If you'd like to hear some examples, Peru Folk Radio is my favorite Peruvian station:
http://www.perufolkradio.com/
To start with, say: KEH-huh with the "eh" being like Canadian's say it. It is not KAY-nah unless you are a complete redneck. If you speak Spanish, you should already know how to say "qué".
I want to learn to play one so I ordered one from Bolivia. It has been about 3 weeks and I am still waiting waiting waiting. Since these are reputedly very easy to make, I figured it would be fun to try.
I elected to use bamboo because I like it and because I already have some. Specifically, I have the tiki torches left over from the 4th of July that I bought at the dollar store. Seriously.
Materials:
- Screwdriver - my longest one
- Clamp - (It came with my Dremel-style tool.)
- Work surface - I used a TV tray.
- Pencil
- Scotch tape
- Hammer
- Drill
- Drill bits
- Tape measure
- Saw
- Laptop videos and sites
- Tiki torch (I had 4 of them.) (PVC is also popular. Use what you've got. I have seen sites with beautiful Pyrex ones.)
- Superglue - optional--for small cuts on fingers or bamboo that splits a very little bit
- Grinding stone - optional--I have one that is 6 or 7 mm at its thickest, in a cone shape. This was PERFECT for this project.
4 min video I wish I would have watched before I ever tried my first time. Good chart. Good demonstration. 3rd video in the series above.
YouTube: Make a Quena from beginning to end-8 minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ4GNDk3nck&feature=plcp
At 7 minutes in, he slides the measurements past the camera slowly to read them.
Instructable: Make 4 Easy Bamboo Flutes-Quena --This makes it look very doable
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-4-easy-Bamboo-Flutes-for-free/step3/Bamboo-Flute-End-Blown-Quena/
Translated website that was especially helpful for the mouth portion
The original Spanish Quena-instructions site
http://pacoweb.net/Quena/constru.htm
YouTube-How to Tie a Quena (to help prevent splitting or hide ugly spots)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc5G6YKjJaE
Quena Playing:
Old manual that is posted online
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48233255/METODO-DE-QUENA
Brief single page: Posture and mouth position with great image
http://jlfeijooi.en.eresmas.com/quena/posicion.htm
YouTube: Checho - Famous Peruvian quena player giving basic instructions- English subtitles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1zYc7B4m3E&feature=channel&list=UL
YyouTube: Checho #2-How to hold the Quena and basic notes-English subtitles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KokaUFf0LsI&feature=plcp
YouTube-Michaela Chauque video-very nice demonstration of mouth movements
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz5_EJnB8yQ&
My Quena making adventure
I started off earlier this week making 2 of them. They are difficult to play and I can't do anything with them. OBVIOUSLY, I screwed up. A little more research after those first two attempts and my 3rd one is much, much better. Each site had differing measurements or, more commonly, vague ones. I chose to use this set because the mm are more precise than inches and the video was especially helpful.
- I chose the tiki torch with the longest space between joints that was also the most aesthetically appealing. (That's fancy talk for "pretty".) I gathered up the stuff and:
- Cut the bamboo. 29.2 cm I put tape around it to prevent splitting and cut just beyond that. The tape marked my cutting line nicely.
- Put a piece of Scotch tape down the length of the front of the flute. You decide where you want your front to be.
- Using the Dremel (or files, if you have them), the mouth will be cut a rounded 8mm wide at the top narrowing down to 7mm wide and 8mm deep. Angle the cut so that below that 8mm deep mark, it has a bit of an angle or the look of a slide. try to do a slight angle on the back side, too. Try it out now to make sure it works. If you have no experience, you can do what I did the first night--I put in a TV show and while watching it, I practiced until I could get a tone. It took me about 2 hours of goofing off.
- If there is a joint in the bamboo, you will have to de-crud the inside. Put your screwdriver in the tube and use the hammer to knock it down. Work it a bit. You will see the bits fall out.
- Draw a straight line on the tape (I used the side of the package of extra sawblades.) It might be easier to put the tape on the table to mark it.
- Also mark on this line, 23.7cm, 21.1cm, 19.1cm, 16.9cm,14.6cm, 12.5cm, and on the back, 11.2cm (thumb hole). Measure these from the mouth portion.
- Drill these out with a small bit. You will enlarge them later.
- Expand the holes a little. If you want to tune the instrument after you have practiced at it and have some experience, don't enlarge them too much. Expect to need to de-crud the backs of the holes. The bamboo has a sort of "skin" running down the inside. I worked at it with my screwdriver. I would bet that a brush would work better, but I don't have one handy.
- Tie your quena, if you want.
- Play, play, play.
I got my quena from Bolivia today (August 23). It is bigger than I anticipated. Difficult to hold properly and cover all the holes with my fingers. I think that I only need practice.
Once I have gotten SOMEwhere with it, I will post a vid.
:)
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Video on playing El Condor Pasa (in Spanish)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGrgyK47mqg
Circular breathing video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhZZgzzm_Mg
YouTube collection of individuals demonstrating demonstrations with their quenas
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=quena+tocar