Kamacheña: A one-handed Andean flute

Sketch 007

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The kamacheña or camacheña (also called quena jujeña, flautilla or quenilla de Pascua) is a reed flute about 30-35 cm long, with the distal end closed and the proximal open. In the latter, a particular mouthpiece is carved, similar to that of an Andean quena (a simple notch) but equipped with two lateral wings or flaps. On the proximal it has three frontal fingering holes and a tuning one. It is performed in the department of Tarija (southern Bolivia) and in parts of the provinces of Jujuy and Salta (northwestern Argentina).

The limited number of holes makes it possible to play with just one hand (usually the left), allowing players to use the other to accompany themselves on a caja, a small double-headed drum. It is not unreasonable to think that the purpose of the creators of the kamacheña in providing it with the curious side flaps was to facilitate its interpretation with one hand. In general, the aerophones interpreted in this way are pinkillos (e.g. Ecuadorian pingullos, Peruvian roncadoras, Bolivian waka-pinkillos or Chilean pitos), Andean duct flutes whose mouthpiece allows the musician to hold the proximal end with his lips and guarantee, to a certain extent, the stability of the instrument. In the case of the kamacheña, such a support is only possible with the addition of the wings, without which the instrument could be deviated from the proper position for its performance.

   [Video. From YouTube user Rodnal Escalante Maigua]

More information about this sound artifact can be found in the free-access digital book The kamacheña (Wayrachaki Editora, 2017), accessible through the "In English > Publications > Digital books on music" section at Instrumentarium.

About the post

Text: Edgardo Civallero.

Publication date: 10.11.2023.

Picture: Kamacheña. In The kamacheña.