Portugal · Instrument making; Lutherie; Portuguese heritage
Guitarra Portuguesa
The making of the guitarra portuguesa — the 12-string pear-shaped plucked instrument that is the primary melodic voice of fado. The Portuguese guitar is distinct from all other European guitar traditions in its pear-shaped body (different from the waisted figure-eight of the Spanish guitar); its 12 strings in 6 courses of double strings; its fan-shaped machine head with butterfly tuning keys; and its use of metal strings vibrated with a player's fingernails. There are two main traditions: the Lisboa guitar (brighter; faster action) and the Coimbra guitar (deeper; more mellow — tuned a tone lower).
Risk level: Vulnerable · Fado is UNESCO ICH (2011) — the guitarra portuguesa is the primary fado instrument and central to this listing
A traditional beach-seine fishing technique practiced along the Algarve and central Portuguese coast in which a large net is set from a boat just offshore and then hauled in by teams working from the beach, historically using oxen and now…
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