What is a timple?
The timple, a type of a small guitar, is the most emblematic musical instrument of the Canary Islands – a Spanish outpost off the western coast of North Africa.
The parts of the timple are – from the bottom – the case (the lower bridge, soundboard and soundhole), the neck (the fingerboard and frets) and the pegbox (the soundboard and pegs). Five strings run from the bridge up the neck to the pegbox. The woods most commonly used in the manufacture of the timple are white spruce and pine for the front of the case (tabla de armonía), black mulberry and sandalwood for the back, ebony for the splint and orange for the ornaments and the rosette. Dromedary (animal bones) were commonly used in the early days to make the pegs, but nowadays they have been replaced by synthetic materials.
Although its origin is unclear, it is very similar to other diminutive guitars including the Portuguese cavaquinho, the Hawaiian ukulele, the Venezuelan cuatro and the Bolivian charango. One major difference between a timple and these others is the hump! The back of the timple is rounded in order to create more resonance and volume. Because of this, in the Canaries, the timple has the nickname “Camellito Sonoro” meaning the Sonorous Camel!
The island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands) is regarded as the birthplace of the timple. The most important timple maker was Simón Morales Tavío, who began its systematic manufacture in the first half of the 20th century.
Germán López is joined on stage by acoustic guitar maestro Antonio Toledo, from Cádiz in southwestern Spain, for an unforgettable concert of dexterous music making. The duo released their album Canela y Limón in 2016.
A balm for the body, “Canela y Limón” often refers to cinnamon and lemon tea that is popular in Spanish culture. Likewise, this acoustic concert will surely be a balm for the soul.
But which one of them is “cinnamon,” and which one of them is the “lemon”? Only time will tell – or maybe the audience will!
See Germán López and Antonio Toledo at The Sharon, March 3rd, 7pm!
