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The quena (hispanicized spelling of
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
''qina'', sometimes also written ''kena'' in English) is the traditional
flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
of the Andes. Traditionally made of
cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking *Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance * White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...
or wood, it has 6 finger holes and one thumb hole, and is open on both ends or the bottom is half-closed (choked). To produce
sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
, the player closes the top end of the pipe with the flesh between the chin and lower lip, and blows a stream of air downward, along the axis of the pipe, over an elliptical notch cut into the end. It is normally in the key of G, with G4 being the lowest note. It produces a very "textured" and "dark"
timbre In music, timbre ( ), also known as tone color or tone quality (from psychoacoustics), is the perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound or tone. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musica ...
because of the length-to-bore ratio of about 16 to 20 (subsequently causing difficulty in the upper register), which is very unlike the tone of the
Western concert flute The Western concert flute is a family of transverse (side-blown) woodwind instruments made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist (in British English), flutist (in Ameri ...
with a length-to-bore ratio of about 38 to 20. The quenacho (also "kenacho" in English) is a greater, lower-toned version of the quena and made the same way. It is in the key of D, with D4 being the lowest note, a perfect fourth lower than the quena. It produces a very rich timbre because of the length-to-bore ratio of about 25, paradoxically brighter by comparison to the quena. The quena is mostly used in traditional
Andean music Andean music is a group of styles of music from the Andes region in South America. Original chants and melodies come from the general area inhabited by Quechuas (originally from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile), Aymaras (originally from Bolivia), a ...
. In the 1960s and 1970s the quena was used by several ''
nueva canción Nueva canción (European , ; 'new song') is a left-wing social movement and musical genre in Latin America and the Iberian peninsula, characterized by folk-inspired styles and socially committed lyrics. ''Nueva canción'' is widely recognized to ...
'' musicians. This use was in most cases for particular songs and not as a standard instrument, but some groups such as
Illapu Illapu are a Chilean folk and Andean musical ensemble that was formed in 1971 in Antofagasta, in northern Chile, by the brothers José Miguel, Jaime, Andrés and Roberto Márquez Bugueño. A later addition to the group was Osvaldo Torres. Sto ...
and virtuoso player
Facio Santillan Facio Santillan is an Argentinean flute player, specialising in the Quena. He rose to international fame in 1970 with his recording of the Andes folk anthem, El Condor Pasa, released initially as a single and later as a track on the Flutes of the A ...
have used it regularly. In the 1980s and 1990s some post-''nueva canción'' rock groups have also incorporated the quena in some of their songs; notably
Soda Stereo Soda Stereo is an Argentine rock band formed in Buenos Aires in 1982 by Gustavo Cerati (lead vocals, guitar), Héctor "Zeta" Bosio (bass) and Carlos Alberto Ficicchia "Charly Alberti" (drums). As the first Hispanic group to achieve mainstre ...
in ''Cuando Pase el Temblor'' and
Los Enanitos Verdes Enanitos Verdes (literal translation: "Little green dwarves", roughly equivalent to the English phrase " Little green men") is a rock trio from Argentina, formed in 1979 in the city of Mendoza. History The band started in 1979, with Marcian ...
in ''Lamento Boliviano''. The quena is also relatively common in world music.


Other Andean instruments similar to the quena

Other Andean flutes include the following: *The ''
pinkillu A pinkillu, pinkuyllu or pinqullu ( Quechua or Aymara, Hispanicized spellings ''pincollo, pincuyllo, pingullo, pinquillo'', also ''pinkillo, pinkiyo, pinkullo, pinkuyo'') is a flute found throughout the Andes, used primarily in Argentina, Bolivia ...
'' has the same fingering as the quena, and is similar in appearance and operation to a recorder. Unlike the actual quena, it has an air channel or fipple to conduct the air; *The '' tarka'' (or tharqa), which also operates like a recorder but is comparatively shorter and quite angular in shape, requires greater breath, and has a darker, more penetrating sound; *The ''moseño'' (originally ''mohoseño''), is a long, dual-tube
bamboo flute The bamboo flute, especially the bone flute, is one of the oldest musical instruments known. Examples of Paleolithic bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years, to be discovered by archaeologists. While the oldest flutes currently kno ...
with a deep sound. The auxiliary tube acts as an aeroduct.


See also

*
Native American flute The Native American flute is a flute that is held in front of the player, has open finger holes, and has two chambers: one for collecting the breath of the player and a second chamber which creates sound. The player breathes into one end of the ...
*
Shakuhachi A is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .
, a similar Japanese end-blown flute


References


External links


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{{Authority control End-blown flutes Andean music Aymara Bamboo flutes sr:Кена