Timple

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The timple is a plucked musical instrument with five strings, typical and native to the Canary Islands. Derived from the baroque guitar and similar instruments.

It measures about 55 cm. Its sound box is narrow and the back is bulged in the shape of a hump, which is why it is also known as "little sonorous camel". The usual tuning for the timple is re-la-mi-do-sol (1st to 5th string), where the do and sol are higher than the mi.

Some of its cousins that have survived in Ibero-American countries are:

• El charango, de Perú, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina (who share the highland where it originated)
• The four Venezuelans
• Mexican smallpox

It is also related to the Portuguese cavaquinho and the Mallorcan guitarro.

Origin

Its origin is from the Canary Islands with various European and American influences. At present it is present in all the islands, as an essential integral part of the groupings of the archipelago. However, historically it has had a more widespread use in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. On the islands of La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, where the timple was practically unknown, they maintained more ancestral musical instruments such as the whistle, the chácaras and the drum.

In its beginnings it was an accompaniment instrument in the party of tocadores, it used to be played only by strumming the strings, on some islands four-string timples were used. Over time, different strumming patterns developed on each island. In the old days you could tell where a player was from by how he strummed the timple, but today timplists play a mix of picking, arpeggios, and strumming.

Lutiers

Some lutieres have worked on the development of new manufacturing techniques. Jesús Machín has applied construction and design techniques from other classical concert instruments such as the guitar to achieve timples with better sound quality, more comfortable playing and greater versatility. Among other advances, Machín designed and developed, with Juan Molina, the first electroacoustic timple for José Antonio Ramos.

Other artisans, such as Vicente Corujo, Francisco Fariña, Abraham Luthier, Francisco de Rosa or David Sánchez, have also contributed to manufacturing techniques.

Making and morphology of the timple

The manufacture is handmade. The productions, some by renowned artisans, are in demand by professional folk groups and timplists, mainly in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.

Traditionally, all instruments derived from the original 5-string timple and soprano scale length (36 cm) have been called "timple". However, in recent years the proliferation of different scale lengths has complicated the situation somewhat. In addition, there is no agreement on standard measures for the length of the scale or shot, each one uses a measure that they consider appropriate. The problem really lies in the lack of choice of strings for timple that allow the same instrument to be strung with various tensions to suit the musician. Thus, for example, a builder considers that a scale of 38.5 cm is fine for a concert timple because it has a medium tension when playing, while others reach 39 cm to get more tension in the strings and facilitate plucking. to the musician. In some cases, 41 cm timples can be seen which, when tuned in D, acquire significant string tension and are highly appreciated by musicians such as "El Colorao", Domingo Rodríguez Oramas.

The timple parts are:

• The shovel: is the place where the machine is placed with which the instrument is refined.
• Mastil: is the wooden arm that stands above the body and where the blade, the trastes and the fingerboard are anchored.
• Bunny: is the piece located in the mast to tighten or lift the strings at the same time.
• Diapason: placed on the mast contains the frets.
• Trastes: metal rods to give notes with fingers.
• Armonic cover, mouth and bridge, are part of the body of the timple, the mouth being the central hole, the top of the top wood and the bridge the final anchor of the ropes.
• Hoops and back cover are the last parts of the timple body and end the resonance box of the same.

In addition to the electrification of the timple, which is increasingly common, work is being carried out with materials such as carbon fiber and the plastic used in the timple made with a 3D printer.

Types of Timple

Timples are classified according to the length of their musical scale, that is, the distance between the two capos: bridge and headstock. The builders do not use the same dimensions and there are also several names that have been used incorrectly such as contra or concert timple (any timple that is very elaborate and looks like it was made for a professional, even if it measures 43 cm scale).

• Timple soprano: classic timples with scale lengths of less than 38 cm, have very little tension when tuned in Re, perhaps they would appreciate tuning a more acute tone or half tone. 1st and 4th ninth 0.55 mm, 2.a and 5th ninth 0.65 mm, 3rd ninth 0.75-0.77 mm and some people strung ropes of nil.
• Concert Timples: timples with scale lengths of 39 cm, have a good tension in Re. 1a and 4a nilon 0.55 mm, 2.a and 5a nilon 0.65 mm, 3rd nilon 0.75-0.77 mm and some people turbo strings. In the 41 cm scale timples, it should be thought that it is as if we added a more traste on the tip of the shovel, therefore the sensation of tuned tension in Re is the same as if a more acute half-tone concert timple is tuned; in summary with the same strings tuning in Re we get a high tension.
• Timple tenor: some modern timples with scale lengths of 43 cm, have a lot of tension when tuned in Re, and the recommendation is to tune them a more serious tone. 1st and 4th ninth 0.55 mm, 2.a and 5th ninth 0.65 mm, 3rd ninth 0.75-0.77 mm and some people strung ropes of nil.
• Timple baritone: Very fashionable for a few years for its serious and powerful sound, in these instruments there are scale lengths as disparate as 45 (Agrícola), 46.2 (Kiman) and 48 (Fariña). The intention of all these instruments is to accompany and fill an existing gap between the timple and the guitar, being the rank similar to the Mexican smallpox. Normally tuned in La, in the first two cases it is recommended 1st and 4th first guitar, 2.a and 5th second guitar, 3rd guitar; and it is the logical binding if you take into account that the 5th traste of a guitar is a note The one on the first rope and corresponds more or less with 46 cm of scale. In the case of 48 cm. Fariña uses 1a and 4a nilón 0,65, 2.a and 5a first guitar twisted, 3rd second guitar twisted.

Compositions

Today it is widely accepted among professional musicians and orchestras. Its international expansion has begun, especially in America, with the specialty of its sound. Its approval for official teaching in the Conservatories of Music of the Canary Islands is in process.

There is an extensive literature on the timple, especially on teaching methods, mainly carried out by music teachers. The main timplists have also made their own publications, such as Ramos, El Colorao, Cabrera or Izquierdo. There are also sheet music and historical research publications.

Tymplists

Some of the best known names are Totoyo Millares, José Antonio Ramos, the “majorero” Domingo Rodríguez Oramas “El Colorao” and Benito Cabrera. However, there were many other previous interpreters and soloists, such as Argelio Rojas «Rojitas», Agrícola Álvarez (who also made timples), or Casimiro Camacho.

At the beginning of the 21st century, a generation of young timplists emerged. Some prominent names are José Domingo Curbelo, Alexis Lemes, Althay Páez, Beselch Rodríguez, Yone Rodríguez, Pedro Izquierdo, Germán López, Josele del Pino, Gabriel García, Abraham Ramos Chodo, Abraham Ramos Sánchez, Javier Castro-Gomis, Juan Pablo Pérez López, Jesus Martin or Ismael Campos.

From the point of view of innovation, the director and founder of the Artenara group, Enrique Mateu, stands out as the first to use the six and twelve-string timples.