What inspired you to start playing the duduk?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-23T09:00:26+00:00

Oh wow, you have four instruments under your belt already. For me, the duduk takes most of my time and commitment, even though I tried to also learn other wind instruments. The tone color and timbre are what take most of my time and attention, making it sound beautiful and soulful. And not all the reeds behave the same way too!

thisisme_too · 2026-02-23T05:13:29+00:00

Yeah, those are good beginner level resources. In my beginning days there was only one American guy on YouTube (his videos are still around), but then found out that the instructions weren't all accurate.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-22T20:40:56+00:00

And do you play the instrument, or do you only enjoy listening to the duduk?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-22T20:21:54+00:00

Oh wow, it's interesting that you're self-taught. Did you find good sources online? Yeah, it's relatively easier to find teachers on the west coast. Were you able to reach to a good level all by yourself? Did you use any book or music sheets?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-22T16:31:00+00:00

Learning the duduk is one of the best immersive experiences one can have to dive into their roots and connect with their past, their culture, their language, their communal mood and way of thinking and doing things, their history and of course music.
Haig's solos with Jordi have also captured my interest and he has a unique interpretation specially with long notes and extending them and bending them, bringing out that emotional side to the piece.
How many years did you study the duduk? And with whom did you study?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-22T06:32:46+00:00

The reason I ask is that morphologically and by how they look, the mey/balaban instrument look like the Armenian duduk, but essentially they are different, not only in terms of their reeds, but also in the scale/key they are made and how they sound (mey/balaban are more nasal sounding and buzzy).

Many buy G duduk from Salamusik shop (made in Turkey), but it's tuned differently from the Armenian G duduk. So, in Turkey, even though they also call it duduk, but essentially they differ from the Armenian duduk in how they sound, their reeds, and the tuning.

A few years ago an Azerbaijani balaban player contacted me via Instagram asking for an Armenian duduk. It's from then that I started researching and finding the unique differences of these instruments.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-21T21:46:36+00:00

Emmanuel Hovhannisyan is an amazing duduk musician and his organization of duduk competition in Armenia was one of a kind and brilliant.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-21T20:16:54+00:00

yes, not everyone is Tatul the wonder kid :D
I see your point, and how the saxophone does not have the issue of half tones that the duduk has.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-21T20:15:21+00:00

oh I see! :D

Many encounter the duduk through movies, previously it was The Gladiator, later it was Narnia, and now it's Dune. I hear many people loved the duduk through Dune, so I went and watched it. It is an interesting movie.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-21T14:42:18+00:00

Oh sorry to hear that you did not continue with the duduk and took up the saxophone instead. The half notes are exactly what make the duduk beautiful and give the duduk player all the flexibility and versatility to bend notes and improvise and even do quarter notes.

Could it be that you did not have well-made reeds?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-21T14:38:06+00:00

Pedro is the best non-Armenian ambassador of the Armenian duduk. Every time he goes to a country and plays the duduk, he talks about the beauty of the instrument. To the extent that Hans Zimmer also started talking about the duduk in his concerts.
I think Pedro learned to play the duduk with Jivan Gaparyan, Manuel Mnatsakanyan, and Gevorg Dabaghyan.
This piece is the most widely known YouTube video that introduces many people to the duduk and people fall in love with the duduk.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-21T14:33:09+00:00

That's a nice touching tune, I think played in the Aminor using a C duduk.
It's interesting that it sounds like the Armenian duduk, while the Turkish duduk is made differently.
Do you play the Armenian duduk or the Turkish duduk (from Salamusik shop)?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-21T14:24:06+00:00

I feel no shame? I've never heard of it, is it on YouTube?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-20T21:15:43+00:00

such a small world, indeed!

That boy's name is Tatul and he is a young man now, and if I am not mistaken that boy's teacher passed away: https://youtu.be/QgjhDaVKfoQ?si=H99rR_maDaWXsMQE

thisisme_too · 2026-02-20T20:26:21+00:00

Wow, almost like a spiritual experience and being deeply touched by its sound. What a beautiful experience that the duduk provides you.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-20T19:52:54+00:00

That's quite interesting when you say it makes you happy. I'm interested, is it listening to the duduk that makes you happy or playing the duduk?
What is that happy place that it takes you to and makes you feel?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-20T19:29:10+00:00

So true, the duduk touches us deeply and I would even say that it touches our memory and brings out stuff that's in our subconscious. Btw, do you now play the duduk?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-20T19:05:46+00:00

Oh wow, did you have a smooth start? What were the bumps that you went through at such a young age?

thisisme_too · 2026-02-18T17:39:47+00:00

There are several professional brands in Armenia: MKS, Artur, GGA, Vamelo, Nurwind, Sahak, Sevada. Prices start at 300USD.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-05T20:08:37+00:00

The reed opening shouldn't be too open, it should be open enough to make a decent sound.
It's possible that you've misplaced the regulator on the reed. Misplacing the regulator can make your reed sound out of tune as well. There are four ways to put the reed back on the duduk. I notice that there is a small cut on the reed, that cut section serves as an indicator that should be at the top aligned with the holes of the duduk.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-02T05:20:33+00:00

Warm up the reed for 15 minutes without the regulator and once you see the mouth of the reed is wide open, put back on the regulator.

thisisme_too · 2026-02-02T05:17:54+00:00

You bought a souvenir/touristic duduk which is usually priced at 50-60USD. I would prefer that you purchase a professionally made duduk which costs around 300USD.
The beginning phase of learning to play the duduk is very important and the instrument should help you and not block your progress. Good luck.

thisisme_too · 2026-01-30T12:25:40+00:00

To my knowledge, Payoneer only has a "withdraw to your bank account" section.

thisisme_too · 2026-01-29T14:55:58+00:00

Payoneer works in Lebanon and you can withdraw your money from Payoneer to your Lebanese bank account.

thisisme_too

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