---
title: "Punteru"
slug: punteru-chanter
definition: "Melodic pipe of the Asturian gaita. It carries the finger holes the gaitero plays to hold the melody line over the roncón's drone."
synonyms: ["chanter", "melodic pipe"]
publishedAt: 2026-06-17
---
The **punteru** is the part of the **Asturian gaita** where the melody
lives. It's a conical tube with finger holes; by covering and
uncovering them, the gaitero runs the scale and articulates the piece.

It carries a double reed (the *payuela*) that vibrates with air from the
bag and gives it its nasal, piercing timbre. The instrument's tuning key
is named after the punteru's reference note: a gaita in C, in B flat or
in D.

The punteru carries the melody line; the roncón carries the continuous
drone underneath it. That tension between melody and drone is the
Asturian gaita's recognizable sound.