Romanian NON-Panflutes?

hans · Post by **hans** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:24 am

I like Hodorog András playing the Moldovian kaval:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF_1yfqsD2M&NR=1

This flute has a fipple (on the underside), so is not rim-blown like the Bulgarian kavals. But in the tone hole placement it resembles a Bulgarian kaval, but with only 5 holes instead of 8. So it is not just a low whistle.
How is it tuned I wonder? Hodorog András kaval is in Bb minor I think (bottom note Bb).
Oh, I just found a finger chart for it, by no other than Jack! Thanks!
http://www.campin.me.uk/Music/MoldvaiKa ... Chart.html

Here are two more delightful whistle videos with great old photos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjQmcTiRgvY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtZ4yVbuQhc
and this one from an outdoor evening gig in Budapest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNEOfMJwLYE
Fantastic music!

JackCampin · Post by **JackCampin** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:52 am

Hans, if you ever come down to Edinburgh, get in touch and I can show you the Hungarian/Romanian whistles I've got and let you have a go on them. Given the stuff you already do, I imagine you'd like to know how to make them.

hans · Post by **hans** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:02 pm

I'd love that, thank you! And do call if you ever come up North!

So the hole placements on the Moldavian kaval are similar to the Bulgarian kaval, but with no top thumb hole, and hole 4 and 5 omitted, leaving only the two bottom holes for the right hand, instead of four on the Bulgarian kaval.

BTW Jack: your page with the kaval fingering chart seems not to have been linked from your home page. Don't know if it is linked from anywhere, there is just the backlink to the home page.

hans · Post by **hans** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:27 am

Well, I watched lots of videos with Csango music, totally inspiring!
I've made a whistle body to fit my low D head, tuned as low A minor #4, five finger holes, as the Moldavian kaval. It works pretty well and is most interesting to play, and gives me new insights into the Csango music. The alu tube is 1" diameter (about 23mm internal), which gives a length to bore ratio of about 31.7, way higher than on any whistle I know or made. One effect is an easier switching between registers. It needs better air flow control than a standard low whistle. It is becoming more like an overtone pipe. I wonder what the internal diameters are for Moldavian kavals, what kind of length to bore ratio they employ.

I am also excited to have discovered that the Moldavian kaval has some resemblance in its tone hole pattern with my own Gypsy whistle:

The gypsy whistle has an additional bottom tone hole, giving an extra one semi tone lower leading note, and the first left finger hole is tuned a full tone higher than hole 2, rather than a semi-tone. But the semi-tone rise is achieved with cross fingering like done for C natural on a D whistle. In addition there is a thumb hole a semi tone higher still. That is not used for the Hungarian minor (gypsy) scale, but comes into use for the Flamenco/Hijaz/Ahava Rabboh scale.

I have not tried this seven hole pattern on a low A, there may be problems with finger stretches, especially for the extra low hole. Perhaps that can be reached with the right hand fourth finger. I need to try that, but meanwhile enjoying the new aluminium 5-hole kaval-whistle!

JackCampin · Post by **JackCampin** » Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:08 am

hans wrote:BTW Jack: your page with the kaval fingering chart seems not to have been linked from your home page. Don't know if it is linked from anywhere, there is just the backlink to the home page.

It's linked from here:

http://www.campin.me.uk/Travel/Romania2008/

JackCampin · Post by **JackCampin** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 7:40 am

Nice video of the Romanian fluier player Marin Chisar:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLLYjXTIlz8

Does that three-finger slide have a name? It's sometimes done with the lower hand in the Highland pipe tune "The Black Bear", but I don't recall seeing it anywhere else in music from the British Isles. Chisar is doing it with his upper hand.

MichaelLoos · Post by **MichaelLoos** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 8:52 am

I use it as an embellishment for C# on the whistle, mostly for tunes in A major.
I have watched Marin Chisar about 35 years ago, that's where I got it from...
Edited to add that I just watched the video and noticed that he does an upward movement with his hand. I move mine downwards.

Zabava77 · Post by **Zabava77** » Mon May 07, 2012 9:21 am

I found this interesting recording of Romanian/Moldavian kaval: http://youtu.be/tMklhk8d6xA
Are there any Romanian or Moldavian tunes for beginners I can use with this instrument (hoping to get one soon)? Any suggestions will be welcome!
This one http://youtu.be/9h19Uf-NZmw looked like improvisation...

hans · Post by **hans** » Mon May 07, 2012 11:02 am

Zabava77 · Post by **Zabava77** » Mon May 07, 2012 4:21 pm

Thank you, it is very helpful!

hans · Post by **hans** » Tue May 08, 2012 11:51 am

Here is my first attempt to create a "Moldavian Kaval whistle" using one of my low D whistle heads and 1" aluminium tubing. The whistle bottom note is low A. The bore is 22.3mm, so this is a wider bore than the wooden Kavals from Moldavia. It is fairly strong in tone, but tricky to hit bottom notes. I include a link to a sound sample. Great fun to mess around with!
https://www.box.com/s/b317f31b70e53e547427

MichaelLoos · Post by **MichaelLoos** » Tue May 08, 2012 11:05 pm

A strong bottom octave with a rich, breathy and slightly rough timbre is achieved by half-covering the window with the under lip - this is of course only possible if windway and fipple are on the bottom side. This technique is being used in Wallachia, I guess the Moldavian Csángo replace it by simultaneously humming when playing, but I'm not sure about that.
Ion Laceanu does it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik_-Z-xEHRc

Zabava77 · Post by **Zabava77** » Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:20 pm

I got the Romanian/Moldavian kaval today. It is made in Bulgaria by Zdravko Beshendjiev.

It is in key of B, and the scale goes B, C#, D, E, F, F#

I wonder if there are some tunes (maybe even sheet music) I can play, or is it the type of instrument one uses for improvisation?

hans · Post by **hans** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:39 am

Looks nice, but the scale you describe is not the usual Moldavian kaval scale.
It should have a near enough 3 semi-tone step from XXXOO to XXOOO (lifting L3),
i. e. for a "B" bell note I would expect the scale to be
B C# D F F# G

MichaelLoos · Post by **MichaelLoos** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 6:34 am

I don't know anything really about the Moldavian ones, but for a Romanian caval the scale is right IMO - a caval I had many years ago had the very same scale.
I doubt very much you will find any written music but youtube will give you a good few results if you search for "romanian caval". Marin Chisar, Ion Laceanu and Dumitru Zamfira (among others) are accomplished caval players, it is well worth looking for recordings of their playing.

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