I’m starting a new band project (on double bass) based on balkan / mid-east European trad. music.
I was then searching for middle/eastern european melodies to play on the Tipple low Bb/C ‘‘hiking flutes’’ i’ve got, just for fun and get ‘‘into the spirit’’ (working on melodies on flute helps me a lot to get the right bass lines, i’ve used this process for my former gipsy jazz band and it works amazingly well), and actually fell in love with many of them (mostly themes from Goran Bregovic soundtracks):
Ederlezi
Tabakiera
Caje Surarije
Kana me
dark eyes
You may have other suggestions of beautifull gipsy songs to play near by the fire when camping in the mountains in far away France?
I don’t know who makes frula for Bora Dugic, but i found (and heard of) this guy:
Milorad Marić
Street: Vojvode Stepe 37a
City, Area, State: 22320 Inđija, Vojvodina, Srbija
Phone: +38122560135
Mobile phone: +381642688236
email: frula_maric@yahoo.com
And his site: http://www.frulas.com/ (only in serbian), but there are some pictures of his whistles.
And he is bound to know some other serbian whistle-makers.
The irony is that he is in a city only 40km from me and i never went to his workshop.
How 'bout ‘Ajde Jano’? I particularly like the Kroke version, which is quite different from the notation I’ve found online. You’ll have to adapt it a bit for flute, probably (I play it on the accordeon).
I don’t know who makes frula for Bora Dugic, but i found (and heard of) this guy:
Milorad Marić
I got in touch with Mr. Marić some time ago and he said he couldn’t ship abroad. The instruments are for local pickup at/near the Belgrade airport only for those who don’t live in Serbia. Pity…
Dain, nek Ti frula ili bilo sto drugo dobro svira .
no, I’m French (well… half swiss, to get into irrelevant details), and usually play Jazz upright bass. I’ve eventually ended up playing in a ‘‘balkan-orientated’’ band after quite a funny musical percourse:
-punk>psychedelic rock>acid-jazz>soul>funk>electro-groove>free jazz>gipsy folk songs>swing>gipsy jazz>balkan music…
One could surely find some funny psychanalytical explanation to this…
The East-middle european music was actually the reason why i’ve picked up the whistle at first place, because I could not hear the difference between all gipsy songs we were playing (always the same Dm, A7, Gm chords ) and had to play the melodies on something to memorize the songs list for the concerts (I swear it is true).
this led me to böhm flute, then Irish flute, then clarinett… and now starting on Kaval, someone will have to stop me at some point, for my own good!
I’ve got 2 nice doug-tipple 6 holes low flutes in C and Bb (PVC), which actually prove to suit more than well to balkan tunes…
and well, as fully predictable, i’ve become more than addicted to these east-middle european folk songs from ex yougoslavia, macedonia, baltan and ex-russian countries and try to develop my personal culture in the matter, thanks a lot for helping
i heard that kaval is like the most difficult instrument in the world to learn to play
Not at all . It is for the patient indeed, but playing the kaval is much more about ‘efortlessness’ compared to the important role of different (lips and hands) muscles and stamina when talking about the flute. I strongly recommend taking up the kaval, Dain - I would have played it for years if I lived in Serbia and knew such an instrument exists .
well, i’ll have to be honest… so far the learning stage is quite depressing >
Just keep on looking for the right sound and don’t give up . I know it just sounds too straightforward to be true, but… this is what worked for me over a year ago. Patience, patience, patience…
well… so far i’m rather searching for a sound at all…
Kaval doesn’t have any embouchure holes right? It’s open on both ends?
yep that’s it, you got an embouchure-like on the romanian version of a friend, but it is still open both ends.
I won’t give up anyway, being pretty much keen into picking up new instruments, and seiing the opportunity of making quite a large number of them, once i’ll get the trick!
)
) and had to play the melodies on something to memorize the songs list for the concerts (I swear it is true).
. It is for the patient indeed, but playing the kaval is much more about ‘efortlessness’ compared to the important role of different (lips and hands) muscles and stamina when talking about the flute. I strongly recommend taking up the kaval, Dain - I would have played it for years if I lived in Serbia and knew such an instrument exists 
