Kaval? - Please Help!

[mandace87]

Hi everyone! I have recently come across this old wooden recorder, and I have been researching like crazy and still cannot figure out what type it is. It has a flat top instead of a mouth piece, and 7 holes in a straight line instead of the normal 6 that I am seeing everywhere. Thumb hole, of course, and then at the bottom, there are 2 more holes - I can see one being for the pinky of the right hand, but I don't know what the bottom one would be for. This recorder is all one piece, with just a little shape at the top and at the bottom. It is not the normal size from what I'm seeing - it is 29 inches long, and my hands are too small to play it! I have many pictures, and I will try posting them.
Thank you for any help!!

[MTGuru]

Welcome, mandace. And very interesting. It's certainly not a recorder per se. The shape of the head and the underside fipple suggest it's Eastern European, or possibly East Asian. I have a Hungarian fipple flute (frula/floghera) with the exact same head shape and arrangement. Will research this a bit more as time permits.

[mandace87]

Thank you!

[MichaelLoos]

The fingerhole arrangement seems to be like that of the bulgarian kaval, which means, opening a fingerhole raises the tone by a semitone instead of a full tone like on western flutes, with the exception of the lowest one which is a full tone.
Only the thumb hole and the seven front holes are meant to be played, the lowest holes are resonance holes. Using pipers' grip you should be able to play it unless you have exceptionally small hands. The length suggests it might be tuned in the key of C or thereabouts.
Similar instruments are in Bulgaria known as "duduk-kaval", meaning they have a fipple (the bulgarian duduk is a small fipple flute, not to be confused with the armenian duduk which is a totally different instrument altogether) and employs the fingering system of the kaval. I do however not think this instrument is of bulgarian origin, and it doesn't seem to be romanian or macedonian either.
The bulb at the lower end makes me think this instrument might be turkish or armenian but I am by no means sure.

[MTGuru]

Looking at your change of title, manduce, just to be clear ... This is not a kaval per se, either. A normal kaval is not a fipple flute like this, but an end-blown edge-blown vertical flute, somewhat like a shakuhachi or quena or ney. But Michael's suggestion of a hybrid duduk-kaval (or equivalent) makes sense, and I believe the length is consistent with a kaval, too.

[O_Gaiteiro_do_Chicago]

It's most likely a Bulgarian duduk if you want my 10 cents...

[manu.bande]

To me it looks like a Macedonian Kaval (the fipple's style) !

[ftdevilliers]

I've followed instructions on the internet on how to make a Floyara flute from the Ukraine. It's 600mm long, with six holes and plays the notes C, Eb, E, F, G#, A, Bb, C.

What kind of scale is this?

[mandace87]

I don't know much about music unfortunately, so I don't know what scale it is. It has 10 holes though.

[ftdevilliers]

Do you have the dimensions for the kaval if one would like to build one?

[rkostas]

It is a turkish kaval

[mandace87]

How sure are you that it's a Turkish Kaval?
Thanks!

[JackCampin]

There are two main kinds of Turkish kaval, with and without a fipple. Yours is a "dilli kaval", with the fipple. I have one very similar, probably made in Bosnia and at a higher pitch (all fingers down is F sharp).

The hole at the bottom is the tuning hole for the lowest note.

Mine had a very rough bore but works fine now I've polished and oiled it.

Making them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI5Ynlxdg-4
(look at the final shot for the variety of things that are all called by the same words)

Making one more like yours: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVcq0mnXGDY

Another workshop video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3PnuobYNGA
(first of three videos; nice portrait of the world this instrument comes from)

[mandace87]

Thank you for all the info! Do you know about how old it is, and how much it could be worth?
Thanks!

[JackCampin]

New price here:

http://ilan.elookat.com/ilan-MERAKLISIN ... 623080.htm

40 YTL for one or 250 YTL for a set of 7.

I can't see why an old one should be worth more unless it has a verifiably interesting history (which you don't seem to know) or a very unusual sound (but it seems like you haven't really got to grips with it yet, so you can't know that either).

Here's an educational VCD - why not learn to play it?

http://herevesaz.com/urun_detay.asp?id=2200