| When Spanish and Portuguese travellers set off | | | | Materials |
| to discover lands in the new world in the early | | | | Traditionally, the body of the charango has been |
| 19th Century, they took with them their musical | | | | made from the shell of an armadillo. This makes |
| instruments. The most popular and most portable | | | | the instrument very individual. However, in recent |
| instruments at the time were small lute type | | | | years, there have been some environmental |
| instruments such as the vihuela, and the machete. | | | | concerns over the use of armadillo shells and they |
| In Europe, these instruments developed into the | | | | are now produced from wood more often - |
| guitar, in Hawaii they developed into the ukulele | | | | particularly the high quality ones. Also, armadillo |
| and in Bolivia they developed in the charango. | | | | shells are much less durable than ones made of |
| Size | | | | wood. |
| The charango is about the size of a ukulele (but | | | | Playing the Charango |
| with a much wider neck). The average length of a | | | | If you know how to play the guitar or the ukulele, |
| charango is sixty six centimetres with the played | | | | you have a big advantage when it comes to |
| part of the string (the scale length) being around | | | | learning to play the charango. The GCEA strings |
| thirty three centimetres. | | | | of the charango are exactly the same as a |
| Legend has it that the charango is small as the | | | | ukulele, or the top four strings of a guitar capoed |
| Spanish had outlawed the traditional music of | | | | at the fifth fret. Just use the chord shapes you |
| Bolivia. The native Bolivians developed the | | | | are already familiar with. As for the top E string, |
| charango so it could be easily hidden beneath a | | | | the easiest option is to just double what you are |
| poncho should any Spanish soldiers arrive. | | | | playing on the other E string. If you are playing |
| The Strings | | | | that E string open, do the same for the top E |
| The charango has ten strings. These strings are | | | | string. If you are playing that E string at the third |
| divided into groups of two. The string order, | | | | fret, play the top E string at the third fret and so |
| starting nearest your head, is G, C, E, A, E. The | | | | on. |
| strings are in unison with the exception of the | | | | The charango is a great instrument for anyone |
| first set of E strings where one string is tuned an | | | | who already plays a fretted instrument to pick up. |
| octave lower. This tuning is very similar to the | | | | It will be instantly familiar yet present you with a |
| ukulele (with only the high E strings being | | | | whole range of new sounds and note |
| different). | | | | combinations. |