Description
The rajão is the slightly bigger relative of the Portuguese braguinha, with 5 courses. The rajao is made like a small guitar, with the fretboard slightly raised. It has friction pegs from the back or normal tuning machines (2×3). It has 5 metal strings in 5 courses, the first course is double. The tuning is : 5-5-4-5 >> d’ g’ c’ e’ a’a’ (guitar-like). It is played by strumming chords, to accompany folk singing. The story about the birth of the ukulele is that both the braguinha and the rajão sailed in 1879 to Hawaii. Here the ukulele developed, by getting its size from the braguinha instrument, and its tuning from the rajão.
