Sertanejo de raiz

Sertanejo de raiz, or música caipira, is the root form of Brazilian sertanejo music: the song tradition of the rural interior of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás and Mato Grosso. It is sung by duos in close parallel thirds over the ten-string viola caipira guitar, in forms such as the narrative moda de viola, the danceable cateretê and the rhythmic pagode caipira, with lyrics of country life, faith, labour and lost love. *Tonico & Tinoco*, *Tião Carreiro & Pardinho* and *Pena Branca & Xavantinho* are its canonical duos, distinct from the later commercial sertanejo universitário.