Professional Tarka Flute - Mara Wood with Deluxe Case - Medium
This traditional Bolivian tarka flute is a wonderful example of a hand crafted ceremonial instrument that symbolises the true spirit of the Andes.
With it’s own unique sound and style, this small charismatic, block shaped flute is usually played in a family of three, with it’s two variants tuned to higher and lower degrees.
Played in ceremonies, festivals and rituals across Southern America, the simplicity of the tarka flute makes it an ideal instrument for anyone to play.
Tarka – Mara Wood
Constructed from one piece of Mara wood, with a fipple at the mouthpiece, the instrument plays in a recorder like fashion with it’s 6 finger holes placed closely together, meaning anyone from adults to children can easily learn to play.
The tarka flute is often adorned with carvings or brightly coloured decorations and paintings. Many cheaper tourist made tarka flutes concentrate on decoration rather than tuning, the instrument you see here is a professional tarka flute and has a plain, varnished finish, adorning the famous Mamani professional branding.
Tuning of the Tarka
The main difference between the tarka and other South American flutes such as the quena and quenacho is that tarka flutes are essentially totally primitive, tribal instruments which are ‘octoctonic’.
They are not specifically tuned to a scale such as G major or D minor etc.. but are ceremonial instruments more so tuned to the instrument maker’s individual ear. In ceremony they are always played in a family of three.
Tarka flutes are normally played by the people who make them and are therefore very personal instruments whereby a family of three played together will produce a combined sound, unique to that particular family of tarkas.
As you can imagine, this results in many interesting and varying tones that help create the mystical and ceremonial aspect to the music they produce.
Although they are not tuned to a particular scale as they are octoctonic, the tuning of the tarkas you see here would ‘most resemble’ Sol minor.
Size – 33 x 3.2 x 3.2 cm
Tuning : Octoctonic – (See description - would most resemble Sol minor)
Free Deluxe Woven Case
This listing is for one tarka flute and comes with it’s own colourful deluxe woven flute case, individually made for your tarka using quality fabric and a specially fine inlay.
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