Rondalla

Bandurria Instrume
Pear-shaped body with a round sound hole, the
bandurria is the mainstay of the group. This instrument
usually carries the main melody and plays melodies and
counterparts. Bandurrias may be divided into first,
second, and third, each one playing a different

Laud

Shaped similar to the bandurria but bigger, the laud

has a longer neck and two f-sound holes. It usually
plays the lower notes in accompaniments, counterparts,
and in unison with the bass. The old original laud, better
known as the lute, has a round body in the shape of a
half pear, a flat neck with seven or more frets, and a
separate pegbox bent back at an angle.

Octavina

Formed like a guitar with shorter neck and with round

sound hole, the octavina, like the laud, plays the lower
notes in accompaniments, in counterparts, and in unison
with the bass.
Guitar

Six-stringed with long, fretted neck which can be plucked with the
fingers or with a plectrum, larger body than the octavina with round
sound hole, the guitar (guitarra) plays the accompaniments, plays
melodies and counterparts, and provides the permanent rhythm
for the group using chordal and arpeggio accompaniments. This
instrument brought into the Philippines by the Spaniards have
inspired the development of the rondalla in the country. Filipino
ingenuity produced several other instruments modeled after the
guitar which soon joined it in musical group which develped into
the rondalla.

Double Bass

The double bass, also called bass VIOL or contrabass, is four-

stringed, the largest instrument of the rondalla, shaped like the
violin with two f sound holes, provides the fundamental tone,
and reinforces the rhythm. Until 1910, the bass guitar was just
slightly bigger than the ordinary guitar and was played in the
same manner as the guitar, placed on the lap. Later, the bass
guitar adapted a tailpiece and was henceforth played with the
player standing up. With the tailpiece this instrument is
adjustable to suit the player's height. In the interior of the bass,
a small piece of round wood is fixed immediately behind the right
foot of the bridge, to act as a support. It is called the "sound
post." Under the bridge's left foot a strip of wood known as the
"bass bar" is glued lengthways along the belly. It has different
sizes: 1/2, 3/4, 7/8, or a full size. A 1/2 or 3/4 size double bass is usually
used in the elementary grades, and 3/4, 7/8 or a full size double bass is for
junior or senior high school students depending on the person's physical
stature.