The kaval is a flute that can play all musical notes and is blown into one end. It is traditionally played in areas such as Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, southern Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, northern Greece, and other regions in the Balkans. It is also found in Anatolia, including Turkey and Armenia. The kaval is most often played by mountain shepherds.

Unlike a transverse flute, the kaval is completely open at both ends. It is played by blowing on the sharp edge of one end. The kaval has eight holes used for playing—seven on the front and one on the back for the thumb. It also usually has four additional holes near the bottom that help adjust the sound. As a wooden flute blown through the rim, the kaval is similar to the kawala of the Arab world and the ney of the Middle East.

Construction

Kavals are usually made from wood, such as cornel cherry, apricot, plum, boxwood, or mountain ash. They can also be made from water buffalo horn, Arundo donax Linnaeus 1753 (Persian reed), metal, or plastic.

Kavals without joints are often placed on a wooden holder. This helps protect them from bending and keeps the inside walls oiled. According to the key, a kaval can play in the high register (C, C#), middle register (D, H), or low register (A, B). It can play two octaves and a fifth in the chromatic scale. Its sound is warm, melancholic, and pleasant.

History

The kaval is mainly connected to mountain shepherds in the Balkans and Anatolia. A musician named Pat MacSwyney believes the kaval traveled with the Yoruks from the Taurus Mountains in southern Anatolia to the southern Balkans in southeast Europe.

In the past, the kaval was mainly used by shepherds. Today, it is often played in folk songs and dances as part of groups or by solo performers.

Playing

The kaval is different from the transverse flute because it is fully open at both ends. It is played by blowing air across the sharpened edge of one end. The kaval has eight holes used for playing (seven on the front and one on the back for the thumb) and usually four more near the bottom. These extra holes are not used for playing but help set the lowest tone's pitch and sound quality. They are also believed to improve the instrument's tone and tuning. In Bulgaria, these holes are called "devil's holes" because of a story about a shepherd and the devil. The devil tried to ruin the shepherd's kaval by drilling holes, but instead, the holes made the kaval sound better, defeating the devil. In North Macedonia, the holes are called "glasnici," which means "giving voice to/of."

When playing the kaval, both hands hold the instrument at a 45-degree angle to the side. One hand covers the lower holes with four fingers, while the other hand covers the upper three holes and the thumbhole. The mouth covers about three-quarters of one end. Changing the air pressure from the breath also changes the pitch.

Types

In Bulgaria, the most common kaval is the one in the middle (D) register. The kaval in the lower (C) register is also used in this country. A feature of Bulgarian kaval playing is the variety of sounds and techniques used. There are four different registers that can be played with the Bulgarian kaval. The register a performer uses depends mostly on how air is directed and slightly on the position of the mouth and lips at the end of the instrument. A very distinct sound is produced in the lowest register. This sound can be soft and gentle if blown lightly, or deeper (like a flageolet) if the air stream is changed. This deep sound is so unique that some people call it a separate register called "kaba." It is also interesting that performers use a technique called circular breathing while playing the kaval. This technique allows the performer to play continuously without stopping the airflow, taking breaths through the nose. In the past, this was considered a special skill, but now it is used by many young players.

The Bulgarian kaval, once made from a single piece of wood, is now made from three separate sections (cornel, walnut, plum, or boxwood), with a total length of 60 to 90 cm. Bone rings cover the joints to prevent the wood from cracking. Metal decorations are also added. The finger holes are on the central section, while the lower (shorter) section has four extra holes called "dushnitsi" or "dyavolski dupki" (devil’s holes); these are not covered during performance.

In the south-west Rhodope Mountains, two kavals in the same tuning (called "chifte kavali") are played together. One plays the melody, and the other provides a drone. This type of kaval is made from a single piece of wood. A similar use of the kaval is also found in Macedonia and Kosovo, where one kaval in a pair (usually the lower one) is called "male," and the other is called "female."

In Romania and Moldova, there are three types of kavals: Moldovan kavals (with 6 holes), Oltenian kavals (with 5 holes), and Dobrogean kavals (similar to Bulgarian kavals). Their fundamental sound may be A, but the lowest note they can play may vary between G and C. Romanian kavals are handmade by artisans (usually made from two pieces, though older models use one piece) and are unique. The Romanian kaval in A has a playing range of two octaves, but some notes are missing.

