BALABAN(BITTERN)
Balaban, or balaman[7] (Azerbaijani: Balaban) is cylindrical-bore, double-reed wind
instrument about 35 cm long with seven finger holes and one thumb hole. This instrument
played in eastern Azerbaijan in Iran and in the Republic of Azerbaijan. In Azerbaijan it is
also called düdük.
Balaban can be made of mulberry or other harder woods, such as walnut. The bore through
the instrument is about one and a half cm in diameter. The double reed is made out of a
single tube of cane about six cm long and pressed flat at one end. The performer uses air
stored in his cheeks to keep playing the balaban while he inhales air into his lungs. This
“circular” breathing technique is commonly used with all the double-reed instruments in
the Middle East.