The rajão also comes with all five courses doubled, though these are less common.
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The instrument is about 70 centimeters (about 2 feet and 3 inches) in length and can be compared to a guitar with regards to structure and playing technique. On a modern rajão the strings are made of metal. The rajão is tuned to D4-G4-C4-E4-A4, a reentrant tuning with the third string the lowest pitch. When it has 6 strings, the tuning becomes D4-G4-C4-E4-A4-A4.
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Rajão & Cerqueira (2006) D. devillei, the striated antbird, is a species of the southwestern quadrant of the Amazon Basin, and a disjunct population lives in north-western Ecuador and adjacent parts of Colombia.
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The rajão () is a 5-stringed instrument from Madeira, Portugal. The instrument traces back to the country's regional folk music, where it is used in folklore dances of Portugal in addition to other stringed instruments from the same region.
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The machete () is a small stringed instrument from Madeira, Portugal. The instrument has a double bulged body, traditionally made of wood, with a small rib and has four metallic strings, which depending on the region, is attached by wooden pegs. Nowadays however, it is not uncommon to see the instrument being made out of linden or poplar. In contrast to this, its slightly larger cousin, the machete de rajão has five metal strings.
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The Tahitian ukulele, another variant, is usually carved from a single piece of wood, and does not have a hollow soundbox. Close cousins of the ukulele include the Portuguese forerunners, the cavaquinho (also commonly known as machete or braguinha) and the slightly larger rajão. Other relatives include, the Venezuelan cuatro, the Colombian tiple, the timple of the Canary Islands, the Spanish vihuela, the Mexican requinto jarocho, and the Andean charango traditionally made of an armadillo shell. In Indonesia, a similar Portuguese-inspired instrument is the kroncong.
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A modern ukulele. The Hawaiian ukulele also has four strings and a shape similar to the cavaquinho, although tuned differently - usually G C E A. The ukulele is an iconic element of Hawaiian popular music, which spread to the continental United States in the early 20th century. It was developed from the braguinha and rajão, brought to Hawaii in the late 19th century by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira Island. The machete was introduced into Hawaii by Augusto Dias, Manuel Nunes, and João Fernandes in 1879, which further influenced the development of the ukulele.
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Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on several small guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin, the machete, the cavaquinho, the timple, and the rajão, introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira and Cape Verde. Three immigrants in particular, Madeiran cabinet makers Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo, and Augusto Dias, are generally credited as the first ukulele makers. Two weeks after they disembarked from the SS Ravenscrag in late August 1879, the Hawaiian Gazette reported that "Madeira Islanders recently arrived here, have been delighting the people with nightly street concerts." One of the most important factors in establishing the ukulele in Hawaiian music and culture was the ardent support and promotion of the instrument by King Kalākaua.
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