The first five notes belong to a minor scale with a specific pattern. These five notes are in the lower register of the instrument. These notes are repeated one octave higher, with additional notes (F#, G, and A) that complete a minor-melodic mode on A. The notes between E and A in the lower range cannot be played on the Romanian kaval in A, giving the instrument a special characteristic called "elliptic ambitus." The most commonly used octave is played without covering the hole with the lips. The upper range requires more air pressure. The last four notes also need more pressure. In the middle of the higher octave, the note E2 can be played using two different pressure techniques, creating unique sound effects.

In Turkey, the word "kaval" refers to all shepherd’s pipes and, more specifically, to flutes without a duct. The presence or absence of a duct is sometimes noted with terms like "dilsiz kaval" (without a duct) or "dilli kaval" (with a duct). Other terms describe materials, size, or construction, such as "kamiş kavalı" (reed kaval), "çam kavalı" (pine kaval), "madenı kavalı" (metal kaval), "cura kavalı" (small kaval), "çoban kavalı" (shepherd’s kaval), and "üç parçalı kavalı" (three-part kaval). Turkish kavals can be made of wood, cane, bone, or metal (usually brass) and have five or more finger holes, one thumb hole, and sometimes additional holes like the Bulgarian kaval.

In Thrace and some Aegean Islands, the term "kavali" refers to an end-blown flute from the flogera family. It has seven finger holes and sometimes an extra thumb hole. In Greece’s Macedonia, "kavali" also refers to the souravli. In Epirus, the end-blown kaval is called "dzhamara."

In North Macedonia, there are five types of kavals based on length and register:
– najmal kaval (smallest kaval): 630 mm, basic tone: dis1;
– mal kaval (small kaval): 672 mm, basic tone: d1;
– kaval koj nema posebno ime (nondescript kaval): 700 mm, basic tone: cis1;
– sreden kaval (middle kaval): 752 mm, basic tone: c1;
– golem kaval (big kaval): 785 mm, basic tone: h.

The smallest and nondescript kavals are most commonly used in North Macedonia’s musical traditions.

The North Macedonian "šupelka" is similar to the kaval but is shorter (240–350 mm) and open on both ends. It can be made of walnut, barberry, ash, maple, or other woods. The šupelka plays a chromatic scale (two octaves) except for the first note of the lower octave. In the lower register, its sound is soft and pleasant, while in the upper register, it is sharp and shrill.

The kaval (called "cevara" in Serbia) is widely used in the musical traditions of Southern, Southeastern, and Eastern Serbia.

Ancient artwork from medieval monasteries and churches in the Balkans shows musicians playing the kaval. These images suggest the kaval has been used since the medieval period. When playing, the kaval is held at a 45-degree angle to the lips, and the player blows straight into it.

The Albanian "kavall" is traditionally used by Gheg Albanians in northern Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, and by Tosks in southern Albania, especially in the Gramsh region. A kavall is usually made of wood, though sometimes made of copper or bronze. In Albania, it is called a "Fyell." Many melodies played on the kavall are called "Kaba" and "Vaj," and they are described as sad but beautiful. Historically, shepherds used the kavall to send messages to warn of danger or to send romantic signals to loved ones.

Related flutes

The svirka (also called tsafara, svorche, or little kaval) is a flute used by Bulgarian shepherds. It is made from a single wooden tube that is 25 to 50 cm long. The flute has six or seven finger holes and a bone mouthpiece. It is played in the same way as the kaval.

The blul (Armenian: բլուլ) is an open end-blown flute used in Armenia. It is similar in shape to the kaval. The blul is made from reed or apricot wood and has eight holes: seven for fingers and one for the thumb. Its sound has a clear musical scale and is described as soft and smooth. The blul is sometimes compared to the sring flute, which is another name for end-blown flutes in Armenia.

An open end-blown flute similar to the kaval is used by the Bashkirs and Caucasians. It is called khobyrakh, Quray, choor, or shoor.

A typical khobyrakh is a 70 cm-wide, smooth, hollow pipe made from an umbel (a hollow stem of a large, umbrella-shaped plant) or wood. It has three or six finger holes. Today, it is also made from plastic.