The Kaval

The Kaval

The Kaval (flageolet) is a woodwind instrument for sale in the woodwind family, The kaval is a chromatic end-blown traditional flute. It is also known as the shepherd’s instrument.  The kaval is deal with mountain shepherds..  Kaval also has the names “guval” and “kuval” in some areas. There is a widespread popular belief that shepherds use the kaval to direct their flocks. The word ‘kaval’ itself comes from “kav”, meaning hollow.

Its approximate  measurements are between 30 and 80 cm. It is 31.4”. It has seven frets and one at the back. The kaval comes in two varieties; Tongued and Non-Tongued. This kaval is tongued one. It is  from plum wood. The kaval is a single piece of wood.

The kaval is an end-blown edge aerophone (flute) in Bulgaria, related to a number of other such instruments throughout the Balkan region and ultimately to the Turkish ney  The kaval is a traditional flute for male which associated with the pastoral context, but we also use in small ensemble combinations with other instruments to provide folk music. We use the kaval today in instrumental groups to add a particular color.

Kaval has an important role in the musical bands. The kaval is traditional flute for folk music or complex electronic compositions in the woodwind family instruments. In Turkey we make in a giant cane. It makes the sound very clear, softer and blurred sound.

The Player

The player holds the kaval with both hands at an oblique angle, it is about 30-degrees, with the instrument’s beveled end placed between the lips and the edge touching the teeth. Fingers of both hands we use to cover the finger holes, and the thumb of the upper hand operates the thumb hole.. It is in performances and media broadcasts of such ensembles that one is most likely to encounter the kaval today.

Music, is an art combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression. It  usually according to cultural standards of rhythm, melody, and, in most Western music, harmony. Both the simple folk song and the complex electronic composition belong to the same activity, music. They are humanly engineered; all are conceptual and auditory, and these factors have been present in music of all styles and in all periods of history, throughout the world.