Chiff and Fipple Forums

Well Greg, this experiment may be meaningless but I bought me a pvc quenaco from the guy on this thread, viewtopic.php?f=20&t=83128 , to see if my skin reacts to pvc. of course the quenacho I bought is from South Africa and not Peru or pvc from your local area.

This quenacho is strange in that it doesn't have a thumbhole and basically plays like a really low whistle. here's a pic of it next to my Tony Head quena for size comparison.
Ernest

The skin on my chin and lower lip used to get irritated from playing cane zampoñas. I couldn't help but to play them though because I love them so much and I think my determined will eventually just made my body get used to it. Playing them so much also seemed to brake in the canes. The oils from my skin permanently discolored the cane and they became much smoother with time on the edge that touches my face.

That is one reason I never tried the zampona. Going across the canes like that looked like it would irritate unless the instrument was made where the mouthparts were rounded off.
Ernest

Well, some success

I have some medical paper tape on hand, so I covered the contact portion of a PVC quena with a couple of layers. Been playing it for several days now, with no skin problems

'course, I don't want to mar the wooden one with that. But I'm better off than I was before

Big_e wrote:Well Greg, this experiment may be meaningless but I bought me a pvc quenaco from the guy on this thread, viewtopic.php?f=20&t=83128 , to see if my skin reacts to pvc. of course the quenacho I bought is from South Africa and not Peru or pvc from your local area.

Either you are very charitable to undertake this experiment, or my pain is your gain

Big_e wrote: This quenacho is strange in that it doesn't have a thumbhole and basically plays like a really low whistle. here's a pic of it next to my Tony Head quena for size comparison.
Ernest

Hmm, interesting that it doesn't have a thumbhole. Being PVC, you could of course bore one, probably with a scissor if you like


I have my eye on a wooden quenacho now, with a bone mouthpiece. Not sure if that would be any better in regard to the issue at hand, but I suppose it would be less susceptible to damage from my paper tape solution.

So far, no problems with my pvc quenacho. I put in about an hour of practice everyday since I got it and carry it around on weekends to practice everywhere I can. I shave daily with a straight blade so I can't say that there are any negative sides to shaving and playing a quena.

Greg, if you ever think about unburdening yourself of your pvc quena give me a pm. I'd be glad to take it off your hands. Since it's warm over here, I like pvc since it probably won't be effected with my sweat.
Ernest

Big_e wrote:I shave daily with a straight blade so I can't say that there are any negative sides to shaving and playing a quena.

Glad to hear you aren't having any problems

Big_e wrote:Greg, if you ever think about unburdening yourself of your pvc quena give me a pm. I'd be glad to take it off your hands. Since it's warm over here, I like pvc since it probably won't be effected with my sweat.
Ernest

Well, no, now that I have at least a provisional solution, I'd just as soon keep it Thank you, though

[quote="O_Gaiteiro_do_Chicago" One option to fix the pressure issue is to create a small backwards slope on the quena. Meaning, from the embouchure side it will slope done to the back, only by a few millimeters. If you think that may be the problem I could easily modify your quena this way.[/quote]

I'm a terrible quena player, but I've noticed that one of my two quenas has a bit more slope than the other, and the one with more slope feels like a better "fit". It seems to me that there are differences in the shape of the jaw that could entail that minor adjustments be made to fit the instrument to the player. I don't get any marks on my face, but I can definitely sense that I have to press the less sloped quena harder against my skin to get a decent sound out of it.

I hate to say that i am developing this "quena chin". I have been playing only my wooden and bamboo quenas and blame the problem on sweating. I have this neat red ring on my chin. I am now taking care to only play indoors and in air condiitioned rooms. I wiped down the emboucher of my quenas real good with mineral oil.
I figured that the indians in S. America play their instruments in the mountains where the temps are always cool or cold and may not experience chin irriitation. If I have to practice in warm places, I will stick to tin whistles and bansuris and play quenas in cool places.
Ernest

Big_e wrote:I hate to say that i am developing this "quena chin". I have been playing only my wooden and bamboo quenas and blame the problem on sweating. I have this neat red ring on my chin. I am now taking care to only play indoors and in air condiitioned rooms. I wiped down the emboucher of my quenas real good with mineral oil.
I figured that the indians in S. America play their instruments in the mountains where the temps are always cool or cold and may not experience chin irriitation. If I have to practice in warm places, I will stick to tin whistles and bansuris and play quenas in cool places.
Ernest

Sorry to hear you have encountered this problem too!

Well, I now have a quenacho and a quena, both with a bone mouthpiece. And I don't (yet, anyway) have this problem with either of them! So I do think it must have been a reaction to the materials.

You may have a point about the material being used Greg. Not to beat a dead horse but I think I pinpointed the cause of my problem. When not playing my tin whistles this week, I have only played my quenilla which is made of jacarinda wood. This is a dark red wood and it leaves a brown residue on the cleaning rag when I oil it to clean it. My chin got red again. Could this be the cause of the problem?
Last week I played my bamboo quena and my new bamboo quenacho with no problems at all. This last Tuesday I play my quenilla and by next morning get that itchy red circle.



I've been googling and read that some wood workers have mild reactions to jacarinda wood. I'm gonna try cleaning it real good to give it one more try, it could still have wood dust from when it was made. I may have to let it go but I still have some good bamboo quenillas stashed away.
Ernest

That would be "Jacaranda" would it? Just checking I've got the right tree ... I grew one as a pot plant once, and tending it did give me a rash.

benhall.1 wrote:I grew one as a pot plant once

a potted plant, folks ... Ah, the joys of English.

I do think it is the materials. I have no problem with the bone mouthpieces, at all.

I will be donating the Jacaranda to a church auction ...

benhall.1 wrote:That would be "Jacaranda" would it? Just checking I've got the right tree ... I grew one as a pot plant once, and tending it did give me a rash.

Yes it is. A shame since it is such a beautiful wood too.
Ernest