophone classified as a plucked lute; it is a subset of the guitar family of instruments, generally with four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings.The ukulele originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of a small...
, though this is seen as non-traditional. The popular timple tuning is GCEAD.
American Martin tiple
The American tiple was redesigned by the famous American guitar company C.F. Martin & Co. for the William J. Smith Co. in New York. This tiple had ten Strings. The two outer string courses are doubled; the top course are unisons, and the bottom course contains an octave higher double; the two courses in the middle are tripled, with the octave lower principle in the middle and the octave higher strings on either side of the triple courses. It was first created in 1922 and is tuned like a ukulele in D tuning: ADF#B. The instrument is currently not being manufactured by Martin. David Sabatino (October ProjectOctober Project is a pop / rock band that was signed to major label Epic Records from March 1993 to June 1996. Their music is often categorized as adult / alternative...
) played one on Falling Farther In (1995).
The Tiple Cubano
The Cubano is the tiple of CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
. There were two versions one with 5 single strings and one with 5 double strings for ten strings in all. Famous Cuban author Miguel Teurbe Tolón y de la Guardia published a book about it in the United States intitled "El Tiple Cubano y El Tiple Libre".
The Tiple Dominicano
Dominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are occupied by two countries...
Dominicano tiples have five double strings. The soundbox looks like a bandurriaThe bandurria is a plectrum plucked chordophone from Spain, similar to the cittern and the mandolin, primarily used in Spanish folk music.The original bandurrias of the Medieval period had three strings. During the Renaissance they gained a fourth string. During the Baroque period the bandurria had...
. It is sometimes referred to as The Tiple de Santo Domingo (Capital of the Dominican Republic).
The Tiple Argentino
The six string Argentino tiple is found in the land of ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
. It resembles a small guitar.
The Tiple Peruano
Peruano tiple is from PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
. There are two versions one with 4 single strings and one with 4 double strings.
The Banjo Tiple
As with the Peruano, the Banjo tiple is also from Peru. As its name says it is a tiny BanjoThe banjo is a stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments.The name banjo is commonly thought to be derived from the Kimbundu term mbanza...
with 4 pairs of double strings.
The Tiple Uruguayo
The Uruguayo, also known as the Guitarra Requinto, is from UruguayUruguay , is a country located in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to 3.46 million people, of whom 1.1 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area. An estimated 88–94% of the population are of mostly European and/or mixed descent.Uruguay's only land border is...
. It has 6 single strings and looks like a small guitar.
The Tiple Venezolano
This Tiple from VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
, looks like a smaller version of the Colombian Tiple. It has 4 pairs of triple strings and is also known as the Guitarro, Guitarro Segundo, and the Segunda Guitarra. There is another tiple played in Venezuela but is a member of the Venezuelan Cuatro family of instruments, also called a Tiple and know as the
Cinco y Medio or Cinco. It is very much like the Cuatro but it has 5 strings instead of four.
Non-traditional tiples
Several instruments have been developed outside of the direct Latin tradition, which either bear the name tiple, or are variants upon the Latin tiple.
Strumbola
The StrumbolaA strumbola is a multi-stringed lute-tiple instrument using four courses of strings with two or three strings per courses, tuned in octaves. The Strumbola's open-tuning forms a diminished chord, giving a tight close-chord harmony up the neck, creating a Jazz-Harp like sound, with all the melodic...
is a tiple variant invented in 2003 by American jazz musician Jack Schaeffer, in an effort to create a string instrument on which jazz chordal forms are intuitive and accessible. The instrument is intended to serve in the rhythm section of a jazz ensemble.
Marxochime "Hawaiian" tiple
The Marxochime Hawaiian tiple bears no resemblance to the traditional tiples, instead resembling a zitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
. it is player with a combination of plucking, strumming, and playing with a slide similar to a lap steel guitarThe lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, from which other types developed.There are three main types of lap steel guitar:* Lap slide guitars, the first developed, which use a similar sound box to a Spanish guitar...
. The instrument is one of many zitherThe zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
variants marketed within the United States during the early 20th century, of which only the autoharpThe autoharp is a musical stringed instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers which, when depressed, mute all the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither....
ever achieved lasting popularity. The instrument carries the "Hawaiian tiple" name solely for marketing purposes, as interest in Hawaiian music and culture was high in mainland America during the period when the instrument was marketed.
Resources and Sources
For the Tiple of Colombia
For the Tiples of Puerto Rico
For the Tiple of Spain
For the Timple Canario
For the Martin Tiple
For the Tiple Cubano
For the Tiple Dominicano, Tiple Argentino, Banjo Tiple, Tiple Uruguayo, and the Tiple Venezolano
For the Marxochime Hawaiian Tiple