Armenian folk instruments: kamancha, kanon, tar, zurna, dhol and shvi

The duduk gets the attention, and it has its own guide. These are the other instruments you hear in Armenian folk music, at weddings and on old records.

By The Armenly team. Written November 11, 2026.

Key findings

  • The zurna, a loud double-reed horn, and the dhol, a big two-headed drum, are the sound of Armenian weddings and street dancing [1].
  • The shvi is an Armenian fipple flute, often of apricot wood. Most duduk and zurna players learn it first [2].
  • The kamancha is a bowed fiddle played upright on the knee, linked above all with the 18th-century bard Sayat-Nova [1].
  • Among Armenians the kanon, a plucked zither played on the lap, has traditionally been played by women [1].

Zurna and dhol: the wedding pair

The zurna is a double-reed instrument like the duduk, but with a flared bell that makes it high and very loud. Armenians bring it out for weddings, graduations and dancing, almost always with the dhol [1]. The dhol, a big double-headed drum, can be played with the hands or with two sticks, one on each head; in the mountains it once carried signals across valleys [1].

Zurnas are made from hard fruit wood such as apricot, Prunus armeniaca, and the Armenian zurna is the most typical kind [3].

Shvi: the shepherd's flute

The shvi (Armenian for "whistle") is a fipple flute up to 18 inches long with a range of about an octave and a half. The tav shvi, made of apricot wood, is tuned a fourth lower and sounds softer [2]. It is the shepherd's instrument, quieter and more melodic than the reed instruments [1].

Kamancha: the upright fiddle

The kamancha is played vertically, resting on the knee, and can carry a melody, accompany one, or answer another instrument [1]. It is used across Iran and the Caucasus, appears in an Armenian miniature of the 16th or 17th century, and once had three silk strings; modern ones have four metal strings [4]. Sayat-Nova wrote many melodies for it [1].

Kanon and tar: the plucked strings

The kanon (k'anon in Armenian) is a zither laid flat on the lap and plucked with picks on both hands [5]. Armenian kanons are tuned in plain half steps, where Arabic ones use quarter tones [5]. The tar, a long-necked lute with a double-bowl body, is played across Iran and the Caucasus, Armenia included [6]; in Yerevan you will hear it from street musicians and in dance ensembles [1].

More to hear

Questions people ask

What are the traditional Armenian instruments?

The duduk, zurna, shvi and pku among the winds; the dhol drum; and the kamancha, tar and kanon among the strings.

What instrument is played at Armenian weddings?

The zurna with the dhol drum: the zurna is loud enough to lead a crowd of dancers, and the dhol keeps the beat.

What is the difference between the duduk and the zurna?

Both are double-reed instruments, often of apricot wood, but the zurna has a flared bell and is much higher and louder. The duduk is soft and mellow.

What is a shvi?

An Armenian fipple flute, often of apricot wood. Most duduk and zurna players learn it first.

Sources

Cite this page

The Armenly team, "Armenian folk instruments: kamancha, kanon, tar, zurna, dhol and shvi." Armenly, November 11, 2026. https://armenly.com/guides/armenian-folk-instruments

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