Ephemeral Mists' Musical Instruments - Duduk

 

The duduk is a traditional woodwind instrument of Armenia. It has related instruments in Turkey (the Mey), China (the Balaban) and others, but I find the Armenian model to have the most interesting tonal quality. The Armenian version is made from Apricot wood, which is said to play a large role in its sound. The Duduk is a double reed instrument, believed to be about 3,000 years old. It is limited to a single octave in range, but makes an incredibly powerful usage of that limited range, with dynamic shadings of timbre and inflection. In comparison to other single octave woodwinds like the Native American flute, it is in a world of its own. Unlike other double reeded woodwinds, the reed is quite wide and large. This makes the instrument quite difficult to play, as it require much more breath, but is also one of the technical details which gives the instrument such a mournful and deep sound.