Quena Multiphonic Fingering Encoding System

A concise, transposable way to label multiphonics by physical fingering—independent of absolute pitch—so the system works across quenas in G, C, E♭, and beyond.

The quena has seven tone holes: one thumb hole (back) and six finger holes (front). Each hole is encoded by how much it is covered—no pitch names are used. This makes the system consistent, portable, and easy to scan across instruments.

Format: T/H1H2H3H4H5H6 where T is the thumb hole state, then a slash /, then the six front holes from 1 → 6.

Hole Coverage States

f

fully covered

100% closed

d

three-quarters

≈ 75% closed

h

half covered

≈ 50% closed

r

one-quarter

≈ 25% closed

e

open

0% covered

Reading the Code

Fully open

Thumb open, all six front holes open.

e/eeeeee

Fully closed

Thumb closed, all six front holes closed.

f/ffffff

Single open at hole 6

Thumb and holes 1–5 closed; hole 6 open.

f/fffffe

Multiple Multiphonics per Fingering

The same fingering can yield several distinct multiphonics depending on embouchure, air speed, angle, and partial selection. To distinguish them, append an arbitrary numeric suffix:

e/ffeffe.1

First documented multiphonic from this fingering.

e/ffeffe.2

A different, reproducible outcome from the same fingering.

Note: The suffix does not encode acoustic content or partials; it’s purely a catalog label. Acoustic details (e.g., partial structure) can be listed separately in performance notes or charts.

Why This System?

Transposable by design
Because it encodes fingering rather than pitch, the catalog applies to quenas in any tuning (G, C, E♭, etc.) without translation.
Compact and scannable
Short strings are easy to read in tables, filenames, and code. They also make great IDs.
Separation of concerns
Physical setup (the code) is kept distinct from acoustic analysis (partials, fundamentals, stability), which can evolve independently.

Back to Quena (D) Multiphonics