About Duduk Masterclass Duduk Masterclass is brought to you with love from Canada and Armenia with the aim to help and assist aspiring musicians around the world to learn how to play this ancient instrument correctly. If you have any questions you’d like to be answered, please let add a comment and we would be happy to address it in our next videos.
Duduk has two main parts: the body primarily made of aged apricot wood and the reed. While the body doesn’t need much maintenance, the reed needs to be taken care of as it is very delicate.
3:15 Before playing please check if your reed is open. Depending on the humidity levels in your area it might be open or closed. If it is closed, never push the reed from the sides. Pour some water inside and wait for about 15-20 minutes. If the reed is still closed, gently draw the air in from the reed mouth to pop it open.
4:38 Place the regulator (parda, փարդա) to adjust the reed mouth opening and the pitch. Move the pitch down to increase the pitch and vice versa.
5:32 After playing the reed do not forget to close it correctly. The correct placement of the cap plays very important role in preserving your reed and making sure it plays well.
6:27 Reeds generally need to be played so their sound improves. Nowadays, reeds are made to already play well. When purchasing reeds do not go for soft reeds that made “buzzing” sound. It is advisable to get medium or hard reed and play them out to get great sound.
8:20 Artak shows examples of what good duduk sounds is and what type of sound to avoid.
9:11 Duduk fingering. Artak shows two main duduk fingering types and explains what to avoid. When holding duduk it is important to relax fingers as much as possible.
11:47 Breathing. Duduk in contrast to other woodwinds (e.g. oboe, clarinet) requires complete lip relaxation when playing notes A and higher. Artak also explains how to correctly place lips on the reed.
15:20 Beginning exercises. For the first lesson simply start playing the notes as long as you can, paying attention to finger relaxation, sound and clarity.
Learn to play duduk faster with the most comprehensive Armenian Duduk Method and repertoire book by Georgy Minasyan.