Viola da Terra Christmas Greeting!
Lyrics for the tune of mine below. I’m a swede playing on a Viola da Terra originating from the Portuguese island Saint Miguel of the Azores. It has 12 metal strings, in 5 courses : a’a'a d’d'd gg bb d’d’. This one is from around 1900 and made in New York by immigrants. Bought it on eBay and fixed it up to a playable condition. It’s like a guitar shaped cittern, relly nice instrument but some strange chords to learn! Red robed Jesus [v1] The night is black and the snow is white, kids are …
This is cool.
Hi! Let me know when the cd is out. I would like to ear it.
Thanks. Let the music and the instrument play
I’m happy to announce that a CD is about to be recorded and I play the Viola da Terra on three of the songs, among them this one.
I have been working on the instrument and now it plays much better than before after a change of tuners and a refret (and some more gluing of cracks!).
The instrument inspires me to write new kinds of songs I only find when I play the Viola da Terra. I really love this one!
I´m azorean and I´m proud that a sweddish guy plays viola da terra. Who cares if it plays a english song. Congartulations
I’m from the Azores Islands, and I love the sound of viola da terra!
I enjoyed very much watching you play the traditional viola da terra in your folk style song. Parabéns!
And there are some musicians in the islands who alredy used the viola in diferents ways and experienced them in their music, so you should play it as you love it! That’s Music!
Inte alls dåligt, riktigt bra! Riktigt fint instrument.
(arado från ackegura, så jag hittade hit
Ha ok I can’t say I am a fan of this song but you would have to be a petty nationalist weirdo to tell somebody they can’t play an instrument just because it is from your country.
I do agree that instruments should be played. I have tried a couple of odd instruments for fun and the Viola da Terra is by far the most interesting. It has a great cittern like sound and can be played as easily as a guitar or mandolin. It deserves a place in contemporary music as well as in the original folk tradition.
Thanks, it felt good to get some positive feedback for a change! Glad you liked it.
Roger Thank you, i appreciate your effort and work, and when i saw my instrument on the internet playing English music, in a foreign country you could not understand the joy i felt. keep up the good work, i hope to see more works from you in the future, do not pay attention to the comments of ignorant people.
i am a viola da terra player, and i must agree here i side with Roger, instruments are made to play music, and if it means its not folklore as i play so be it. with the rapid decline in the interest for this instrument among the Portuguese population, we can only hope more people like Roger take it up and modernize to fit in to the main stream or it to will find its place in history along side of many other extinct instruments of the past.
The tuning I use is…
aaa ddd gg bb dd
…rather like the guitars
e a d g b e
…but there are some major differences and a separate chord table to learn.
Interesting. Now, who looks to be the gay ones here? I don’t care anyway! I only wish people could accept the fact that music is free and you don’t HAVE TO play music “the way it should be played”. I like this instrument and I play whatever I like on it.
i agree with Poraman08 since me and him play together a viola da terra, you don’t play stupid ass english music, its a portuguese instrument and you play portuguese music on it. don’t be a fag and attempt to change the tradition of the viola da terra.
its the same chords as a guitar except u dont have the low e string
The Viola da Terra is an instrument. You can play what you like on any instrument. The tuning is different, the string groups are five instead of six, the chords are different. I don’t know what you mean.
UR GAY viola’s the terra aren’t made to play english music there are no strange chords they’re are the same as a regular guitar get it straight i play one.
Merry Xmas!!!
(a bit early though, haha)