Master Craftsman Of Traditional Armenian Duduk And Other Musical Instruments
Shop Our CollectionHandcrafted Armenian musical instruments by Arthur H. Grigoryan
Classic Armenian duduk crafted from aged apricot wood. Rich, warm tone perfect for traditional performances.
Lower-pitched variant with deep, resonant sound. Ideal for ensemble performances and recordings.
Premium concert-grade instrument with unparalleled resonance. Preferred by master musicians worldwide.
Valves enable faster fingering and cleaner transitions.
Every instrument produces the signature soulful, melancholic tone that has defined Armenian music for millennia.
Crafted exclusively from aged apricot wood, ensuring optimal acoustic properties and durability.
Each duduk is handmade by skilled Master who have inherited techniques passed down through generations.
Enjoy complimentary worldwide shipping on all instruments. Secure packaging and tracking included.
Arthur Grigoryan, the son of Hovsep Grigoryan, has been preparing musical instruments since 1997. Studying under his father, he has adopted the unique characteristics of these instruments. Considered one of the best masters today, Arthur keeps the family traditions alive while also improving the instruments with new technologies.
Many of today's top dudukists, including the world-renowned Djivan Gasparyan, play instruments crafted exclusively by Arthur Grigoryan. Each instrument is handcrafted from carefully selected apricot wood, ensuring the authentic, soulful sound that has defined Armenian music for generations.
Hovsep Grigoryan, the master craftsman known as OMO, dedicated over 50 years of his life to crafting Armenian folk instruments, including the Duduk, Zurna, Shvi, and others. His pursuit of the perfect, original sound of the Duduk set a standard that many have sought to replicate, though none have succeeded in matching his unique craftsmanship.
His legacy continues to resonate through the instruments he created, cherished by musicians worldwide.
Of all the traditional instruments played in Armenia today, only the duduk is said to have truly Armenian origins — a voice carved from apricot wood, sounding across more than two thousand years of unbroken history.
Because of its evocative and colorful timbre and warm sound, the duduk has become part of everyday life in Armenia — its origins traced back to at least before the time of Christ, making it one of the oldest double reed instruments in the world.
The Armenian duduk itself is a cylindrical tube made of apricot wood — a material chosen over centuries for its unique ability to resonate a sound unlike any other wood. While other countries use plum or walnut when crafting their own variants, the apricot tree produces a warmth that is specifically Armenian.
All other variations found across the region carry a reedy, strongly nasal tone. The Armenian duduk was deliberately developed in the opposite direction: a warm, soft quality closer to a human voice than to a reed instrument. This distinction is the essence of the Armenian sound.
The instrument's basic form has changed little in its long history. Originally fashioned from bone, it advanced to a single piece of cane with holes drilled along its length. This had obvious drawbacks — when any part cracked, the instrument had to be remade entirely, and it could not be tuned.
To solve both problems, the duduk was eventually reformed into two pieces: a large double reed called the ghamish, made of cane; and a body of apricot wood. This is the form still crafted by masters today.
The instrument is a hollow pipe with eight finger holes on the upper side and one thumb hole on the bottom. Its range spans one octave, yet it demands considerable skill — dynamics are controlled entirely by adjusting the lips and fingers. The tuning is diatonic, though chromatic notes may be obtained by partially covering the holes.
It is invariably played with the accompaniment of a second dam duduk, which sustains a continuous drone beneath the melody — one of the most ancient ensemble traditions in the world, giving Armenian music its distinctive layered atmosphere.