Viola Caipira
It is known by several denominations, according to its geographic distribution in the country. This stringed instrument can also be called viola sertaneja, nordestina, cabocla or Brazilian. It is very common in the interior of Brazil and is considered one of the icons of Brazilian popular music.
The country viola descends from the violas of Portugal, which in turn originate from musical artifacts from Arabia, such as the lute. It comes directly from the Latin guitar, which also derives from the Arabs and Persians. Portuguese instruments landed in Brazilian territory at the hands of the colonists of the Portuguese metropolis; here it was used by the Jesuits to catechize the natives.
When the first mestizos started to manufacture violas with rustic Brazilian wood, the viola caipira was born. The most common raw material is pine, but rosewood and some other modalities can also be used in the making of this instrument.
The way it is performed is different from the touch of a normal guitar, as its strings are played not one at a time, as in this instrument, but two at a time. The tuning of the two artifacts is also different.
It can be said that the size of the viola, which is much smaller, is the main distinction; in addition, it is a unique instrument, due to its positioning of the strings - 10 of them connected in pairs, resulting in 5 pairs. The first two, higher-pitched strings are tuned in unison, that is, the same note in identical pitch. The other pairs are tuned in octaves.
There are countless legends and narratives about the guitarists and particularly about the way they tune the viola. The Cebolão modality would come from the female cry, awakened with music extracted from the viola. The Rio Down tuning comes from the story that the Devil was common - it is believed that the players of this instrument make a pact with him - to navigate the rivers playing the viola in this type of tuning, attracting the young girls and taking them with him.
The ability to play the viola is considered a sacred talent, but legends say that a guitar player can win this gift through magic or sympathy. Another way is to pray at the edge of the grave of a guitarist already dead, on Good Friday. Not to mention the famous deal with the Devil.