Tarka (musical instrument) Wood, ca. 50 cm

Tarka wood

Professional instrument

100% fair traded

Single copy

Dimensions:

Length: approx. 50 cm

Diameter: approx. 3.00 x 3.50 cm

Our instruments are tuned and tested. Please import the instruments slowly so that you can get used to the vibrations. Since the instruments can be damaged by the resulting moisture when playing and possibly during storage (depending on the humidity in the room), we recommend treating them with recorder oil every now and then. You can get this in any good music store.

The Tarka (Tarqa or Anata)

The tarka is a longitudinal flute made of wood from the Andean regions (all of Bolivia, southern Peru, northern Chile). It is square from the outside and has a round bore with a small diameter. The wood mainly used for the construction of the tarkas is the American mahogany, called "Mara" in Latin America.

It has six holes on the top and no hole on the lower side (blow-over hole).

It is built in various lengths (and keys) from 30 cm to 60 cm. The common keys (A, C, and Eb), however, have to be seen as a guide, since Indian music cannot be compared to European music. The tarka is an instrument that was created without Spanish influence.

The flute is richly engraved and painted. It is an instrument that can mostly be heard at festivals and is in the ritual calendars of the Aymara in January and February.

The Tarka is not a solo instrument, but is played in large Tarka groups (Tropas) with different flute sizes. The instruments have different moods. The interplay creates melodies with parallel fourths, fifths and octaves, which results in the characteristic sound of the tropas. The tropas are accompanied by bombos (drums).

Tarka groups will mostly be found at carnival time, along with the typical dances of that time in the region.

The pieces of music in the Tropas are called Tarkeadas.