Shvi
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| Other names | Shvi |
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| Classification | |
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The shvi (Armenian: Շվի, "whistle", pronounced sh-vee) is a fipple flute with a labium mouth piece. Commonly made of wood (apricot, boxwood, ebony ) or bamboo and up to 12 inches (300 mm) in length, it typically has a range of an octave and a-half. [2] The tav shvi is made from apricot wood, it is up to 18 inches (460 mm) long, and is tuned 1/4 lower producing a more lyrical and intimate sound.
The shvi is up to 12 inches in length and is made of reed, the bark of willows, or walnut wood. It has 8 holes on the front, 7 of which are used while playing, and one thumbhole. One octave is obtained by blowing normally into the shvi and a second octave is attained by blowing with slightly more force. The lower octave has a timbre similar to a recorder whereas the higher octave sounds similar to a piccolo or flute. 8-hole traditional flute. Typically, most Armenian duduk or zurna players learn the shvi before moving on to either instrument.
See also
Notes
- ^ "Volkan Gücer - Üflemeli Çalgılar". Volkangucer.com. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
- ^ "Description of Armenian shvi, photo, audio preview". Armenianinstruments.am. Retrieved 2014-03-04.
References
- Ararat Petrossian - "Melody of Sunik", Aya Sofia Records, 1995.
- Nor Dar - "Opus of the Lizard", Libra Music, 1997.
Tamar Eskenian
- Various Artists - "Kalaschjan - Rural and Urban Traditional Music from Armenia", Weltmusic, 1992.
- Soviet Music and Society Under Lenin and Stalin By Neil Edmunds
External links
- Shvi information at Tripod.com
- More Shvi info at Geocities.com
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