Armenian Duduk SPECIAL EDITION - YEREVAN birthday - handmade from ARMENIA with Playing Instruction - Oboe flute Balaban Woodwind Instrument Apricot Wood - Gift National case

I have been playing a Turkish mey (Turkish form of the duduk) for several years, and have used both Turkish reeds (which produce a rougher, more earthy sound) and Armenian reeds (which produce a smoother, more ethereal sound). A few years ago, I bought a professional Armenian duduk, and found that, while the tone was gorgeous, it was very hard to play-- torture for my embouchure-- playing it would require quite a hefty daily time commitment, whereas my Turkish mey was much more playable with a reasonable amount of practice. Well, last week, I came home to find that my giant dogs had taken BOTH my Turkish mey and my professional Armenian duduk off of our kitchen table and crunched them to bits. Facing the surprisingly numerous choices of affordable instruments available online, I considered buying another Turkish mey that looks like the one that I learned on (https://www.amazon.com/Mid-East-DUDK-SI-Duduk-SI-Reed/dp/B000FVULSA/ref=sr_1_24?keywords=duduk&qid=1558299136&s=gateway&sr=8-24), and this one, and I decided on this one. I am so glad I did. It has a beautiful tone, very well-crafted, but is quite easy to play (as much as any duduk is easy to play; this is not an instrument you can pick up like a bamboo flute and immediately start playing; you will need to build up your embouchure and diaphragm support; being a singer or wind player will help). I am really happy with this duduk, and I think it would be a great instrument for both beginners and intermediate musicians (anywhere short of needing a true professional duduk). On the other hand, if your budget is limited or you want a shorter, more transportable instrument (that fits in a mid-size purse/bike messenger bag), the above-linked Turkish duduk was great for me to learn on, the easiest of the three duduks I have tried. The Turkish reeds are highly variable, but you can always buy a separate Armenian reed to use with it if you are not happy with the reed it comes with. If you have a bit more money to spend, though, I think this duduk will provide the best value.

Difficult instrument to play well as a beginner but I can easily make noises and play scales. Included a sheet of paper in a clear sleeve with some instructions and the cloth carrying case is beautiful (if mostly decorative). The reed tasted a bit like campfire at first (not unpleasant) but that went away after soaking in water to loosen up and playing a couple times. Whatever it doesn’t have that a more expensive version has is probably noticeable to more experienced players. For a beginner the most important thing is probably learning how to produce pleasant tones with characteristic vibrato and learn fingering and technique.

Great instrument, it plays beautifully, but not with the included reed. The reed that’s included is quite hard and intonation is very difficult, especially for a beginner. If you buy a professional reed, this duduk will be much easier to play and you’ll still save some money.

The appropriate amount of packing material was in the box. The item arrived as if it was handed to me at the factory. The instrument is a lot of fun. I have never played a duduk before and was able to sound good the first day.

Shipping was on time and looks good quality-wise. I got this to give to someone so I'm not sure about the playing part yet but everything else was great so far!

Day 1 and I’m already making solid sounds

Love it

Beautiful!