The quena (a spelling adapted for Spanish-speaking people, also sometimes written as kena in English) is a traditional flute from the Andes region. It is usually made from cane or wood and has six finger holes and one thumb hole. The flute is open on both ends or the bottom may be partially closed. To make sound, the player covers the top end of the flute with the area between the chin and lower lip and blows air downward along the flute's length, over a notch shaped like an oval. The quena is typically in the key of G, with G4 as its lowest note. Its sound is described as textured and dark because of its length-to-bore ratio, which is about 16 to 20. This ratio makes it harder to play high notes compared to the Western concert flute, which has a length-to-bore ratio of about 38 to 20.

The quenacho (also called kenacho in English) is a larger version of the quena that produces a lower sound. It is made the same way as the quena and is in the key of D, with D4 as its lowest note. The quenacho is four notes lower than the quena in the musical scale. Its sound is described as rich, and its length-to-bore ratio of about 25 makes it sound brighter compared to the quena.

The quena is commonly used in traditional Andean music. In the 1960s and 1970s, some musicians in the nueva canción movement used the quena in specific songs, though it was not a standard instrument. Groups like Illapu and musician Facio Santillan used it regularly. In the 1980s and 1990s, some rock bands influenced by nueva canción also included the quena in their music, such as Soda Stereo in "Cuando Pase el Temblor" and Los Enanitos Verdes in "Lamento Boliviano." The quena is also often found in world music.

Other Andean instruments similar to the quena

Other Andean flutes include the following:

• The pinkillu has the same fingering as the quena and looks and works like a recorder. Unlike the quena, it has a special air channel called a fipple to direct the air;
• The tarka (or tharqa) works like a recorder but is shorter and has a more angular shape. It needs more air to play and produces a deeper, more powerful sound;
• The moseño (originally mohoseño) is a long, two-tube bamboo flute with a deep sound. The extra tube helps direct the air.