User:Jacqke/Bandolón

Jacqke (talk) 11:36, 17 September 2015 (UTC)



A bandolón is a musical instrument from Mexico. It is a guitar sized instrument, resembling a flatback mandolin with 18 strings, arranged in 6 courses, three strings per course, and played with a pick. It is associated with the típica orquestra (typical orchestra) in Mexico, especially the 1884 Orquesta Típica Mexicana (Mexican Typical Orchestra), first organized by Carlo Curti.

Online searches for the instrument also bring up an instrument of the same size, but with 12 strings (one less string per course). The 1901 Mexican Typical Orchestra'' was photographed with this type of bandolón at the Pan American Exposition.

Whatever the resemblance to a flatback mandolin, there are differences: the mandolin is a smaller instrument, the soprano member of its family, tuned in fifths with the strings having the same tuning and range as the violin. The bandolón is closer to the bandurria, tuned in fourths with strings that have a range closer to the guitar's (having not only strings tuned to high notes approaching the mandolin's, but also low note strings, well below the mandolins range.)

Prominent players of the instrument include members of the 1884 Mexican Typical Orchestra: Andrés Díaz de la Vega. Pedro Zariñana, Mariano Pagani y Apolonio Domínguez, Vidal Ordaz, Vicente Solís and José Borbolla. One more modern player found on the internet is Gabriel Saucedo Villalobos.