Listen to the zurna
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
How the zurna makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the zurna belongs to the double-reed instruments: two reeds beat against each other – oboes, bassoons, shawms and the duduk.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
The zurna is a double reed wind instrument played in West Asia, the Caucasus, Southeast Europe and parts of North Africa. It is also used in Sri Lanka. It is usually accompanied by a davul (bass drum) in Turkish, Armenian, Anatolian, Assyrian and Kurdish folk music.
Other double-reed instruments
Frequently asked questions
What does a zurna sound like?
Listen to 1 recording on this page. As one of the double-reed instruments, its sound comes from the way two reeds beat against each other.
What type of instrument is the zurna?
It is classified as double-reed instruments (Hornbostel–Sachs 422.112).
Sources & credits
- Τζιάκα-1473 – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q230471 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Zurna – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Jean-Xavier Bardant – CC BY-SA 2.0