Hello Friends!

We’re the Ostmo family, and we love learning about countries and people. Our oldest daughter, Melaya, has tons of friends all around the world!

Arthit wants to play his banjo in local events

One of them is Arthit and she’s from Thailand. Melaya is interested in learning new hobbies and she remembered that her friend Arthit is trying to learn banjo. A banjo is a type of stringed instrument that is played with your fingers,  similar to a guitar, however, banjos only have four strings while guitars have six. The banjo often sounds more like a drum. It can also be used as an accompaniment for other instruments such as fiddles or mandolins!

Arthit likes to play banjo because of how easy it is to learn. He also enjoys the sound that he can get from his banjo, especially when he plays it with friends or family. Arthit’s dad and sister are very proud of him for learning this new instrument and they love to listen to him play! Arthit is practicing the banjo every day so he can become an expert at it one day. He hopes that one day he will be able to play with his friends in a band or even get a job playing at weddings or other events!

One day Arthit and Melaya would play together when she makes her decision on what string instrument to play. She wants to find an instrument that has a melodious sound. Melodious means having or producing beautiful music. For example, if someone says “You have a very melodious voice,” they mean that your voice sounds beautiful and pleasant to listen to. And one example of a melodious string instrument is the one that our dearest friend, Mariana, wants to learn.

Mariana’s gifted mother’s talent for guitar

Mariana is from Argentina, more than 7,000 miles from Melaya. Did you know that an acoustic guitar is one of the traditional instruments in Argentina? 

Acoustic guitars are pretty common there, and Mariana’s mom, Sofía is a pretty skilled guitarist. Sofía is also a singer, and she likes to play the guitar while Mariana sings along with her. Acoustic guitars are usually made from wood and have six strings. They can be played by strumming, plucking, or both ways. In Mariana’s case, she likes to play the guitar with her fingers because it is more challenging for her than playing with a pick.

Although it can seem pretty hard to play one at first, the truth is that it isn’t. You just have to practice a lot and be patient with yourself, because it takes time for your fingers to get used to playing without making any mistakes. That’s what Mariana’s parents always say. 

Have you ever had to practice something a lot?

This string instrument sometimes can bring you to tears

Now, over in Texas, USA lives Daniel, another of Melaya’s friends. Daniel says his big brother plays the electric guitar. Did you know that there are several types of guitars? Two of the most popular are acoustic guitars and electric guitars. Unlike acoustic guitars, electric guitars have metal strings that you can plug into an amplifier to make them louder. Daniel says his brother and his friends perform at several local festivals in Texas.

Daniel and his brother’s favorite music genre is Country music. He explains that Country takes a big part in Texas’ culture, it’s nostalgic and emotional. 

When Daniel’s brother plays the electric guitar, it sounds different than when he plays his acoustic guitar. The sound is deeper and more powerful. He says that it’s like the difference between a toy car and an actual car. They both can work, but one is more powerful than the other.

Melaya thinks that it is awesome how Daniel can feel the difference in sound between an acoustic guitar and an electric one but maybe that’s not the string instrument for her because it makes too much noise. She wants something more melodious that can be played softly, like a violin.

Have you ever heard the sound made by a violin?

Make way for your majesty: The Cello

Melaya’s friend, Cress, is from France, and the last time she and Melaya spoke she told her that just like in many countries, in France, they have a tradition of playing music in restaurants and cafes. Cress likes to go to small cafeterias to play the Cello because she thinks it’s more fun than playing in big concert halls. She says it’s scary to be in front of so many people.

The Cello is a very large instrument and it’s hard to carry around, but Cress says that it’s worth it because she gets to play the music she likes. She says some people think cello music sounds a bit dramatic, but she loves it.

Cress says that she dreams of being like Claude Debussy, who was one of the best composers in France. 

Melaya thinks that maybe a violin would suit her and it’s a better instrument to play than the cello because it is smaller and easier to carry around.

Appreciate your country’s traditional string instruments, like Yrsa

Yrsa thinks the same way. Yrsa is another friend of Melaya that lives in Finland which is only 1,000 miles away from London. Yrsa loves her culture and she wants to appreciate it even more by playing a Finnish traditional instrument: The Kantele. The Kantele is a musical instrument that has been around for a long time. It is made out of wood and it has 12 strings that are played by plucking the strings with your fingers. The Kantele is a very popular instrument in Finland, especially for children because it’s easy to learn and play. But sometimes it’s not easy to afford one. So by now, Yrsa said to Melaya that she is sticking with a harp. 

A Harp can be made out of wood, metal, or plastic and it’s played the same way as a Kantele but, you need to have lots of practice because it takes time to get used to playing. Or that is what Yrsa’s parents say to her but she is confident in her decision.

Melaya is very happy for Yrsa and her decision. She said that music is a great way to learn about different cultures because you can hear the differences between them right away.

What about you? Do you know more stringed instruments? Tell us in the comments something interesting about your favorite string instruments! And If you want to learn more about them, make sure to download the activity pack. We have flashcards, a learning guide, handwriting sheets, and drawings pages all dedicated to various string instruments around the world!

Melaya loves chatting with kids from all over the world! If you want to teach Melaya about where you live or your favorite activities, please tell your mom or dad to use @learningtail on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to get in touch with us.

Ciao friends, until next time!