In his book "The Baltic Psaltery and Playing Traditions in Latvia"
(Kokles un koklēšana Latvijā) Latvian ethnomusicologist
Valdis Muktupāvels distinguishes 3 types of traditional kokles – Kurzeme kokles
(Kurzemes kokles), Latgale kokles
(Latgales kokles) and zither kokles
(cītarkokles) – and 3 types of modernised kokles – the so-called 15-stringed Krasnopjorovs'-Ķirpis' diatonic kokles
(Krasnopjorova-Ķirpja diatoniskās kokles) and the concert kokles
(koncertkokles) both designed in the
Latvian SSR in 1940s to 1960s, as well as the so-called 13-stringed Linauts'-Dravnieks'-Jansons' kokles
(Linauta-Dravnieka-Jansona kokles) that emerged in the
Latvian American community in the 1960s.
Kurzeme kokles In the Latvian historical region of
Kurzeme kokles are traditionally constructed smaller in size and without a "wing", but with more ornate carvings and ornaments. It also usually has fewer strings than Latgale kokles, ranging from 5 to 6 stings for the ones found at the west coast of Kurzeme and
Selonia to 7, 8 or even 9 strings for the
suiti inhabited areas. On May 17, 2015, during Latvia's
presidency of the Council of the European Union, a Kurzeme kokles built by the crafter Jānis Rozenbergs was donated to the
Musical Instruments Museum of Brussels.
Latgale kokles body,
fir soundboard and
oak tuning pegs In the largely Catholic
Latgale region of Latvia, it was characteristic for the kokles to be constructed with an extension of the body beyond the peg line called a wing, that reinforces the sound of the instrument and can also be used as an arm support. Estonian ethnologist
Igor Tõnurist believes that the wing may be a more recent innovation, that developed sometime before the 14th century for the Baltic psaltery played in the
Pskov and
Novgorod lands and later was borrowed by some neighbouring Baltic and
Baltic Finnic people, such as
Setos,
Vepsians, and
Latgalians. In comparison with Kurzeme kokles, the finish of Latgale kokles is less thorough; the instrument is bigger and heavier, with more strings (sometimes even up to 12 and only in rare cases less than 9) and with a more sober decoration. In the
Augšzeme-
Vidzeme region both types of kokles, as well as mixed forms (for example, kokles with a small wing) were constructed.
Zither kokles At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century kokles traditions were influenced by the construction and playing style of the Western zithers coming from
Germany and other
Central European countries. Thus arose the so-called zither kokles: kokles with larger, zither-type cases, steel tuning pins, and an increased number of strings (from 17 to sometimes even up to 30 single or double strings).
Concert kokles The first larger "concert kokle" with a three-and-a-half octave range and 25 stings was constructed in 1951 by Romāns Ķirpis for the Latvian folk music orchestra's soloist Helēna Kļava-Birgmeistere. It was the first to have devices for changing the pitches of strings in order to change keys. Few years later concert kokles saw a few more innovations in the construction and the new design gradually spread in the
Latvian Conservatoire and musical schools, as well as amateur kokles ensembles. For a long time, concert kokles were produced at the
Musical Instrument Factory of Riga, mainly from leftover materials used for
pianos. After Latvia regained its independence, the factory was closed and there were no dedicated kokles craftsmen until the mid-1990s. Soon, , who had previously worked at the factory, started making and fixing kokles again after receiving numerous requests from kokles players. Since then, he has been the only professional luthier of concert kokles in Latvia. == In mythology ==