MAGICAL SOUNDS OF THE KOKLE - LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT
Music workshop

MAGICAL SOUNDS OF THE KOKLE - LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT

  • Approx. 3 hours
  • Riga, Latvia
  • May - September
  • Start time: 11 am

Program

Are you curious about exploring local folk music and instruments all around the world? Then this workshop is for you! A local folk musician will introduce you to the kokle, a traditional Latvian string instrument. Latvians have a saying that the kokle is given to us by God, but the bagpipes – by the Devil. It will take only a few seconds to understand why we say that. We can assure you that the kokle has one of the purest, most magical, and calming sounds among all the instruments you have ever heard. You will have an opportunity to lure out some ancient melodies from the kokle by yourself.

You will meet the musician at the entrance of the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia and then choose the best place for the workshop according to the weather – either in the pine forest, or under a roof of one of the buildings. In the beginning the folk musician  will provide you with a short background of the kokle history and different types of the instrument. Then the magical sounds of the kokle will cast a spell on you while she plays a few songs. But later – it will be your turn to play! The folk musician will teach you the basics of the kokle and up to three simple, but beautiful Latvian folk songs. Do not worry, you do not need to have any previous experience in playing music, although the ability to read sheet notes would be useful (but is not required).

Meeting point

You will meet the folk musician at the entrance of the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia, and she will take care of the tickets. You can get there from the city center by bus No1 (direction of Berģuciems). The timetable is available here: https://saraksti.rigassatiksme.lv/index.html#bus/1/a-b/map/en. You should get out at the bus stop “Brīvdabas muzejs”. The entrance of the museum is located 5 minutes from the bus stop.

Please fill out the form to request the experience


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Private tour price
  • For 1 person – €100 (the maximum participant number is one)
Included
  • The kokle playing workshop in English
  • Entrance ticket for the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia.
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What travelers say about us

EXCELLENT
36 reviews on
SisterBliss66
SisterBliss66
2024-11-02
Great day out - lovely walk in Gauja - Līgatne trail - in the crisp autumn air followed by the paper mill. Then on to Sigulda Castle and Gutman Cave. Valdis was very knowledgeable and we had some interesting conversations about the places visited, history, culture and lots more besides. Friendly guy, fluent in English. It was awesome getting out of Riga to see more of the country.
Jane Bower
Jane Bower
2024-09-30
My partner and I (69 and 75) are just back from a 17 day self-drive tour put together with the help of Valdis from Baltic Nature Travel. It was an absolutely delightful and fascinating experience. We asked for quirky or unusual accommodation and a mix of hotels and self-catering - great fun. We went at our own pace and chose what to see. Everything was beautifully organised - a couple of small hitches were dealt with straight away on the phone. We are well-travelled but didn't know these stunning countries at all. Our overall impression is CLEAN and GREEN. Thank you, thank you for such a unique and special holiday.
Andrew Golding
Andrew Golding
2024-09-16
First Class Personal Tour of the Baltic Republics organised by Valdis: a bespoke, friendly, intelligent, safe and varied introduction to this wonderful part of the world. Wholly recommended.
David Morris
David Morris
2024-09-10
Excellent booking experience - very easy and all the information we needed. Hire car arrived at the hotel as arranged and the handover was excellent. All the hotels that were booked for us were great and the itinerary was really wide-ranging and interesting. Estonia people were almost always friendly and helpful, and the restaurant food was great. Would definitely recommend Baltic Nature Travel and Estonia as a destination
Karen Green
Karen Green
2024-07-23
Valdis, the owner of Baltic Nature Travel, is a terrific tour organizer. His advance communication and arrangements were unfailingly responsive, prompt and helpful. On the trip, we had different guides as well as drivers in the different cities (Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn.) In each case, they were well-informed and on time at the meeting point. We never needed to worry or contact the guide (though we were provided with their information.) Every hotel Valdis chose for us was of a very good standard, well-run, clean, exceptionally well located, and with wonderful breakfasts. The restaurants he recommended were also excellent – we learned to just go where he suggested! The tour was an exceptionally good value. In sum, we couldn’t have been more pleased. Our trip was wonderful and we left wanting to see more of the Baltics' beauty. If we do go again, we would unquestionably work with Valdis. In the meantime, we will recommend him to all of our friends.
Lucía Gómez
Lucía Gómez
2024-07-17
Fantastic Self-Guided Hiking Experience! We recently completed a self-guided hike in Gauja National Park, which was wonderful. The trails were serene, and we rarely encountered other hikers. The provided materials and app were excellent and highly accurate. The hotels, luggage transfer, and overall transportation arrangements were flawless. Highly recommend this experience!
Paul Green
Paul Green
2024-07-12
Anna Brish was a fantastic tour guide for understanding Jewish history and culture in Vilnius. She was friendly, deeply knowledgeable, eager to answer our questions and accommodate our specific interests. Anna does other tours and we would take any of them, she’s amazing!
James Cornez
James Cornez
2024-07-11
Myself and my best friend came across this company whilst researching options to travel in Latvia and we are very pleased we did. Valdis was very amenable during the planning process by arranging video calls with both of us so we could better understand what was on offer for us to do. He compiled an 8 day itinerary for us that did not disappoint starting in Riga for 2 days. We paid for an optional 3hr walking tour which was very worthwhile to see the main sites of the city. Janis took us on the tour who is a great guy that gives you plenty of interesting information, ready to answer any questions regarding Latvian history/culture. We chose the self driving option to see as much of Latvia as possible which I would definitely recommend if you want to have more than just a city break. It took us to varied places ranging from the heavily forested and pretty areas of Sigulda (where we did a fun kayaking tour on the Gauja river) and Cesis to the pleasant coastal cities of Liepaja and Ventspills. Overall, definitely the company to approach if you want to authentically explore Latvia!
Esther A
Esther A
2024-06-21
Valdis and his team helped us to organise a guided 16 day trip across Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Helsinki. We had a very enjoyable experience! Coming from Singapore and not knowing Valdis beforehand, we were initially worried about language and logistical challenges. All these were unfounded as Valdis and his guides were not only knowledgeable but also responsive, helpful and flexible. We had some minor hiccups during the trip but Valdis was able to resolve them very promptly. I would highly recommend engaging Valdis for your next trip!
Annette Ihrman
Annette Ihrman
2024-06-16
The tour was very versatile and a good addition to our trip to Riga. We can recommend it!

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