Tarka (flute)
Encyclopedia
The tarka is an indigenous flute
of the Andes
. Usually made of wood
, it has 6 finger holes, fipple
on mouth end and free hole on distant end.
The tarka is a blockflute, like a recorder
, but is comparatively shorter and quite angular in shape, requires greater breath, and has a darker, more penetrating sound.
The tarka has three variants: big, medium (tuned by fifth
above) and small (tuned by octave
above). Usually all three kinds of tarka are used together in a big ensemble, all playing the same melody
on three voices at fixed intervals and accompanied by percussion instruments (tinya
, huancar
). This traditional genre is called tarqueada.
The Tarka is a unique flute of the Andes made by Peruvian artisans from the Sierra region. Artisans create a delightful sounding instrument, which is also a beautifully intricate piece of art rich in detail and (sometimes) color. Versions are also marketed from Bolivia and other South American regions.
The flute is made of natural wood and features a whistle-type mouthpiece with a small air hole. The Tarka sound and scale are different from any other Andean flute. It sounds very primitive, soft and mellow with a rasp in the low range.
Artisans still build this instrument that their ancestors used in tribal ceremonies to mimic bird sounds.
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. Usually made of wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, it has 6 finger holes, fipple
Fipple
A fipple is a constricted mouthpiece common to many end-blown woodwind instruments, such as the tin whistle and the recorder. These instruments are known variously as fipple flutes, duct flutes, or tubular-ducted flutes.-How it works:...
on mouth end and free hole on distant end.
The tarka is a blockflute, like a recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, but is comparatively shorter and quite angular in shape, requires greater breath, and has a darker, more penetrating sound.
The tarka has three variants: big, medium (tuned by fifth
Perfect fifth
In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is a musical interval encompassing five staff positions , and the perfect fifth is a fifth spanning seven semitones, or in meantone, four diatonic semitones and three chromatic semitones...
above) and small (tuned by octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
above). Usually all three kinds of tarka are used together in a big ensemble, all playing the same melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
on three voices at fixed intervals and accompanied by percussion instruments (tinya
Tinya
The Tinya is a percussion instrument, a small hand-made drum of leather which is used in the traditional music of the Andean region, particularly Peru. The drum dates to the pre-Columbian era, and is used in traditional Peruvian dances, notably the Los Danzantes de Levanto where it is played by one...
, huancar
Huáncar
Huáncar is a rural municipality and village in Jujuy Province in Argentina....
). This traditional genre is called tarqueada.
See also
- QuenaQuenaThe quena is the traditional flute of the Andes. Usually made of bamboo or wood, it has 6 finger holes and one thumb hole and is open on both ends. To produce sound, the player closes the top end of the pipe with the flesh between his chin and lower lip, and blows a stream of air downward, along...
The Tarka is a unique flute of the Andes made by Peruvian artisans from the Sierra region. Artisans create a delightful sounding instrument, which is also a beautifully intricate piece of art rich in detail and (sometimes) color. Versions are also marketed from Bolivia and other South American regions.
The flute is made of natural wood and features a whistle-type mouthpiece with a small air hole. The Tarka sound and scale are different from any other Andean flute. It sounds very primitive, soft and mellow with a rasp in the low range.
Artisans still build this instrument that their ancestors used in tribal ceremonies to mimic bird sounds.