The härjedalspipa is a Swedish traditional fipple flute, similar to the spilåpipa

Spilåpipa

The spilåpipa is a type of fipple flute traditional in Sweden. It is traditionally from the pastoral/transhumant cultures of that country, though more widespread in the modern era. It is originally most common in the transhumant areas, generally north of Svealand...

 with a slightly softer sound and only six finger holes. The model originated in Härjedalen

Härjedalen

' is a historical province or landskap in the centre of Sweden. It borders the country of Norway as well as the provinces of Dalarna, Hälsingland, Medelpad, and Jämtland...

, hence the name, and the most recognized tradition bearer of the instrument was Olof Jönsson (1867–1953), called Ol'Jansa, in Överberg

Overberg

Overberg is a district in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the east...

, Härjedalen. The method of manufacture was preserved thanks to Oskar Olofsson in Lillhärdal, who passed his knowledge on to Gunnar Stenmark in Ås. Stenmark is today the most recognized maker of the instrument.

The traditional Härjedalspipa is made from spruce

Spruce

A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...

 and tuned in the key of A# at the bottom (all six finger holes covered). The scale includes some blue notes, in particular the third, sixth and seventh which are flat by 20-25 cents compared to the equal temperament

Equal temperament

An equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of tuning, in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio. As pitch is perceived roughly as the logarithm of frequency, this means that the perceived "distance" from every note to its nearest neighbor is the same for...

scale. Today, instruments are made also in other keys and temperaments.