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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on May 23, 2015 at 5:52am

this is all I've been able to find out about it. It's a small guitar shaped instrument. About the size of a yuke. Usually with a stylized flower sound hole. Has five frets separated by alternating wood colors. Seven or eight strings. Tuned in four courses of G4 G3, C4, D4 D3, A3, D4 D4. Guessing the numbers represent 'above middle C'. It's a very high tuned instrument. See vid below. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_eeZbHKdp4

Most information is not in english. And hard to come by. The only info I've found is on Wikipedia. It does list the instrument as going by two names. The other is 'Qonqota'. Smithsonian and Internet Archive had nothing.  Unfortunately right now 'The Stringed instrument database' is having web problems.  

Conflicting data. I've seen this pictured as an almost full size guitar all the way down to the yuke size. Guessing the tuning would change with the size. Larger body would denote lower tunings. Like the violin family of instruments. 

this music is freaking AWESOME! Thanks for chance to find this. 

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Permalink Reply by Luis Andres Indaburu on May 23, 2015 at 8:47am

The rythm is hypnotic. Such lovely voices. Thank you. 

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on May 24, 2015 at 4:57pm

MiddleC is C4. The lowest note on a guitar is E2, the lowest on a bass is E1, the lowest on a piano is A0 (the zero octave is incomplete on a piano, octave 1 starts at the first C, third white key )

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on May 23, 2015 at 6:47am

Going back and reviewing the video you posted. I don't think that guy is playing a Khonkota. The instrument listed in the video description is a Charago. It's not a traditional Charango. They have a curved back either made of or representing an armadillo shell. The instrument played is larger than a traditional charango as well. It is a ten string instrument so the tuning could possibly follow that of the Charango. See the wiki link below,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charango

Thanks to doing a search on this I've ran into a few more world instrument sites. But still no info on a Khonkhota. Thanks for posing this. Doing this search has been fun!

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Permalink Reply by Luis Andres Indaburu on May 23, 2015 at 9:59am

Last year my son and I went to La Paz, and found the  charango museum in Jaen Street.  It belongs to Ernesto Cavour, who is completely in love and devoted to charango music, and has an amazing museum of oddities and strange string instruments, some of which can be played by visitors.

Charangos made of steel,  made of gourds, turtle shells, armadillos, soldier canteens. There was one charango made with the helmet of a miner. Some of them are even made with the sternum of a condor.  We bought this small walaycho type charango with a "diablo" tuning.

Couldn´t find khonkhotas though. Some people had them in shops but were not for sale. Either for decoration or belonged to some relative.  The amazing thing about them is the small soundhole. It is so tiny for such a big box.

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on May 23, 2015 at 5:51pm

Awesome Luis! Really hope your able to build one. Be cool to hear you play! 

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