Music of Paraguay

In contrast to most of its neighbours, the national music of Paraguay is overwhelmingly European in character. This is quite ironic given that Paraguayans, of which an almost absolute majority is mestizo, are in general very nativist; of the two national languages spoken by a universally bilingual population, Spanish and Guarani, the latter indigenous language is favoured as the language of everyday speech while Spanish is reserved for more formal settings. Also peculiar is that despite the music being overwhelmingly European, the language of choice for the lyrics is also most often Guaraní.

The Spansih guitar and european harp are among the most popular instruments, while dances include the lively polka and distinctive bottle dance, which involves the performer twirling a bottle around his head. Composer and guitarist Agustín Barrios is perhaps the country's best known export.

The Paraguyan harp deserves special mention as a popular instrument with a national style associated with it. The harp in South America dates back to at least 1557, possibly as early as the beginning of the 16h century. These harps had 26 to 38 strings, though most typically no fewer than 36. It was frequently used in church music in place of the organ or harpsichord. The Paraguayan harp is a simplified variation of the instrument, with 38 strings turned to one major diatonic scale.