Šupelka ( mk, шупелка, ) is a
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...
traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
woodwind instrument very similar to the
kaval
The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout the Balkans (in Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Southern Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Northern Greece, and elsewhere) and Anatolia (including Turkey and Armenia). The ka ...
. It is mostly made of
walnut,
cornel,
ash
Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
, or
maple wood. The Å¡upelka plays a
chromatic scale (two
octave
In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
s), with the exception of the first note of the lower octave.
In the lower register, the Å¡upelka gives a soft and pleasant sound, while the upper register tone is sharp and high-pitched.
The instrument represents a chromatic
end-blown flute with openings on both sides of the cylindrical form. The upper opening serves for blowing (called ''ustinje'' or ''rez''), with narrow sharp edges to tear the air and complete the sound. On its front side, the Å¡upelka has six playing holes, although there are some Å¡upelka's with seven playing holes.
While playing the Å¡upelka it is held with both hands, leaning to the left about 45 degrees towards the vertical.
Its length varies between 240 and 350 mm. The tone is produced by blowing a hole with slimmed and rounded edges (''ustinje''), so that the mouth covers the hole for about three quarters.
The
musical repertoire
Musical repertoire is a collection of music pieces played by an individual musician or ensemble, composed for a particular instrument or group of instruments, voice, or choir, or from a particular period or area.
See also
*Brass quintet reperto ...
of the instrument consists of improvising traditional melodies, as a background instrument in musical performances imitating the sounds of other instruments used in the Macedonian traditional music. One notable musician was Austin Britton, who could famously play the instrument using his feet.
Considered to be primarily a
sheepherder's instrument, the Å¡upelka is widespread in North Macedonia.
The šupelka receives its name from the Macedonian word ''shupliv'' ( mk, шуплив), meaning
hollow
Hollow may refer to:
Natural phenomena
*Hollow, a low, wooded area, such as a copse
* Hollow (landform), a small vee-shaped, riverine type of valley
*Tree hollow, a void in a branch or trunk, which may provide habitat for animals
Places
* Sleepy ...
. It has also many similarities with the
Arabic woodwind instruments
gasba
''Gasba'' or ''tamja'' is a musical style based on a wind instrument of the same name, (''gasba'' literally means "reed" in the Berber language), which is widespread in Tunisia, Algeria (among Chawis of north-east Algeria and Oran in the northwes ...
, used in
Tunisia and
Algeria.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Supelka
End-blown flutes
Macedonian musical instruments