Bandola
A lute- or mandolin-like plucked instrument with steel or gut strings, still common today in Latin American folk music.
What it means
The bandola is a lute-like plucked instrument whose construction varies by region: 19th-century European sources describe it as essentially similar to the mandolin, strung with a smaller or larger number of steel or gut strings. In Latin America, distinct regional instruments developed under the same name.
Musical use
In Colombia, Venezuela, and elsewhere in South America, the bandola is a leading melody instrument in folk music, as in Colombian bambuco or the Venezuelan llano style. It is usually played with a plectrum and often carries the main melodic line above accompaniment from guitar or cuatro.
The bandola should be distinguished from the closely related bandurria and the mandolin: all three belong to a family of small, pear- or flat-bodied plucked instruments, differing in string count, tuning, and regional use.
Performance practice
If you play a Latin American bandola, pay attention to how it interlocks with accompanying instruments like the cuatro or guitar, since the bandola usually carries the leading melodic line while the accompaniment provides the harmonic and rhythmic framework.