All About Duduk

Different musical instruments have been produced in people's lives since existence. Stringed, percussion or wind instruments were sometimes used to burn laments and sometimes to reinforce joyful moments.

Developed especially in the Central Asia and South Caucasus region, Duduk has taken its place among the leading musical instruments of the region among the wind instruments. This musical instrument, which has a unique sound, is of different sizes and lengths.

Music, which is a different way of expressing itself, is a universal language. The countries of the world, who do not know their language, perform their sharing culturally by listening to each other's folk melodies.

Duduk, also known as Balaban among the people, is among the wind instruments and is used for playing the melodies that enchant and relax people with their unique timbre. These instruments, which reflect the local melodies in the best way, are among the cultural values ​​of the people. In this way, the expression becomes stronger and a local music culture is formed. in this way, they accompany music as a universal language of promotion and dissemination.

What is Duduk?

This tool, made of hornbeam, plum, rock or walnut, must be produced with special dimensions and care. It has a body consisting of two parts. It has 9-10 pitch that can be perceived by the human ear.

It can be 20 or 22 mm in diameter. On the upper part of the main body is a flat, special piece that makes sound. Its length is around 280-300 mm. In some regions it is also called Mey. It consists of a long reed. There are 7 different sized and in-line holes on the front of the straw and 1 on the back.

After blowing, each outlet of air through these holes provides a different note or frequency of sound. In this way, certain holes are closed, certain holes can be opened and harmony on the sound can be created.

Duduk History and Development

Dating back to thousands of years, Duduk is an instrument that has been named with different names in different regions, but is essentially similar. This wind instrument, called Mait or Monaulos in the Hellenistic Egypt period, would know it as Aulio during the civilization of Anatolia, Mesopotamia. We can say that it is a completely regional musical instrument since it is designed closest to cultural sounds.

It is known in regions such as Central Asian, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia and has been used for many years. Armenians identified it with local names as Duduk, Azeris Balaban and Georgians as Duduki.

Mey and Duduk are slightly separated from each other. There are differences in sound and intonation. Duduk tones are softer, smoky and velvety. In contrast, Mey; it has a so-called whispering or booming voice. Even their masters distinguish these two similar instruments as female and male.

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How to make Duduk?

In the construction of Duduk, suitable branches of the trees available in the region are used. Generally, soft and easy to process trees such as Plum, Walnut, Rock are preferred. A suitable branch is hollowed out, and a long cylinder of suitable size is obtained. The process to be done must be very meticulous and clean. Because even the smallest burr that can remain in or in the holes affects the sound quality.

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After it has been carefully prepared in the main eye, it is opened by measuring correctly for the holes. In the second stage of Duduk construction, the blowing zone is carried out with a fine workmanship. This part is flatter. However, in order for the process to be terminated, the connections must be made with maximum care and with zero error. In this way, the instrument can make more effective and accurate sounds.

Although Mey, Balaban or Duduk show similarities, they are physically separate musical instruments. The sound output of each varies due to minor physical differences during the construction phase.

Instruments can make treble, tougher or more vivid, precise sounds. For this reason, it is important to test the tool to be purchased. Preferring handcrafted rather than fabricated manufacturing will help make the sound better and better. After the processes are finished, Duduk is properly dried, varnished and polished. Attention should be paid to avoid attention and tree playing in these processes. Maintenance and preservation should also be done correctly in order to avoid issues such as relaxation and change in sound over time.

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