The present study deals with the basic problems of what the kantele is and how it is played, and the more complex problem of the meaning of tradition in our modern world. Among the Finns, the kantele manifests itself as a musical instrument, a motif of folklore, and a symbol of identity.

The structure of the instrument has changed radically over the course of its history, so that today there are many different kinds of kanteles falling into three broad categories: those which have bodies carved from a single piece of wood, those built from separate pieces of wood, and those using a reverse-curve shape to improve the tonal qualities across a wider range. Kantele builders were and are influenced by matters of function, fashion and tradition in developing its structure.

The kantele is played in folk music, art music and popular music, in a wide variety of styles appropriate to these contexts. Various groups, and various geographic areas of Finland, maintain different playing traditions which exist simultaneously in the music culture.

The concept of tradition is as central to folkloristics as the concept of culture is to anthropology. Folklorists and ethnomusicologists may study tradition as the materials, the symbols, and the learning processes of a culture, which produce a dynamic balance of stability and change.