The arghul, also called argul, arghoul, arghool, argol, or yarghul, is a musical instrument made from reeds. It has been used since the time of ancient Egyptian and Levantine civilizations, such as the Canaanites. Today, it is still played as a traditional instrument in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Basic characteristics

The arghul is a musical instrument with two tubes. One tube, called the melody pipe, has between five and seven holes. The other tube, called the drone pipe (Arabic: ardiyya, meaning "ground"), is longer. The arghul's sound is similar to a clarinet but has a stronger reed-like quality. Unlike the mijwiz, the arghul has finger holes only on the melody pipe. The drone pipe has a removable part that lets the player change the drone's pitch.

In the illustration above, all three sizes of the arghul are shown being used. An arghul in the collection of the Conservatoire Royal in Brussels, described by Victor Mahillon (catalogue number 113), has the following scale: —

The arghul is played in Egypt, Palestine, and Levantine countries during performances such as belly dancing, Dabke, and other Arabic music styles. Circular breathing is a key technique used when playing the instrument.

There are three types of arghuls: the small arghul (arghoul alasghar), the medium arghul (arghoul alsoghayr), and the large arghul (arghoul alkebir).

• An Egyptian arghul was collected before 1939 and is now in the Wereld Museum in Belgium.
• An instrument from ancient Egypt, dating to 1537–31 BCE, was found in a tomb.

Çifte

Çifte is a wind instrument from Turkey. It is made by joining two reed pipes together side by side. Each end of the reeds has small pieces of reed that create sound. These small reeds are placed inside the mouth, and the instrument is played by blowing air into both reeds at the same time.

There are two types of çifte: Demli Çifte and Demsiz Çifte. In Demli Çifte, one reed does not have keys to change the pitch and only makes a continuous low sound called a drone. The other reed has keys that allow the player to make the main melody.

The çifte is also called by other names in different areas, such as Argun, Argul, Kargın, or Zambır.

In Turkish, the word "çifte" can also mean a double-barreled shotgun. This is likely because the two barrels of the shotgun look similar to the two reeds of the instrument.

Dozaleh

The dozaleh is a traditional wind instrument from Iran that is played during celebrations. Abu Nasr Farabi referred to it as Mezmarol-Mosana or Mozdavadg [mozdavej], which means "married." The dozaleh produces a sound similar to the Ney-anbān [neianbAn] (bagpipe), but it is slightly clearer and lower in pitch. It is played in regions such as Khorasan [xorAsAn], Kermanshah [KermAnSAh], and most areas of Iran. In some dialects, it is also known as Zanbooreh [zanbureh].