Paraguayan harp

The Paraguayan harp is the national instrument of Paraguay, and similar instruments are used elsewhere in South America, particularly Venezuela.

It is a diatonic harp with 32, 36, 38 or 40 strings, made from tropical wood, with an exaggerated neck-arch, played with the fingernail. It accompanies songs in the Guarani language.

References

*cite web|title=The Harp: A Latin American Reinvention|work=BBC|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/arts/highlights/010705_harps.shtml|accessdate=December 17|accessyear=2007|date=July 6|year=2001|quote=In Paraguay, (the harp) became the national instrument.
*cite journal|title=The New Grove: Latin America|first=John M.|last=Schechter|coauthors=Daniel E. Sheehy and Ronald R. Smith|journal=Ethnomusicology|volume=29|issue=2|month=Spring - Summer|year=1985|pages=317–330|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0014-1836%28198521%2F22%2929%3A2%3C317%3ALA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R|accessdate=December 17|accessyear=2007|quote=The distinctive Paraguayan harp... is featured as lead instrument in hundreds of ensembles in that country, where it is the national instrument.|doi=10.2307/852145
*cite web|work=Dolmetsch Online|title=Paraguayan Harp|quote=(C)haracterized by a large soundbox with a rounded base, very light weight, closely-spaced light tension strings (usually nylon), a relatively flat harmonic curve, and with the strings running up through the centre of the neck, which are tuned with gear-style tuners (like a guitar). Almost all harps of this style are played with the fingernails, in very rhythmically intricate music. This is the national instrument of Paraguay, and is commonly found throughout South America, Central America, and in parts of Mexico|url=http://www.dolmetsch.com/defsp.htm|accessdate=December 21|accessyear=2007