Jarana Jarocha

Jarana Jarocha aka Mexican Ukulele
The Jarana Jarocha, (often abbreviated to just Jarana) is a figure 8 shaped fretted chordophone, originally from Veracruz State in Mexico and originally used in Son Jarocho music.

The original instrument has 5 courses of gut or nylon strings with the 1st and 5th course being a single string and the middle 3 courses having two strings, however they occasionally come with 10 strings and all 5 courses are doubled. or there are single string course versions but these are generally called Jarana Jarocha Requinto or just Jarana Requinto. Given its size, similar body shape and nylon strings, many Jaranas are now being produced with 4 double courses and tuned like a Taropatch hence it becoming known as "the Mexican Ukulele"

The Jarana Jarocha comes in 5 sizes from the smallest, the Chaquiste, (equivalent to a Mini Ukulele), next the Mosquito, (equivalent to a Soprano), the Primera, (equivalent to a Concert), the Segunda, (sized between a Tenor and Baritone), and largest is the Tercera, (equivalent to a Tenor Guitar, there are some made larger than this but it is unclear if these are just big Terceras or a 6th scale length?)

The proper tuning for a Jarana Jarocha, (when not being used as a Mexican Ukulele), is G3~C4,C4~E4,E3~A3,A3~G3 or D4~G4,G3~B3,B3~E4,E4~D4 for the larger scales