Duduk mouthpiece | reed

Our Duduk Mouthpiece (Duduk Reed)is made of high-quality bamboo wood harvested from Armenia and Artsakh. Check out our duduk mouthpiece selection, robust and durable, Tuned to A440 Hz. Available in 3 variations: Soft, Medium and Hard.

The duduk mouthpiece, or ghamish, is an essential component of the traditional Armenian woodwind instrument, the duduk. The ghamish is made from a reed, which is a long, thin piece of grass or other plant material. The process of making a ghamish is very long and laborious, and involves flattening the sides of the reed into a double reed, and then tightening or loosening the reed with a wooden clamp. This allows for a minimal correction of the pitch range of the duduk. The ghamish is a vital part of the duduk, and without it, the duduk cannot be played. The ghamish is inserted into the duduk and the player blows into the ghamish to produce the sound of the duduk. The ghamish is available in different strengths, depending on the preference of the player. A wooden cap is also part of the ghamish, which is placed on the upper end of the ghamish to protect the reed from damage.

Tip: After you finish playing it is important to remove the reed from the duduk body, ease the reed tension by pushing the regulator all the way to the cap. Store your reeds in a well-ventilated case to permit for excess humidity to escape. In general, a sunglass case with several drilled holes will do the work.

Duduk mouthpiece: Blowing and breathing techniques

The armature is assembled up of the muscles surrounding the lips. With training, the armature strengthens, so it does take a while before lovely tones are able to be made. Be patient! This is challenging, practice makes perfect!

Before starting to blow into the duduk reed, be sure that the reed is well-soaked. Be careful – too much moisture on the reed will expand the opening of the reed too much and will discourage you from producing sound. The duration of this procedure depends on the individual reed, it could be anywhere between three and eight minutes.

You will notice that each reed comes with a cap and a flattened ting tuner. The cap is to keep the tip of the reed together and not widen too much, and to protect it from splitting or getting broken. The flattened ring is to adjust the reed pitch and to control the reed from opening too wide.

Blowing pressure will range according to the texture desired. After some time, perhaps as much as 5-6 months, the performer should build a strong enough armature and tone quality to produce a lovely vibrato.

Circular breathing of duduk

A featured technique commonly used by duduk players is continuous breathing or circular breathing. Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. It is accomplished by breathing in through the nose while simultaneously pushing air out through the mouth using air stored in the cheeks. You store the air forcibly inflating your cheeks. Without interrupting the flux of wind coming out of the duduk, you should simultaneously deflate your cheeks and compress the air in them and at the same time, you take in air from your nose and continue blowing. This is not easy technique and experienced wind players prevent this technique for amateurs because of the risk involved.

Duduk Instrument Care & Maintenance – An Essential Guide

Armenian duduk – Your questions. Our answers.