How the kaval makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the kaval belongs to the flutes (edge-blown): an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating – flutes, recorders, whistles and panpipes.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The kaval is a chromatic end-blown oblique flute traditionally played throughout the Balkans (including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia) and Anatolia (including Turkey and Armenia). The kaval is primarily associated with mountain shepherds.
Unlike the transverse flute, the kaval is fully open at both ends, and is played by blowing on the sharpened edge of one end. The kaval has eight playing holes (seven in front and one in the back for the thumb) and usually four more unfingered intonation holes near the bottom of the kaval. As a wooden rim-blown flute, kaval is similar to the kawala of the Arab world and ney of the Middle East.
Other flutes
More instruments from Bulgaria
Frequently asked questions
What does a kaval sound like?
As one of the flutes, its sound comes from the way an air jet is split on a sharp edge, setting the air column vibrating.
What type of instrument is the kaval?
It is classified as flutes (edge-blown) (Hornbostel–Sachs 421.111.12).
Where does the kaval come from?
The kaval originates from Bulgaria.
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q178374 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Kaval – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Original uploader was Sketchee at en.wikipedia – Public domain