Bandola Llanera

The bandola llanera has 4 strings – usually made from nylon like the strings of a classical guitar. It looks like a pearshaped guitar, at the first sight it looks quite strange and unusual. The instrument is played with a pick, and it sounds a little bit like a Spanish flamenco guitar. The players seem to try to play it loud, and usually do not try to produce a clean and sweet sound. But this is right for the kind of music played on the bandola llanera. This music goes back to the music of Sapin in the 16th and 17th century and has been further developed in Venezuela.

The bandola llanera (with 4 single strings) is the most popular. It is made like a guitar, with a flat back, and the top half of the body running almost parallel to the neck. The top of the front (from above half the round soundhole) has often a layer of darker veneer (like the cuatro).

The fingerboard is slightly raised above the front, and has metal frets. The flat tuning head has 2x2 tuning machines. The 4 nylon strings run to a glued bridge on the front.