Strumbola
Encyclopedia
A 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 movement on the 'inside' of the chord.
The name Strumbola derived from the open tuning of minor thirds which enhances "strumming" for rhythm section Jazz-Swing style chord voicings, lending more subtle tonal movements within those Jazz harmony
chordings.
The standard tunings of the guitar
and mandolin
facilitate soloing and melodic movement in the top few strings during chording, with some chords being formed by the top three or four strings only, while leaving the bottom strings tacit. In contrast, Strumbola tuning differs in that every chord is a barre chord
, and all melodic movement within the chord is accomplished with the middle, ring, and pinky fingers. This results in a multitude of inside-the-chord close harmonies, similar to that of the fuller harp, but through the diminished chords leans toward a jazz feel.
Strumbola tuning is not conducive to single string soloing, as the intervals are so close together as to allow scarcely more than an octave to work with.
The Strumbola concept is defined by the instrument's tuning, not by the physical design or shape of the body. Accordingly, many fretted instruments can be "Strumbola-ized" by stringing and tuning them to create multiple courses tuned to a diminished chord.
The Strumbola was invented by John Case Schaeffer II in 2003.
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
-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:...
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
Diminished chord
A diminished triad chord or diminished chord is a triad consisting of two minor thirds above the root — if built on C, a diminished chord would have a C, an E and a G. It resembles a minor triad with a lowered fifth....
, giving a tight close-chord harmony up the neck, creating a Jazz-Harp like sound, with all the melodic movement on the 'inside' of the chord.
The name Strumbola derived from the open tuning of minor thirds which enhances "strumming" for rhythm section Jazz-Swing style chord voicings, lending more subtle tonal movements within those Jazz harmony
Jazz harmony
Jazz harmony is the theory and practice of how chords are used in jazz music. Jazz bears certain similarities to other practices in the tradition of Western harmony, such as many chord progressions, and the incorporation of the major and minor scales as a basis for chordal construction, but...
chordings.
The standard tunings of the 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...
and 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...
facilitate soloing and melodic movement in the top few strings during chording, with some chords being formed by the top three or four strings only, while leaving the bottom strings tacit. In contrast, Strumbola tuning differs in that every chord is a barre chord
Barre chord
In music, a barre chord is a type of guitar chord, where one or more fingers are used to press down multiple strings across the guitar fingerboard , enabling the guitarist to play a chord not restricted by the tones of the guitar's open strings...
, and all melodic movement within the chord is accomplished with the middle, ring, and pinky fingers. This results in a multitude of inside-the-chord close harmonies, similar to that of the fuller harp, but through the diminished chords leans toward a jazz feel.
Strumbola tuning is not conducive to single string soloing, as the intervals are so close together as to allow scarcely more than an octave to work with.
The Strumbola concept is defined by the instrument's tuning, not by the physical design or shape of the body. Accordingly, many fretted instruments can be "Strumbola-ized" by stringing and tuning them to create multiple courses tuned to a diminished chord.
The Strumbola was invented by John Case Schaeffer II in 2003.
Sources
- Randall Robinson Jack Schaeffer: Strumbola AllAboutJazz.com, April 16, 2008.