Doudouk

The doudouk is a form of oboe hand-made almost always of apricot wood, with a 1,500-year history behind it. The doudouk is strictly Armenian. The instrument itself is simply a hollow pipe with eight finger holes on the upper side and one thumb hole on the bottom. The double reed is voluminous and settles at the end of the pipe. This reed is provided with a ring allowing to play by making vary its opening, as well as of a cork which allows to close the reed and thus to preserve its shape when one does not play.

There are several sorts of doudouk, according to the length of the pipe which varies approximately from 25 to 40 cms. 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. The area of the doudouk is limited enough because it does not exceed an octave and a tierce. The tuning is basically untempered and diatonic, though chromatic notes may be obtained by partially covering the finger holes. 

The doudouk is one of the instruments the most spread in Armenia. It is instrument of orchestra and as well instrument soloist. 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 doudouk repertoire consists of folk ballads as well as upbeat dance music. A traditional way consists in playing the melody on a doudouk whereas the second doudouk makes a "bumblebee" (held note, called here "dam").

The Shvi is known as the Armenian Whistle. A flute-type instrument, the Shvi can produce one and a half to two octaves of the chromatic scale. The lower octave is attained by blowing normally into the mouthpiece; the upper octave is attained by blowing harder. The lower octave has a soft, recorder-like tone; the upper octave has a powerful birdlike shrillness, similar to a piccolo or flute. The Shvi is famous for its ability to mimic bird calls.