Traditional instruments in Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria include the well-known
Gaita, a kind of
bagpipe, as well as an array of
percussion and
wind instruments.
Wind instruments Folk wind instruments of the area include the Cantabrian
pitu montañés, a kind of conical-bored
shawm with seven holes in the front and one in the back, which is played in a similar manner to the bagpipe
chanter. While it was traditionally made in E-flat, the instrument has been revitalized by
Antón Corral, who makes them in D. A transverse
flute with six holes is called a
requinta; it is similar to the
fife. It is usually in G, or sometimes a high C. Traditional Galician wind instruments include the
pito pastoril (galego), literally (Galician) shepherd's whistle. Despite the similarity in name, this instrument belongs to a different family than the Cantabrian pitu montañés, namely that of the
fipple flutes, which also includes the
tin whistle and the
recorder. The instrument has seen a revival in the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, finding a place in traditional music ensembles. Other wind instruments include
chifre,
ocarina and the imported
clarinet and
accordion. Cantabria has a rich dance repertoire for soprano
clarinet, also known as
pitu or
requinto (not to be confused with the
requinta fife).
String instruments Plucked
stringed instruments are common throughout Spain and Portugal, but they were proscribed in Galician or Asturian commercial folk music until recent years. Modern guitarists like
Xesús Pimentel often use strong flamenco influences in their sound. The
violin has a long tradition in the area, common since the early 20th century, when blind fiddlers traveled to fairs to play traditional and self-composed songs, as well as pieces by composers like
Sarasate. The
hurdy gurdy (
zanfona) has been played in the area for many centuries, but had mostly died out by the middle of the 20th century before being revived by
Faustino Santalices,
Xosé Lois Rivas and the like. Though the instrument is now more closely associated with
French music, the first recordings of the hurdy gurdy were by Galician
Perfecto Feijoo in 1904.
Harps had been used in the Middle Ages, but were not revived until the 1970s, when
Emilio Cao used the instrument to accompany his compositions. Modern harpists have been encouraged by the use of the Celtic harp in Scotland, Ireland and Brittany, and include
Quico Comesaña and
Rodrigo Romaní.
Percussion Percussion instruments include the
tamboril, a
snare drum that hangs from the player's belt and is played with two sticks. It is small, natural-skinned and features snares made usually of gut. Along with the
bombo, a
bass drum played with one stick, the
tamboril is typically found as accompaniment to bagpipes. The
pandeiro (Asturian:
panderu) is a double-faced, square
frame drum, similar to the Portuguese and Castilian
adufe. It usually contains some beans that rattle inside. It is often played alongside the
pandeireta-a round, single-faced drum with brass, iron, tin or tempered-steel rattles-, in small groups or by a single female singer. A pair of
vieira shells (
cunchas) are rubbed together, and accompany dancing.
Tarrañolas (Asturian and Spanish:
tejoletas) are strips of wood held between the fingers.
Charrasco consists of a pole with a frame on the top adorned with tambourine rattles; it is played by rubbing a string along the pole with a stick. Other percussion instruments are
canaveira and
carraca.
Gaita The term
gaita may refer to a variety of different pipes,
shawms,
recorders,
flutes and
clarinets in different areas of Spain and Portugal, but in Galicia it refers to bagpipes, with the bag inflated with bellows or by a blowpipe. Outside of Galicia and Asturias, bagpipes are also traditionally played in other parts of Spain, including
Aragon,
Catalonia,
León,
Mallorca,
Zamora and in Portugal in
Minho,
Trás-os-Montes and
Estremadura. Records show that the gaita was already common in the 13th century but suffered a decline in popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries until the 19th century renaissance of the instrument. The early 20th century saw another decline. Then, beginning in about the 1970s, a
roots revival heralded another rebirth. The folk revival may have peaked in the late 1990s, with the release of acclaimed albums by Galician
Carlos Núñez (
A Irmandade Das Estrelas) and Asturian
Hevia (
Tierra De Nadie). Both releases broke records, and
Tierra De Nadie sold more than a million copies. In the 18th century, an important teaching school was opened in Asturias, created by
José Remis Vega. Musicians of that era included the legendary
Ramón García Tuero, while the 20th century produced performers like Vega's son,
José Remis Ovalle and
José Antonio García Suárez. The best-known modern Asturian player is
Hevia, whose 1998
Tierra De Nadie was a landmark recording that smashes record sales and became the darling of the Spanish music media. Other modern performers and bands include
Tejedor and
Xuacu Amieva. Traditional use include both solo performances or with a snare-drum known as
tamboril (a wooden natural-skinned drum with gut snares), and the
bombo, a
bass drum. The Council of
Ourense sponsors a bagpipe band, the
Real Banda de Gaitas da Excma. Deputación de Ourense (Royal Pipe Band of the Council of Ourense). The Royal Pipe Band, founded by
José Lois Foxo, uses blowpipe bagpipes in B flat, bagpipes with bellows tuned in F sharp, and a
percussion section of snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums, tambourines and
tarrañolas. Its repertoire covers both traditional Galician music as well as music from other Celtic countries. It is the source of some controversy in Galacian music, as the blowpipe bagpipes employed by the band are felt by critics to be too similar to
Highland bagpipes rather than traditional Galacian gaitas. The drums are modern and not in a Galacian tradition, and the band marches military-style in parades, which is also not a tradition in Galacian gaita music. Galician bagpipes come in three main varieties, though there are exceptions and unique instruments. These include the
tumbal (B-flat),
grileira (D) and
redonda (C). Asturian bagpipes are usually played along with a
tambor (
snare drum). Asturian bagpipes usually have only one drone and follow a different fingering pattern.
Description The player inflates the bag using his mouth through a tube fitted with a non-return valve. Air is driven into the chanter (;
Asturian:
punteru) with the left arm controlling the pressure inside the bag. The chanter has a double reed similar to a
shawm or
oboe, and a conical bore with seven finger-holes on the front. The bass drone (
ronco or
roncón) is situated on the player's left shoulder and is pitched two octaves below the key note of the chanter; it has a single reed. Some bagpipes have up to two more drones, including the
ronquillo or
ronquilla, which sticks out from the bag and plays an octave above the
ronco, or the smaller
chillón. This two extra drones are placed by the right arm of the player. The finger-holes include three for the left hand and four for the right, as well as one at the back for the left thumb. The chanter's tonic is played with the top six holes and the thumb hole covered by fingers. Starting at the bottom and (in the Galician fingering pattern) progressively opening holes creates the
diatonic scale. Using techniques like cross-fingering and half-holding, the
chromatic scale can be created. With extra pressure on the bag, the reed can be played in a second octave, thus giving range of an octave and a half from tonic to top note. It is also possible to close the tone hole with the little finger of the right hand, thus creating a semitone below the tonic.
Songs Tunes using the gaita are usually songs, with the voice either accompanying the instrumentation or taking turns with it. The most common type is the
muiñeira, found in both Asturias and Galicia, a sprightly 6/8 rhythm. Other 6/8 Galician tunes use different steps; they include the
carballesa,
ribeirana,
redonda,
chouteira and
contrapaso. The
asturian alborada usually-instrumental tune, most often in 2/4, though sometimes 3/4, and is characterized by a series of descending turning phrases. It is used to begin a day's celebrations, and is played at sunrise. Russian
composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov included three asturian movements (two
Alboradas and one
Fandango Asturiano) in his famous orchestral work
Capriccio espagnol,
Op. 34, written in 1887. The
foliada is a joyful 3/4 jota-type song, often played at
romerías (community gatherings at a local shrine). ==Songs==