To be in a concert enjoying the beautiful sound of the strings of a Portuguese guitar is an absolutely magical experience.
But for the sound to be unique, for the tuning to be perfectly adjusted and for the curvature of the instrument to fit perfectly in the musician's hands, the meticulous and specialist work of a luthier is required.
These masters of the art of handcrafting guitars and other stringed instruments use the finest raw materials such as rosewood, ebony, mahogany, Brazilian rosewood, walnut and spruce, and when they create a musical instrument, they do so by thinking exclusively of those who will use it.
As opposed to the industry that mass produces stringed instruments, with lower quality materials, Portuguese luthiers master the art of making unique items. Each musical instrument is created by hand and thought out in detail, from the choice of wood, the measurements, the positioning of the crosspiece and the dimensions of the harmonic box. That's why the work of a master luthier fascinates musicians from all over the world.
The Portuguese luthiers
In Portugal, the work of master luthiers is an art that has been around for centuries.
In the most recent history of Portuguese guitar luthiers, two families stand out: the family of Álvaro da Silveira, whose legacy was continued by Manuel Cardoso and by his son Óscar Cardoso; and the family of João Pedro Grácio, whose legacy was continued by João Pedro Grácio Júnior and by his son, Gilberto Grácio.
In addition to these two great Traditional Schools in the Art of the Portuguese Guitar Construction, there are other masters of note in Portugal: Adriano Sérgio and Fernando Meireles are good examples, although the generation of renowned Portuguese luthiers is vast.
Óscar Cardoso: precision and perfection over several generations
Óscar Cardoso continues to build Portuguese guitars and also custom violas for professionals in national and international markets. The luthier has already been honoured by the Fado Museum and awarded a Special Prize for Traditional Fado Instrument Maker by the Amália Rodrigues Foundation.
Born in 1993, his son João Cardoso became his apprentice and started repairing and rebuilding instruments. Later on, he moved on to making violas and the more complex and demanding technique of manufacturing Portuguese Guitars.
Adriano Sérgio: one of the best in his field
Adriano Sérgio is the owner of Ergon Guitars and Guitar Rehab Lisbon. His talent and unique work have led to him already appearing on the cover of Premier Guitar, a leading magazine in the world of guitarists.
Before dedicating himself to the art of guitar building, he worked as a musician and guitar technician with celebrities such as Anthrax, Moonspell and Ozzy Osbourne. This work brought him into contact with classical models and the real needs of musicians.
In 2005, he created Guitar Rehab Lisbon, a workshop for repairing, restoring and building musical instruments, where Ergon guitars are designed and manufactured. Hugo Domingos and Luís Alves joined the team a few years later.
Ergon guitars: when tradition and innovation go hand in hand
Ergon guitars are an amazing fusion of modernity, innovation and tradition. The process of creating these guitars with a unique design and ergonomic touch begins with a conversation where the luthier gets to know the customer’s tastes and preferences in terms of music, painting, literature, architecture and other areas.
After getting to know the customer better, Adriano Sérgio draws the first sketches and sculpts some three-dimensional prototypes. On this basis, the customer and the luthier decide on the combination they prefer between design and ergonomics.
After starting to work the wood, Adriano Sérgio invites the customer to go to the workshop to see how their guitar is beginning to take shape. Ergon guitars are created with wood that slowly air dries, and also with heat-treated wood, especially when creating necks, as it has a structural stability and tone response similar to aged woods.
The wood used in guitars is chosen according to the desired sound and aesthetics and subject to an agreement between the musician and the builder.
As far as the coupling of the neck with the body is concerned, Adriano Sérgio uses a set-thru sliding joint and specific hardware (the Gotoh 510 series® with some instruments, and also the Stealth® series of machine heads).
The various plates, which form part of the guitar's design, are hammered and shaped from brass battery plate. The electric sound is transduced by custom hand-stringed pickups from manufacturers like Lundgren® and Bare Knuckles®.
In the end, the customer will come into possession of a unique musical instrument, created in detail for them, which harmoniously combines aesthetics with functionality.
Fernando Meireles: master, musician and researcher
Fernando Meireles is one of the most respected Portuguese luthiers. He has taught this art to several apprentices at his workshop at the Coimbra Academic Association.
The luthier made chordophones for musicians such as Júlio Pereira and Pedro Caldeira, and the Spanish royal family also owns one of his guitars. His talent for shaping the medieval instrument, the accordion, is widely praised.
An art that covers a wide variety of chordophones
The Portuguese guitar is a musical instrument that embodies and represents the Portuguese soul. The unmistakable sound of the pear-shaped periform box and six pairs of strings, combined with the voice of the fado singer who sings of national nostalgia, is a symbol of Portugal.
There are three types of Portuguese Guitar: Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto. For each of these guitars, with their different styles of construction, tuning, string gauges and techniques, there is a school of luthiers.
As well as the Portuguese guitar, in Portugal there are master luthiers who specialise in the handmade construction of a wide range of cordophones.
The mandolin
Much played in the north of Portugal in academic and popular musical groups, the mandolin has a pear-shaped case which is narrower than that of the Portuguese guitar. The master craftsmen who dedicate themselves to the building of this instrument with Italian origins are mainly found in the Braga region.
In Porto, Casa da Guitarra also sells handmade mandolins from the guitar maker, Artimúsica. The traditional method of construction was started more than 100 years ago by Joaquim José Machado, grandfather of the luthiers Manuel Carvalho and José Carvalho.
In addition to the Artimúsica mandolins, Casa da Guitarra also has in its workshop the work of the viola player Alfredo Teixeira, who also builds Portuguese guitars, classical guitars, fado guitars and bandurrinhos, a type of lute.
The cavaquinho
The cavaquinho, or small guitar, is another instrument that is still handmade in Portugal. Similar to the viola, but with much smaller dimensions and a high pitch, the cavaquinho is very popular in Minho, Lisbon, the Algarve and Madeira.
To construct this musical instrument, the master craftsmen use Flanders pine, linden or poplar for the soundboard. The sides and bottom are made with linden, walnut or cherry wood.
The Braga viola
The Braga viola, on the other hand, is very popular in the northwest of Portugal, between the Douro and Minho rivers, especially as an accompaniment to singing in rusgas, chulas and desafios (different forms of traditional Portuguese music).
In the cities of Guimarães and Braga, there have been master craftsmen specialising in the construction of the Braga viola since the 17th century. Later, the know-how of these craftsmen spread to Oporto, Barcelos and Viana do Castelo, and can still be found today in Oporto and Braga.
Portuguese Guitar Workshop at the Fado Museum
Are you curious to learn how a Portuguese guitar is made? Then head to the Fado Museum, in Lisbon, and try for yourself by signing up for a Portuguese Guitar Making Course.
This workshop aims to train people interested in building the instrument and goes through all the stages of the process - from the selection of woods, tools and technical equipment to fitting the strings and tuning. By the end of the course, each participant will have built their own Portuguese guitar!
