What is Finnish kantele?

The kantele is the national instrument of Finland. Finnish folk poetry recounts that the first kantele was made from the jaw bones of fish and the hair of young maidens. When the first kantele was played, the sound was so beautiful that all living things started to cry.

How do you play kantele?

On the kantele, you can play single notes by plucking single strings with your fingers. For playing chords, you touch the strings you want to mute with your fingertips and then strum over all strings with your fingers or a plectrum. The kantele is a rather simple instrument: there are no frets, no bridge, no nut.

What is the national instrument of Finland?

The kantele
The kantele is the national instrument of Finland, and has been played for over 2,000 years. It is a stringed instrument, similar to a zither or dulcimer. The body is made of wood, and the instrument can have between 5 and 38 strings, usually made of steel.

What are kantele made of?

The oldest forms of kantele have five or six horsehair strings and a hollowed out wooden body carved from a piece of alder, pine or spruce. Modern instruments have metal strings, tuning pegs and often a body made from several pieces of wood. Modern concert kanteles can have up to 39 strings.

Is a kantele a harp?

The kantele is the Finnish version of an instrument known throughout the world as either a zither or lap harp.

When was the kantele invented?

1920’s
The first concert kantele, or machine kantele, was invented in the 1920’s by Paul Salminen. Concert kanteles are equipped with a tuning machine that makes it easy to quickly change keys. Kanteles don’t have a bridge. Instead, the strings are attached to a metal rod at one end and pegs at the other.

What key is a kantele in?

Since the kantele is tuned to the key of D, the chord you have played by strumming the first, third and fifth notes of the scale is the D chord. Here is how to make the V chord, the dominant chord, on a five string kantele: lightly touch the first and third strings.

Who invented the kantele?

Paul Salminen
The first concert kantele, or machine kantele, was invented in the 1920’s by Paul Salminen.

How do I tune my kantele?

It is quite simple to tune a kantele into a minor scale. On a five string kantele, with the tuning wrench in your left hand, place it on the third string peg and tune the string from F# down to F. Musically you are changing the tone by one half step. With practice you will be able to do this very easily.

What is kantele made out of?

Description. The oldest forms of kantele have five or six horsehair strings and a hollowed out wooden body carved from a piece of alder, pine or spruce. Modern instruments have metal strings, tuning pegs and often a body made from several pieces of wood. Modern concert kanteles can have up to 39 strings.

What is kantele English?

Definition of kantele : a traditional Finnish zither originally having five strings but now having as many as thirty.

Who made the kantele?

When was the first kantele made?

What race are the Finns?

Finns or Finnish people (Finnish: suomalaiset, IPA: [ˈsuo̯mɑlɑi̯set]) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland.

What is kantele music?

Kantele has deep roots in ancient history and has made it’s way to become recognized as a versatile and inspiring instrument throughout musical genres. The music played today is anything from archaic tradition to children’s songs, contemporary music, improvised music and pop.

How much does a kantele cost?

The standard 5-string kantele ($165 for an open bottom model, $185 for one with a bottom and a soundhole in the top) is about 22 inches long, 2.5 inches deep at the deepest part, and about 4 inches wide at the widest part.