CHINCALHOS

ONCE UPON A TIME...

When young men from the country were called to town to attend their compulsory military inspections, they would use the bottle-tops from their drinks to make this instrument. By way of curiosity, in the Azores, the bottle-tops are replaced by iron discs and instead of CHINCALHOS they call the instrument a “SISTRO”. The instrument is like a catapult, i.e. it’s V-shaped.

MATERIAL NEEDED

Some cardboard, nails and bottle-tops

TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES

A pair of scissors, a hammer and some glue

HOW TO MAKE THE INSTRUMENT

If you look at the photograph of the set of Chincalhos, you’ll see that it’s shaped like a shovel, with a handle and a wider part to which you should nail the bottle-tops. You should stick several strips of cardboard together, so that you’ve got a strong enough base to stick the nails into. You should first make a hole in the bottle-tops with a nail that is thicker than the one you’re going to use to fix them to the cardboard. The size and number of bottle-tops you use can vary. Don’t forget to take the plastic seal from the inside of the bottle-top, because you’ll get a much better sound without it.

DECORATION

You can decorate the instrument in whatever way you like using felt-tip pens.

HOW TO PLAY THE INSTRUMENT

Nothing could be easier than playing this instrument. Shake it to the rhythm of the singing. But don’t forget where the instrument originated from. Music has a vital role to play in ensuring you grow up with the right sort of balance. It will help you to enjoy life to the full. The people who first played this instrument were attending a medical inspection. Even if you don’t like the idea of compulsory military service, make sure that you look after your health.