From the Summer 2017 issue of Ukulele  | Words and Images by SANDOR NAGYSZALANCZY An early ukulele cousin is the taropatch, an instrument with eight strings set in four courses of two strings each, tuned to the standard “my-dog-has-fleas.” Taropatches evolved from the Portuguese rajão, a 5-string instrument that is a bit louder than regular soprano … Continue reading Great Ukes: The 8-string Martin Taropatch Paved the Way for Larger Ukes