Bordonua
Encyclopedia
The Bordonua is a large, deep body (sound-boxes are usually 6 in or 15.3 cm deep) bass guitar
which is native to Puerto Rico
. They are made using several different shapes and sizes.
The Bordonúa is the least familiar of the three stringed instruments that make up the Puerto Rican orquesta jibara (i.e., the Cuatro
, the Tiple
and the Bordonúa).
Acoustic bass guitar
called the Bajo de la Una. There were also special melodic Bordonuas that were used during the 1920s and 1930s as accompaniment
to melody instead of the bass role. These were oddly tuned like a Tiple
. This configuration is no longer used on the island.
. There are several different types of Bordonuas which are made in Puerto Rico today:
It is descended from the Spanish guitar
family, in contrast to the Cuatro
, that descends from the family of bandurria
.
These smaller Bordonúas are the same as the larger Tiple
Guitarrillos. They were figure 8 shaped with a very narrow waist bewtween the upper and lower bouts.
Bordonúa (10 string)
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...
which is native to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. They are made using several different shapes and sizes.
The Bordonúa is the least familiar of the three stringed instruments that make up the Puerto Rican orquesta jibara (i.e., the Cuatro
Cuatro (Puerto Rico)
The cuatro is the national instrument of Puerto Rico. It belongs to the lute family of string instruments.The cuatro of Puerto Rico has ten strings in five courses, tuned from low to high B-e-a-d'-g', 54321, with B and E in octaves and A, D and G in unisons. A cuatro player is called a...
, the Tiple
Tiple
Tiple 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. A tiple player is called a tiplista.-Colombian tiple:...
and the Bordonúa).
History
The original Bordonua is said to have evolved from the old 16th century SpanishSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Acoustic bass guitar
Acoustic bass guitar
The acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar...
called the Bajo de la Una. There were also special melodic Bordonuas that were used during the 1920s and 1930s as accompaniment
Accompaniment
In music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with an instrumental or vocal soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner...
to melody instead of the bass role. These were oddly tuned like a Tiple
Tiple
Tiple 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. A tiple player is called a tiplista.-Colombian tiple:...
. This configuration is no longer used on the island.
Currently
All Bordonuas made today are used as bass guitars, primarily by initiatives promoting folk musicFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
. There are several different types of Bordonuas which are made in Puerto Rico today:
- 6-String Bordonua - This Bordonua has six single strings.
- 8-String Bordonua - This Bordonua has four pairs of strings.
- 10-String Bordonua - This Bordonua has five pairs of strings. (This is the most common type)
Baby Bordonua aka Bordonúa Chiquita
Apparently, a very small Bordonúa also existed in some regions of the island.It is descended from the Spanish 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...
family, in contrast to the Cuatro
Cuatro (Puerto Rico)
The cuatro is the national instrument of Puerto Rico. It belongs to the lute family of string instruments.The cuatro of Puerto Rico has ten strings in five courses, tuned from low to high B-e-a-d'-g', 54321, with B and E in octaves and A, D and G in unisons. A cuatro player is called a...
, that descends from the family of bandurria
Bandurria
The bandurria is a plectrum chordophone from Spain, similar to the cittern and the mandolin, primarily used in Spanish folk music.Prior to the 18th century, the bandurria had with a round back, similar or related to the mandore. It had become a flat-backed instrument by the 18th century, with five...
.
These smaller Bordonúas are the same as the larger Tiple
Tiple
Tiple 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. A tiple player is called a tiplista.-Colombian tiple:...
Guitarrillos. They were figure 8 shaped with a very narrow waist bewtween the upper and lower bouts.
Tunings for the Bordonua
Bordonúa (6 string)- D
- A
- E
- E
- B
- F#
Bordonúa (10 string)
- A-a
- D-d
- F#-f#
- b-b
- e-e