I got this quena for $10 in 2020. I played it a bit, but by that time I’d already been playing KJ for a while, and it was not long at all before Kototo was shelved - not to be retrieved until now.
Before I shelved it, I sanded the polyurethane or whatever gloss coat off of the wood below the binding and tried staining it with a black stain. The result was not impressive and, at the time I didn’t think the sound was either so I relegated it to flute storage and forgot about it.
After bringing it back out for June FotM 2022, I immediately loved the light and airy handling of this bamboo flute. I remember thinking there was an issue with the intonation with all positions closed, but if there is an issue, it’s far less pronounced than what I remember. My guess is there was something in my technique back then. Anyway, on the first day I removed the binding, sanded the whole flute and stained it to match - I posted about that with a little more detail here: Refinishing the Kototo Quena.
Most flutes seem to have at least one unique feature, and this one is no exception - The inside of the mouthpiece is rounded!
The flute’s interior chamber is also completely coated/sealed. I’ve seen this in many NAF’s, but I feel like it’s 50/50 or less in quenas. My guess is that the open chamber design presents almost now risk of condensation collecting and causing problems. Also, and I think it’s due to the lightness of bamboo, this flute sounds more like a NAF than most other quenas I’ve played. Considering this flute is among my cheapest and has sat in storage for so long, it’s crazy to think this could be in the running for favorite flute quena but it’s got a real shot.
I can put it in a car!
I can stick it in a tree!
The small updates I made to the flute cosmetically really made a difference in how I feel about playing the flute. Eliminating slippery plastic-like coatings from the outside is important to me, but also bringing some darkness to the flute’s overall color and making new bindings definitely made the flute feel more like one of my own. I suspect I’ll hang onto this one for quite some time.
Thanks for checking out some more of my work! As always, I hope you enjoyed witnessing as much as I enjoyed creating!
© Photos and words by @albuslucimus
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