The trompe or torompe is an idiophone or, according to another classification, a metal lamella that uses the mouth cavity as a resonance box and is sounded by touching a tongue with a finger. It is used traditionally the Mapuche people in Chile and Argentina, but its origin is Eurasian instrument, being a type of harp of mouth introduced in America by the Spanish settlers.
The instrument is made of iron or steel and is shaped like a horseshoe, with a tongue in the center. The performer is placed in the mouth the narrowest part, and with one finger presses the tongue producing monochord sounds. The different sounds are achieved by closing or opening the mouth, inspiring and exhaling.
The predecessor of the trompe in the Mapuche culture was the chingko - a string instrument, a type of bow-shaped musical bow, made with a laurel wand, maqui or tiaca stretched with a wild vine called chingko. p>
Used to love and accompany poems and songs in Mapudungún, called "romanceados" in Chile. There are also fixed chingko, whose sound comes from the wind. In this case, the soundboard is the house itself. Today the chingko is in disuse due to the force with which the trompe was adopted. Both instruments are similar in two aspects: sound and performance. The chingko is easy to build, but it does not live more than a week, unlike trompe, which well cares can last up to ten years.
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