QUENAS

Quena is a traditional instrument from Andean mountains. We developed very high quality instruments for groups and
concert musics, as well as play among friends with a good tuned, eye catching instrument.
Our quenas are normally tuned in G4, A=440Hz (except special request). They develop a register up to 3 octaves.
All are carefully tuned with TuneIt!, an special software.
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by Angel Sampedro del Río and Mariana García

 

WHICH IS THE DIFFERENCE WITH OUR QUENAS?
High Quality Quena
They are a lot of different ideas about what a quena is suppossed to be. They are instruments with a great personality. Most of the quena makers consider their own quenas as the best -and
even the only ones availables to play music!
Of course, not all of them are correct. So we searched the acoustical aspects which affect the sound.
Almost nothing is written about the quena, but quenas have physical principles common to all the woodwinds.
We can see now that much saying about the quena doesn't really
affect the sound, and also other elements aren't taken into account
.
The most conventional quena key is G4, that means, play G4 when all toneholes are closes. The lenght is about 40 cm, slightly varying in each individual instrument. This quena is also called "en La" or "in A" or "in minor A", because is the best to play folk Andean tunes. We also make quenas in other pitches, being the most common C5, F4 and quenachos in D and C4.
 
We make High Quality quenas, that have fine, hard wood inlay at the embouchure. This feature enhace the sound, response and dynamic range of the instrument.
Also are our Best Available quenas. They are special, sometimes unique designs with high acoustic performance and  special aesthetics. Availability is quite limited, so please ask us for

We introduced an innovation that is the tunable quenas. They are demountable, with an acid engarved brass barrel that allow to adjust the fine tuning of the instruments. They are usually made under request, but we are having some available models.

They are a large variety of quenas, among high quality and best available grade. We strongly recomend a good instrument for starters. A good instrument will make easier the playing. Although a novice player won't notice any difference  among the models at the starting point,  will do as advance with the instrument. Is good to initiate with a thin or medium quena, either in High or Best.

See advice to select a quena

See details of our best quenas 

More best quenas and accesories

other best quenas click here

Watch our Instruments Photo album

Advise for quena care: explaining why we use finishing and advantages of that

Ask for

 

Best quenas Pricelist of best available quenas

More of our best quenas

 

Quenachos: Low quenas, in D or C, ask here for more info

 

Quena Models
Professional bamboo High Quality Best Quenas Wooden Quenas Tunable quenas
For those who prefer a quena without wood applications, we make under request instruments in the best available bamboo, according to your requerimentsEMAIL 

These quenas fill all the requests to play proffesionally

 

The specially selected quenas are reformed on the embouchure with a hard wood inlay. This make the sound more soft and maleable, and also make more precise tuning in high registers. The quena really sounds different before and after the inlay! The more selected bamboo quenas are worked with a woods combination that give a unique aesthetic and acoustic result. Very limited editions, no doubts, the best quenas we can make.

See at Special Quenas Page

 

Made in the finest Argentine and world woods.We make different wooden quenas for those who prefer wood instead of bamboo.

The main characteristic is a heavy instrument, large toneholes and powerfull sound.

 

The pitch adjustment mechanism could be done on available quenas or make under request. They have bamboo or metal sleeve  (bronze or copper with acid engarved work

Ask us for available models, and see our Special Quenas Page. Each quena is unique!

See video tunable quena in G and in F

 

DETAILS

In this image,you can notice the rounded finishing of the toneholes.

They are no just much more comfortable to play, but also make the sound response faster. The slight funnel-shape of each hole avoid s-sounds by reducing the air friction. Also, each hole is sealed and individually lacquered

 

Images of a hard wood embouchure.

The best quenas are carefully selected to inlay a new mouthpiece made in guayacan, palo santo, itín and other hard woods from Argentina and South America.
Studying carefully each case, the geometry of this new embouchure optimize the characteristic sound of each bamboo, being warranted along the time.


We also make very special quenas, with several woods inlayed, click here

 

Wooden quenas

 

We make quenas of the finest woods from Argentine and from aboard. Our characteristic is to get the best from each one, either for its hardness, density and beauty. We use very uncommon woods from Argentine interlands, as guayacan, itín (Argentine ebonys), palosanto (verawood), incienso, lapacho, quina, guayuvira, etc.

Below, our special Gabon Ebony with precious stone inlay.

 

Ask for availability of our Best Wooden Quenas and quenachos
Pricelist of best available quenas

 

 

High quality quenas
Araucaria Bud and Pine Cone Special series
 
TThe Araucaria bud is one of the hardest and more dense vegetal stuff. These cones, called in Spanish "clavos de pino"(pine nails) remain intact after the whole tree has rotten in the rainforest of Misiones Province, NE of Argentina. Some of them are as old as 500 years!

 Our series of high quality quenas. The special quena is first made in the same way as a standard quena. Then it is individually analyzed , we extract its bamboo embochure and then we insert a hard wooden piece. This new embochure is redrawn according to general acoustic tendencies of the tube and holes, achieving the maximum balance.
The new tube is sealed by immersion, lacquered and polished. Highly guaranteed.

Watch our Instruments Photo album

How to select a quena -

See our best quenas

More best quenas and accesories

new model quenas click here

Advise for quena care

Picasa album Our best quenas, limited edition, Updated periodically

Contactanos
For more information or prices, email us
info@unmundodebambu.com.ar

 

 

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