Hi!

I play flute at intermediate level and got interested in the Duduk Oboe (or flute). I ordered one on Internet and I hope it will arrive in the coming weeks.

But I have never played a reed instrument, and the Armenian /Turkish Duduk has a *big* double reed, judging from the pictures I saw.

If anybody here has some knowledge about this instrument and could give me some advise on how to play it (about the reed blwong issues) I would rally appreciate it!

Try this link

http://larkinthemorning.com/The%20Duduk%20&%20Mey/a/23/

Hope it helps!

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For me double reeds aren't that hard. But, I know some people who have a difficult time with them. I hope your not one of them! (^:

Thanks for the link. I found it very useful. I hope I will receive my turkish duduk soon and be able to put those recommendations in practise.

I have a very basic question, but I am a 100% beginner on reeds:

What is the mechanism that make the reeds vibrate? Is it the air hitting the reeds edges?

The reeds just vibrate against each other. I really think the Duduk is a cool sounding instrument... where did you get your from?

An EBay vendor in Anatolia(Turkey), But I have not received it so far

I have received the instrument. It das 8 holes + thumb and if I was anxious to receive it, now I am frustrated.

The reed came without any threading on its conical tip, so I believe it has not been tuned, perhaps not even tested by the manufacturer. I have tried to make it sound anyway, best thing I can produce is a loud squeaking sound with the reed alone (no tube).

I have no idea what the lowest note should be, in case I could try to tune it according to the instructions on the links that were kindly provided in previous posts on this thread.

The reed looks to be of the very hard type, I can make it sound at the limit of my blowing pressure only. I did wet it, so that the reed opened and tried to use an opening that made it sound more easy.

If you have any idea on how to continue, I will really appreciate your help.

Hi,
I have been playing the Duduk for a bit more than two years now and was lucky enough to get a few lessons by professional musicians from Armenia.
There are several similar instruments in the Caucasus region (and beyond) such as the Armenian Duduk, the Georgian Duduki, Turkish Düdük and Mey, the Balanban from Aserbaijan and others. These instruments are similar, but not the same: To my knowledge there are significant differences in the construction (i.e. types of wood used,reeds etc.) and also in the playing technique.
What is sold as a Duduk (for example on ebay) is not necessarily a genuine (Armenian) Duduk but may often be a only "souvenir" item even if it comes from Armenia. Unfortunately there is a lot of these pseudo-instruments (often sold in comparatively cheap "sets" designated as "professional instruments") on the internet that will never produce a good sound and frustrate you. Then again, as the Duduk has gained a certain popularity (mostly through the performance of Jivan Gasparyan in several movie soundtracks and on stages around the world), other instruments may be offered as "Duduk" but be in fact something else. So the first important thing is to get a good quality instrument (which will probably sell for ca. 250 US$ or more). Armenian musicians such as my teachers keep recommending instruments made by Arthur H. Grigorian (http://www.armenianduduk.am) but there are also other sources of good quality instruments such as www.duduk.ca (also selling Grigorian's instruments or www.duduk.com (where you also find a Duduk forum, sheet music for Duduk, instructional DVDs etc.). On these sites you will also find fingering charts etc.
Compared to the Oboe, my first instrument I found it relatively easy to begin the Duduk. You do need more air (in terms of volume)but definitely less pressure (than for an Oboe). And, I found it amazingly easy to produce a nice, typical Duduk sound already after a few days of practice. Achieving a certain virtuosity in playing of course requires much more patience, especially as the fingering (half holes etc.) is a bit tricky and switching to other scales or playing chromatically needs considerable practice. Anyway, I feel it's worth it and very rewarding - I just love the sound!!!
For those who might have become curious: Wikipedia has also a good article on the Duduk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duduk )including some interesting links.
Master performers include Jivan Gasparyan and Gevorg Dabaghyan - try listening to their audio samples, for example at: http://www.gasparyanjivan.com/music.php or http://www.dabaghyan.com or http://www.dabaghyan.com/en/music.html
If you have any further questions I will do my best to help you with a few answers.
Best,
Georg

Thank you Georg for your so complete answer.

