Antti Rantonen &  the famous old Haapavesi group

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Antti Rantonen:  Antti Rantonen (1877-1961) was a farmer from Haapavesi, also known as "Uncle Antti".  The famous folk music researcher A.O. Väisänen met Antti at the Helskinki song festival in 1921 and later transcribed his repertoire and used Rantonen as a regular on radio programs.  Rantonen is considered the last great master of 5-string kantele, the last living son of Väinämöinen, the famous kanteleplayer in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala.  Rantonen was not just a master and developer of 5-string kanteleplaying but a champion of the larger "koti-" or "home-" (large diatonic) kantele as well.

Antti Rantonen's style for playing 5-string kantele is often described as "mixed style" it employs both melodypicking and strumming of chords.  Rantonen combined these two styles in a genious fashion that minimised both finger movement and the possibility of losing finger positions.  He also played with constant variations.  More about his style can be found in the instructional section .