Today was an exciting day. The kokle that I ordered finally arrived in the mail. For those of you who do not know, I am a fan of Skyforger, a folk metal band from Latvia. One of the musical instruments that they use is a kokle, a stringed instrument which produces notes by strumming it. Overall, it is similar to a zither and has a distinct metallic sound.

Another interesting aspect of the kokle is its legendary origin. Supposedly, a young maiden was walking too close to a lake, fell in, and drowned. After she was buried, a tree began to grow from that very spot. Once the tree had grown, a section of the trunk was cut out and crafted into the first kokle. It is said that, when the instrument is played, you can hear the maiden softly singing. Thus, the translation for the word, kokle, is "singing tree."

Anyway, I am very happy to finally own a kokle. With it, I can finally play many of the Latvian folk songs that Skyforger has performed. Although information regarding how to play it is scarce, I have found instructional videos on the Internet which are helpful. Before I can play any songs, however, I must properly tune it. Only then will I be able to produce wonderful music.

Clubs: