Kantele

It's great to see everybody smiling when I tell them that i play the ukulele. Most of them laugh when they see the instrument for the first time.

I've gained the same reaction when i purchased this, the big old stringless kantele.

I'm going to string it with nylon strings with chromatic tuning. So there goes the Finnish traditions

Hi there,

I've been to Finland only once. A friendly girl I met there showed me her kantele - and even gave a private concert!

A beautiful instrument indeed, with a magnificently warm sound. But I'm also interested in the Swedish nyckelharpa (once almost obsolete, but now gaining popularity all over Europe. And even featuring in pop bands - not necessarily all Swedish!).

By the way: ever heard of the crwth (from Wales; no spelling error)? A distinct relative of the kantele, it seems...

tnob

LOL! I opened this thread thinking that the OP had misspelled Kanilea!

Hello Alan,

If you are really interested in music (and stringed instruments), kantele, nyckelharpa and crwth are honestly worth a closer look. I know there are several nyckelharpa clips on YouTube. And there may be some featuring the kantele as well.

Surprise yourself!

tnob