I am learning to play this chromatic folk flute - not very well known outside Ukraine. Here are some music examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm9qW4Drfiw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHvthlOWdmQ&feature=related
Wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopilka
Sweet.
Looks and sounds much like a Serbian frula.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9t_gtHvPcU
Good luck !
…john
Is it end blown, or fippled? I can’t tell from the video’s.
John
It is a fipple flute. It is also chromatic (has 10 finger holes). Here is applicature for sopilka: http://www.vargan.ru/recorder/img_for_vse/applic/sopilka.jpeg
Thank you for the link! 
I had no idea about this instrument. Beautiful!
However, looks like it has 6 finger holes, not 10 like sopilka. Is this true?
Actually sopilka used to have the good old 6 holes and is I think pretty similar to other Eastern European whistles. Russian/Ukrainian trad music lives on mostly through ‘academic folk’ (trad + popular = folk, trad + state/official/classical = this). So it was redesigned to have 10 holes (nonstandard fingerings, chromatic with one cross-fingering).
Apparently, 10-hole sopilka is widely used now in musical schools in Ukraine. I learned that one of the advantages of this 10-hole system is that fingering is the same for all different sopilkas (soprano, alt, tenor, etc.).
Also, this fingering is easily learned (pretty intuitive). I am going to find out about this last statement 
One thing is for sure: they are difficult to get if you don’t leave in Ukraine or Russia!
Something with a variant of the same name from not far away is the Croatian double-reed “sopila”. It is most often played in pairs, using the “Istrian scale”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4MMVAl7fFo
The (very weird) scale is described halfway down this page:
Thank you for the link! It is interesting how almost the same name means totally different instrument.
Just got my new prima sopilka from e-bay (made by a craftsman from Western Ukraine, Vinnica). I crocheted the cover for it.
The wood is Hornbeam. I really like the sound of it: mellow and pleasant.
Another picture is of my Alto Sopilka.
Zabava77, do you have information for this seller? I did not find anything like this on ebay …
To chime in here, I think I bought a 10-hole sopilka from the same maker in late 2010/early 2011. I say “think” because I didn’t buy it directly - I inquired about buying one with Yevshan Gifts (http://www.yevshan.com), as they didn’t have one listed in their catalogue at the time. They contacted a craftsman in the Ukraine who came back with a price list, and I bought a mid-level model made of pine (custom-made, apparently). I’m pretty sure it’s the same maker, because it has the squared-off head like the alto model above which as I understand it is somewhat uncommon (although mine is a prima), and the fingering chart it came with does reference “Vinnica” in Ukrainian. Yevshan wasn’t forthcoming with the maker’s name/exact location, etc, but that’s understandable if they feel they have a unique source of instruments and don’t want others intruding on that.
I just searched Yevshan’s site for “sopilka”, and they now have a 10-hole chromatic model listed for CDN$145. As the OP said, the 10-hole models are hard to find outside Ukraine/Russia - I spent some time trying to find one online and couldn’t, so if this is now a product they can reliably have made, this is a boon for enthusiasts. Their communication with me and the maker was very good, and it was delivered as promised.
I have no affiliation with Yevshan except as a happy customer.
Now, if I can only find the time to learn how to play it
(Side note: in my reading I found that the version with a fipple is technically known as a “dentsivka”, whereas a proper “sopilka” is end-blown like a kaval. However, it appears in practice in the Ukraine most folk flutes are simply called “sopilkas”.)
What pitch are the prima and alto?
The prima is in C and the alto is in G.
(I was incorrect about my purchase date - turns out I bought mine in late 2009. Time flies.)
Right now this seller does not have them. He suggested checking at the end of January. You can simply search “sopilka” then, and it will show up.
I have prima sopilka from Yevshan, but the Alto I ordered directly from the maker. The difference in sound and craftsmanship is noticeable. My Alto is custom made, it has an amazing sound! Finger holes are smaller than in regular Alto to accommodate my fingers.
When ordering directly, you deal with Western Union money transfer, and there is no recourse (like with PayPal). If anyone interested in ordering this way, I can provide maker’s information. Don’t know if he speaks English…
Just received a sopilka and a dzholomyga (double flute) from a friend. They were made by Ukrainian craftsman Tereschenko. Here is a link to a musical piece played on dzholomyga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAgrgzZlXUw&feature=youtu.be
I have a question about tenor sopilka (F): what is a diameter of the largest finger hole? I am considering getting this instrument, but a bit apprehensive about the dimensions…
Similar sopilka made by Tereschenko is now on e-bay. Just search “sopilka”. I bought another one for my husband. Glad I don’t need to ask anyone to bring them from Ukraine anymore. These are one of the best prima sopilkas I know of.
Thanks for posting this. I saw this and subsequently bought a prima sopilka through EBay after searching for Tereshchenko. I’m a complete beginner though played the recorder as a child so apologies if the following sounds very basic. I’m a bit confused about the range of the prima sopilka. I got the impression that it should be able to play from middle C to 2 and a half octaves above that, and that, besides the fingering, how hard you blow determines what note you get. Do you know of any good web links about how hard you should blow? I can’t seem to get the lowest octave from middle C. Any hints would be helpful!
Thanks
Milja
