Duduk

What it means

The duduk is a double-reed instrument from the Armenian cultural tradition, traditionally made from apricot wood. Its unusually wide, large reed produces, compared with other double-reed instruments such as the oboe, a particularly soft, warm, and slightly nasal tone.

Musical use

The duduk belongs to Armenia's centuries-old folk and art music tradition and is often played in ensembles with a second duduk sustaining a continuous drone note while the first duduk carries the melody. Internationally, the duduk's sound has become known especially through film scores, where it underlines melancholic, elegiac moods.

The duduk should be distinguished from the oboe, whose much narrower reed produces a brighter, more penetrating tone, and from other regional double-reed instruments such as the Turkish mey or the Persian balaban, which are sonically close to the duduk but differ in construction and repertoire.

Performance practice

On the duduk, practise a stable, even embouchure around the wide reed, since its size requires a different embouchure technique than narrower reed instruments. Use deliberate changes in lip pressure and breath to execute the flowing glissandi and subtle pitch inflections typical of the duduk, which shape its characteristic, plaintive expression.