No Name Zumare Albanian Double Folk Clarinet With Cow Horn Double Bells 1970's - 80's - Natural Bamboo, Reed, Cow / Bull Horns and Vinyl Binding

This instrument is a Zumare, a double folk clarinet with cow horn bells from Albania.

The mouthpiece is made from reed and the body is from a type of small bamboo, with 2 cow or bull horn bells for added resonance. 

The playing reeds are cut directly from the mouthpieces, thus they are an integral part of the instrument and not a separate reed such as we find in western clarinets or saxophones. 

In the Western world we can find these kinds of reeds in the drone pipes of bagpipes.

This instrument has 5 holes on the double melody pipes, which play in unison, but are very slightly off pitch from each other, producing a very pleasing chorus sound.

The holes are tuned to an Albanian mode and are played by extending the finger and knuckle over the holes in order to close them simultaneously (see photo w/ hand!).

The tonal center is D. 

Circular breathing is traditionally used on this instrument, which gives it a sound somewhat reminiscent of a clarinet crossed with a bagpipe. This instrument was traditionally used any shepherds to while away the hours and in some cases as a communication device, although now, it is strictly considered to be a musical instrument.

Note: 

The reeds must be moistened in the mouth or soaked for 2 minutes in a glass of warm water before playing. After playing for some minutes the sound and intonation will gradually improve. If you have trouble getting the reed to work, carefully use the blade of a small pocket knife to gently separate (not cut) the tongue of the reed from the mouth piece ever so slightly, being careful not to break it. Patience is the key. This instrument has been tested and it is in working order, but the reeds are very old, chipped and one is cracked (see photo), and should be replaced. If I were keeping this I would use the reeds from a mijwiz, a similar, but much more common Arabic instrument. 

I found this at a garage sale in Seattle back in the 90’s but it seems to be from the 1970’s or 1980’s, and you almost never see them in these parts.

This horny beast is indeed a rare item!

Length: 14” with the mouthpieces attached.

Bell Diameters: 2” x 2 (approx.)