Chiff and Fipple Forums

So lately I have been looking at some youtube videos where people play the zampogna.

It has a very nice sound, but I have no idea where to look for good makers, or how to get in contact with people that might know makers.
Also how to play the instrument itself. Is there a method for it? something you can do or teach yourself?

Perhaps somebody here has knowledge or information for me where to look and how to get such an instrument and learn it.

Kind regards

The first address you should contact would be the Circolo della Zampogna: http://www.zampogna.org/
It may take a while until you get response. They can direct you towards the instrument makers.
There is a very good zampogna maker in Germany, but due to changes in his day job situation, he is presently not taking orders.
Ilario Garbani has written a tutor book: http://www.zampogna.ch/negozio.php (scroll down to "Metodo per Zampogna a Chiave").
While the playing technique as such is not nearly as complicated as that of for instance GHB. What makes it difficult is the coordination of the two chanters (and, of course, keeping them in tune).
You should be aware that there are approx. 20 different types of Zampogne in Italy. All the above goes for Zampogna molisana and its close relatives (Zampogna lucana et al., the ones with key ("a chiave") for the lowest tone of the long chanter and the chanters tuned in octaves.
You should reveal where you live - you might have an accomplished Zampognaro close to you and yet never realized he's there.

ChasR and Ciarramedaru here would be you local Zamp authorities.

Plus Shawn Folsom and Ted Anderson.

hi!
I'm an italian zampogna player, so I think that i can give you some usefull informations.

As someone had already written in this thread, in Italy there are several kinds of zampogna.
The most diffused "family" of zampogna is the "Zampogna a chiave" (keyed zampogna), you can find this kind of instrument (with some differences, obviously) from Lazio (the region of Rome) to Calabria (the last part of the continental Italy), and in some parts of Sicily, too.

in my opinion the greatest difficulties for the self-taught zampogna player are :
- it's very difficult to tune the instrument if you are not skilled.
- it isn't easy to learn a "style of playing", because the styles are hundreds and hundreds and they are not codified.
- it's practically impossible to find written music, all the tunes are learnt by ear.
- it's difficult to find recordings.