How to Play the Tsabouna

For thousands of years on the islands of Greece, musicians have played a wind instrument called the tsabouna. Although it looks similar to bagpipes, a tsabouna lacks the drone pipe. Musicians play this wind instrument made from goatskin at Greek festivals, enticing listeners to sing and dance along. Follow these steps to play the tsabouna.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Tsabouna

1. Inflate the tsabouna with air through a mouthpiece. Made from an untanned goatskin turned inside out, the "belly" of the tsabouna must contain air.
2. Blow into the single reed at the other end of the instrument. The tsabouna includes double pipes, called chanters, with which the musician creates a melody. The chanter looks something like a flute or a recorder. Although a musician plays both chanters at the same time, the pipes seem to emit different sounds.
3. Finger the chanters or pipes at the same time while blowing. Each pipe usually features five finger holes, although some have fewer.
4. Squeeze the bag full of air while simultaneously blowing into the chanters and using the finger holes to make sounds.
5. Have patience. The tsabouna only plays six notes, but it is a difficult instrument to learn, particularly since learning is passed down from generation to generation. There are no instruction manuals or music books for this instrument.

Tips & Warnings

• If inflating a tsabouna is difficult, use an air compressor.
• No written tsabouna music exists. Songs may be created on the spot, although some are passed down from previous generations of tsabouna players.