I am still frustrated by the Mei I bought from Turkey, but the truth is I have not tested it fully enough. I must wait at least one month after my cataract surgery and in the meantime I have contacted the vendor, who offered sending me new reeds. But I doubt.

I only paid 35 US$ + shipment, so it is not a big loss and so much below the price you report that most probably it is a souvenir item and not a real instrument.

In my case I have no previous experience with reeds and Oboe, my first instrument is flute.

I am now considering the possibility of taking a few lessons on oboe, with a hired instrument perhaps and see if I can adapt. Duduk in this case would be left for later.

Or I could order a real instrument from one of the sites you mentioned and begin directly with it. But no Duduk teachers at hand here, I'm afraid.
Not yet decided...

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I know Jivan Gasparyan's music and I have a CD by him. This is how I have got interested in Duduk and Armenian music, not from those films that I have not seen.

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Just in case you could have a look at the item I bought and its vendor the link is here:

http://cgi.ebay.es/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390008862405&ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:ES:1123

I would like to hear your opinion, in case the information on this page could be sufficient to get some ideas about the instrument. Thank you

Hi,
it is hard to judge an instrument just from the image and what the ebay seller tells us... and I am far from being a "Duduk expert" ... but I fear that this is probably not what you were looking for.
If you are really serious about learning to play duduk, I would consider buying a 'real' instrument and start again. Teachers are indeed hard to find outside of Armenia, but on the other hand you can still be lucky and find somebody who might help you with the first steps. My own location (Berlin, Germany) isn't the place where you would normally look for Duduk players; still the Armenian community here has occasionally invited Jivan Gasparyan, Gevorg Dabaghyan and other musicians for concerts here and organized workshops with them. Maybe something similar might occur in your area - as far as I know considerable communities of people from the Caucasus region can also be found in the US.
DVDs with playing instructions available through duduk.com (located in California) might also be helpful. Look and listen to people playing live or on the internet (youtube !) And if you're really passionate... Good luck...
Oboe and Duduk are both double reeds producing extremely beautiful sounds, but playing, reeds (oboe: approx. 6 mm wide with an extremely flat and narrow wind channel; Duduk: 27 mm wide and as thick as a small finger)and articulations are so diffent that I don't think taking oboe lessons in order to learn Duduk will help much.

Thanks a lot, Gawn. I will be in Turkey in August and I plan visiting some serious place there and see if I can find one real instrument. But I am not going to Armenia; too far and probably not the place I would visit on a holidays, with all its peculiar neighbours.

Hi,

I've been playing Duduk for several years. I have studied with an Armenian teacher. I started with a Turkish duduk which was "lark in the morning" souvenir junk. It was of no use whatsoever.

As previously posted, you want a quality Armenian instrument, and I do mean Armenian. I can recommend a couple of sources for you if you like. The duduk is a very challenging instrument to play, so it's absolutely essential to have a proper instrument. It's difficult enough even with a good instrument! Let me know if you need some guidance.

Cheers,

Mark

Thanks.

I will travel to Turkey (basically Istambul) on holidays, by end August. Do you know if I could find an Armenian Duduk there and where?

It's not necessary to travel to Turkey to find an Armenian duduk. Here's a great on line source: http://www.araratmusiconline.com/

The difference is that the reeds are tested to make sure that they play well. And yes, they are more expensive than other places, but at least you'll know that you're getting something playable.

Also, it's possible to get duduk lessons on skype. I've had several from a very nice gentleman by the name of Shea A. J. Comfort. If you search for him on line, you'll find him. He's on MySpace as well.

Good luck!

M

Thank you for the information.

I travel to Turkey for my holidays, so I can take profit of being there to see, have it tested in my presence (if not test it myself) and then buy. The one I bought through internet is most probably useless and I am scared of repeating the experience. The price is not so important, if in a reasonable level.



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Anyway I have just contacted Mr. Momjian (Ararat Music) by Email and I await his answer.