Curved Kotamo
Great sound though vaulted tops
The Kotamos with double vaulted tops have a slightly larger sound body and therefore produce a slightly fuller and bassier sound compared to the flat Kotamos. In terms of playing style and mood, they otherwise correspond to the flat Kotamos. The curved Kotamos are only available in the wider version.
The Ko-ta-mo is a mixture of three different instruments: Koto, Tambura and Monochord. The monochord goes back to Pythagoras and is therefore of European origin, the tambura is an Indian accompanying instrument and the koto is a Japanese melodic instrument.
The gameplay is relatively simple. From the very first moment you can hear very beautiful sounds coming from the instrument.
Of course, you can also combine the Kotamo with classic instruments such as guitar or violin, which often creates completely new sound spaces and ideas.
Sound
The monochord is on one playing level, the koto and tambura on the other. If you run your fingers over the string level of the monochord, which is tuned to one note, a very wide, overtone-rich and surprisingly profound sound develops. What is fascinating is that even though all the strings are tuned to the same tone, a whole spectrum of other tones (overtones) can be heard. On an acoustic level, you can experience through the monochord sound that all the others are contained in one tone.
On the other string level there are eighteen strings, four of which form the tambura and fourteen the koto. The tambura is tuned to the same tone as the monochord and also has a string in fifth tuning. The four strings run over a “snare bridge” that creates the typical whirring and mystical sound that is also known from the Indian sitar. The fourteen strings of the Koto can be tuned as desired using sliding wooden riders. This means you can experiment with very different scales and experience moods in the truest sense of the word. You can set diatonic, pentatonic, Indian or Japanese tunings, whatever you like. Or you can build the riders according to your own emotional state and find out what mood you are in at the moment.
Playing style
The three instruments can be played excellently at the same time. On the tambura and the monochord you can play the fundamental note with your left hand and at the same time play melodies on the koto with your right hand. If you tune the koto so that all the tones match the fundamental tone, you can improvise completely freely and without thinking.
Use cases
Photos
Versions
The curved Kotamo is available in three sizes as standard:
| Version | Length | Width | Height | Tuning | Strings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curved | 106 cm | 31 cm | 8 cm | E | 58 |
| Curved | 126 cm | 31 cm | 8 cm | C | 58 |
| Curved | 155 cm | 31 cm | 8 cm | A | 53 |
If you would like to order the instrument in other dimensions, that is of course also possible.
Please contact us.