Please click here for a short MP3 mix demonstrating the magical sound of the Armenian Duduk.

No other musical instrument is able to convey the emotions of the Armenian people so honestly
and eloquently as the Duduk, born in the early eons of Armenian history, it is purely Armenian.

Because of its evocative and colourful timbre and warm sound, the Duduk has become part of everyday life in Armenia
today, no festive occasion, wedding reception or family feast is complete without a Dudukist.

The Duduk is a form of oboe hand-made almost always of apricot wood, with a 1,500-year history behind it.

Travelling Armenians have taken it to Persia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, the Middle East
and as far as the Balkans, where derivatives are played.

The instrument itself is simply a hollow pipe with eight finger holes on the upper side and one thumb hole on the bottom.

It has a warm, soft, slightly nasal timbre, but it is capable of a wide-range of melodies and drone notes
sustained for long periods of time.

It is invariably played with the accompaniment of a second 'dum Duduk,' which gives the music an energy and tonic
atmosphere, changing the scale harmoniously with the principal Duduk.

The Duduk is built in three sizes, ranging from 11 to 16 inches.
It requires a specific type of double reed, categorised as a split or slit-tube reed. As a musical instrument, it has not
changed through the centuries, but the manner of playing it has been perfected and its sound has been improved.

Its range is only one octave; however, it requires considerable skill to play, - its dynamics controlled by constantly
adjusting the lips and fingers. The tuning is basically untempered and diatonic, though chromatic notes may be
obtained by partially covering the finger holes.

The Duduk repertoire consists of folk ballads as well as upbeat dance music. Composers have even written
orchestral pieces for the instrument.

: Ghamish care :: You should never soak a ghamish in water as this will deform it.
 
 If you are going to use water  (usually only when the ghamish is new or you have not played it for a long time)

 first slide the bridle all the way to the top of the ghamish then put just a tiny amount into the bottom opening with the cap on and shake for a few seconds,  then tip the water out, the ghamish will then open up on its own in time .
 
There is no need for you to put water into the ghamish if you play it every day
Simply blowing warm air from your breath is usually enough to open the ghamish naturally.
 
So what can be done if you have already deformed the ghamish
 and the bridle can't control it?
 
You must put the cap in its place, slid the bridle up, wait from 3 to 4 Hours  hours then you can play on it again.

The Armenian Duduk is a very simple and organic instrument that allows for a great deal of individual expression.

To begin it requires a great deal of breath so proper posture and being relaxed is important.

The breath control is exactly like that of a singer or an actor in that you should breath from your diaphragm and not your chest.

 Do not slouch, or bow your head as this will only block your breath/energy and make you work even harder to play the instrument!

The reed, while being quite large only gets played at the very end with only 1/4" to 1/2" being inserted into your mouth,

It should not touch your teeth, and your upper and lower lips should be secure on it just enough to make it vibrate without any loss of air.

It is important to note that unlike a clarinet it does not need to be squeezed against the lips because you can

actually pinch off your sound.

 The cheeks are allowed to puff out a little; this actually helps your embouchure. The correct way to do a vibrato is by moving your lower lip only, and not by moving your jaw.

The fingers are relaxed, at ease, and slightly curved. It may help to think of this looseness as beginning in your arms, then flowing down into your wrists, and hands. The fingers are spaced in two separate ways depending in the needs of the tune you are playing.

 In general if you only need the top seven fingers then the top hand uses three fingers and the bottom uses all four. However, if you will need all eight notes in the piece you will be playing then both hands use all four fingers each. Notice that between these two positions there is a slight shift of where the fingers fall on the holes for the top hand only.

As mentioned in the tuning section when you play top four notes you will want to keep all of the notes on the lower hand closed. This not only will keep the top notes from being too sharp but it also allows more of your instrument to resonate and therefore the sound will be better. When you begin to play the Duduk you will soon learn that playing is tuning... You must always be adjusting the reed in order to keep your pitch correct and you do this by getting it as close as you can with the bridle before you start, and then you have to use your lips and fingers while your playing.

You should begin by playing the holes all the way off and on. Then when this becomes easier start to work on your half-hole technique. You will need to get a feel for where the actual note is (it's good to use a piano) and then work on hitting 
it right from the start without it sliding around. 

You will also notice that you need to blow harder to maintain the volume as compared to the completely open notes. To put it in sequence with other notes you should ultimately be able to half-hole cleanly on every note, and not be able to tell which notes are full and which ones are half-holed.

It is interesting to note that in Armenia, Duduks are traditionally played in pairs, with one person playing melody and one person playing a continuous drone note called the "dam", or "damkash". In Armenia, it is common for the student to hold the note for the teacher as part of his learning the instrument because it helps to develop the muscles as well as to perfect their intonation. This "circular breathing" is done by puffing up the cheeks with air while you are playing, then when you need to breath, you cut off the air in your throat At his point, you simultaneously use the reserved air in your cheeks to keep the note going as you refill your lungs through your nose. You then reengage your lungs and the note never falters...

It may be help to use an analogy here: think of the whole process as if you were releasing and then reengaging the clutch in the manual transmission of a car, while keeping it in the same gear. Your cheeks are the clutch.