Any recommendations for someone who wants to get started but doesn’t want the frustration of a cruddy instrument?
LOL, I can’t help you there–my WHOA took a weird twist in that I picked up ethnic flutes rather than tinwhistles (Picked them up one at a time as playable folk art). I’m still learning to play them; one is tourist crap that doesn’t play, tourist crap that does even though it’s warped, One is gorgeous but play’s poorly…several others I think are fair enough beginner’s instruments.
Your best bet might be to go through a catalog similar to Lark in the Morning–I know a few here have had less than sterling experiences with them, but I got a Low-D Langley-style ocarina from them for under $20 + s&h.
At least get the Lark catalog–if you see something you like you can google it to check out makers.
Move to Armenia?
I had a very high quality duduk (ruben) that I got from the duduk.com people a few years ago, which I recently sold. I also have some souvenir quality duduks in a box somewhere. They are actually much easier to play than the “real” one, but aren’t capable of nearly as wide a tone color range.
Don’t bother with Lark in the morning. I know from experience that the things they sell as duduks aren’t.
The Lark catalog is kinda fun, but Lark, I’ve found, is less than fun in terms of staff that know what they’re talking about and instruments that are of a usable quality. It must be tough trying to be all things to all folkies. They carry Sweet’s stuff, and they’ll get sitar strings to Armpit BC in a hurry, so it’s not all bad.
Duduk.com looks fun, though! Looks like they take things seriously.
Re: Duduk
www.eefc.org has a listserv
There are tons of knowledgeable people there.
Dave may know someone who can find one. I believe he has actually made one himself. If he has, he is a fine craftsman.
http://www.dgviolins.com/index.html
Best wishes,
John
I got an excellent “real” duduk from a site which I think is called armenianduduk.com
The ones Lark sold that I saw were made in Pakistan.
Get a real Armenian one. They are a lot of fun to play, but the fingering is very difficult. Why? Because the tone holes are not placed in accordance with any of the various mode/scales used in Armenian music. Nearly every note has to be partially uncovered (“shaded” or half-holed). So it’s a bit like a violin where you use your ear to create the pitches that are required.
Being lazy, I had a local maker (of other things) make me a copy of the duduk body without holes. I then drilled my own tone holes so that normal open fingering creates the “hijaz” mode (my favourite mode).