Musical Instruments Museum of Brussels. Latgale kokles In the largely Catholic Latgale region of Latvia, it was characteristic for the kokles to be constructed with an extension of the body beyond the peg line called a wing, that reinforces sound of the instrument and can also be used as an arm support. Estonian ethnologist Igor Tõnurist believes that the wing may be a more recent innovation, that developed sometime before the 14th century for the Baltic psaltery played in the Pskov and Novgorod lands and later was borrowed by some neighboring Baltic and Baltic Finnic people, such as Setos, Vepsians, and Latgalians. In comparison with Kurzemes kokles, the finish of Latgale kokles is less thorough; the instrument is bigger and heavier, with more strings (sometimes even up to 12 and only in rare cases less than 9) and with a more sober decoration. In the Augšzeme-Vidzeme region both types of kokles, as well as mixed forms (for example, kokles with a small wing) were constructed. Zither kokles At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of 20th century kokles traditions were influenced by the construction and playing style of the Western zithers coming from Germany and other Central European countries. Thus arose the so-called zither kokles: kokles with larger, zither-type cases, steel tuning pins, and an increased number of strings (from 17 to sometimes even up to 30 single or double strings). Concert kokles The first larger "concert kokle" with a three-and-a-half octave range and 25 stings was constructed in 1951 by Romāns Ķirpis for the Latvian folk music orchestra's soloist Helēna Kļava-Birgmeistere. It was the first to have devices for changing the pitches of strings in order to change keys. Few years later concert kokles saw a few more innovations in the construction and the new design gradually spread in the Latvian Conservatoire and musical schools, as well as amateur kokles ensembles. For a long time concert kokles were produced at the Musical Instrument Factory of Riga, mainly from leftover materials used for pianos. But after Latvia regained its independence the factory was closed and until the mid 1990s instrument was left without any professional makers. Soon Imants Robežnieks who had previously worked at the factory started making and fixing kokles again after receiving numerous requests from kokles players. Since then he has been the only master of concert kokles in Latvia. In mythology Valdis Muktupāvels regards