Develop a beautiful sound,
Play songs on the Armenian duduk

Learn the Duduk from the beginning
with a global community

Founded by Canberk Ulaş

Watch on YouTube

Why join the waitlist?

Global Duduk Academy opens in September 2026, with a limited number of members.

Those who join during the first enrollment will become founding members.

As a founding member, you will:

– Secure your membership price
(even if prices increase in future enrollments)
– Receive 50% off your first month
– Be part of shaping the early development of the Academy

To become a founding member, you need to join during the first enrollment before all places are filled.

Registration will be offered first to those on the waitlist.

Important Note
When emails are sent about the Academy, they may occasionally land in your spam or promotions folder. Please check there from time to time so you don’t miss enrollment announcements.

  • Step-by-step video lessons for technique and repertoire

  • Live group sessions

  • Personal video feedback on your playing

  • A global community of duduk learners

  • Optional 1:1 online lessons

  • Direct guidance from the teacher

Why Learning the Duduk Often Feels So Hard

At first, the duduk feels magical.
That sound is the reason you picked it up. You imagine long tones, slow melodies, and a deep connection with the instrument.

Then reality arrives.

You struggle to get a sound, or it comes out only with great effort.
The tone is weak, airy, or unpleasant.
Half holes don’t respond.
Intonation feels impossible.
Some days the reed works, some days it doesn’t, and you don’t know why.

You try harder. You use more air. More force.
But the duduk pushes back.

Slowly, frustration replaces curiosity.
You start wondering if something is wrong with you, your instrument, or the reed.
You search for videos, try random tips, and jump between explanations, but nothing really changes.

And many people stop here.

Not because they lack talent,
but because they were never shown how the duduk actually works.

The Duduk Is a System, Not a Mystery

The duduk is one of the most sensitive wind instruments in the world.
Small changes in embouchure, air, finger pressure, or reed position change everything.

If you don’t understand how these elements work together as one system,
you end up using effort instead of control.

That’s where most beginners get stuck.

A Clear Path, Step by Step

Global Duduk Academy is built to teach this foundation slowly and clearly:

  • Embouchure and air control

  • Finger position and half holes

  • Intonation and tuning

  • Understanding the reed and how to work with it

  • Playing songs with a stable, beautiful tone

Everything is taught step by step, with guided exercises, clear explanations, and personal feedback. So you always know what to practice and why.

When the Foundation Is Right, Everything Changes

With time and practice, the instrument begins to respond.
The sound becomes soft and stable.
Intonation improves.
Playing feels easier, more natural, and more musical than you expected.

The duduk stops fighting you,
and starts speaking with you.

The Academy is for you if

  • You are new to the duduk and want to start the right way, without guessing or copying random videos.

  • You already play, but your tone feels unstable, airy, or inconsistent.

  • You struggle with half holes, intonation, or control, and don’t know how to fix them.

  • You want to meet other people who share your passion for the duduk and inspire each other.

  • You are looking for a clear path and a teacher who guides you step by step.

  • You are happy with your sound and want to learn new songs, more advanced techniques and move to the next level.

A woman with glasses playing a wooden wind instrument, possibly a recorder, in a cozy room with bookshelves and art on the wall.
A young woman with curly hair playing a recorder, with her eyes closed, in an indoor setting.
An older man with white hair, glasses, and a beard is playing a wooden recorder.
A smiling woman wearing glasses and a beige turtleneck sweater playing a recorder, with abstract paintings on the wall and a black microphone in the background.
A bald man with glasses is playing a recorder in a room with a window, plants, and a red wall hanging.
An elderly woman smiling and holding a wooden stick with a small ceramic figure on top.
A woman with short dark hair smiling while taking a selfie in a kitchen. She is wearing a black sleeveless top, a white wristwatch, and a colorful wristband.
A man playing a woodwind instrument, sitting indoors with acoustic panels on the wall behind him, a floor lamp to his right, and a small plant nearby.
A man smiling while holding a smoking electronic cigarette or vape pen, sitting in a room with beige walls, a black couch, and a window with yellow blinds.
A young man with light skin and light-colored hair, wearing a striped shirt, is playing a recorder in a cozy room with bookshelves and a window in the background.
A man wearing glasses playing a wooden flute.

What Students Say

All students featured here studied with Canberk through private online lessons.
The Academy is built on the same method, now structured into a complete learning system.

  • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    “Dear Canberk,

    I want to share an experience with you that I find very special and beautiful. 

    After a writing session about grief, I felt the urge to play the duduk. I played Yeraz for half an hour and it felt deeply consoling.

    It's a magical and mystical instrument. 
    Thank you for teaching me.”

    Sandra Sijbrandij - The Netherlands
    Music lover - her first instrument

  • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    “This is a much-needed service. Duduk teachers in the US are not very plentiful, and my lessons with Canberk have taken me much further than I would ever have achieved studying locally.

    I recently played the duduk at a concert in Virginia, and I was able to demonstrate sound, vibrato, note bending, and nuance thanks to what I learned from Canberk. The audience loved the sound of the duduk and said it really stood out for them.”

    Christa Patton - USA
    Early harp and wind specialist

  • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    "Canberk turned out to be one of the kindest and most patient people I know, and that same kindness shines through in his teaching. What I’m most grateful for is that he never let me be ruled by my own impatience. During the more difficult early stages, he guided me gently and steadily, always respecting the specific challenges of my learning path. The duduk holds secrets that only true masters can reveal."

    Nóra Mátrai - The Netherlands
    Music lover - her first instrument

  • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    “Canberk is an amazing player and a very professional and encouraging teacher. He truly sees his students as individuals and pays close attention to their specific progress. He is very precise and does not always go easy on you, which makes the learning process on the duduk extremely thorough.

    I have now had 13 lessons and am starting to develop a solid foundation in my playing. I could never have reached this stage on my own. I am very grateful to have someone like Canberk as my teacher.”

    Petteri Oksanen - Finland
    Music lover - his second instrument

  • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    “The duduk is a deceptively simple instrument. Playing it well, however, is another matter. Over the course of several years, Canberk's patient and logical instruction has helped me make sense of the duduk's unique technique and sound production requirements. He has helped me develop my own style, based on the traditions of the instrument and its music. Without Canberk's guidance and inspiration, my duduk might well be resting in a closet.  Instead, it has become an integral part of my musical life.”

    Thomas Aber - USA
    Professional clarinetist

  • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    "I always wanted to play a wind instrument and the duduk sound appeared the most exciting for me. Canberk helped me to start my journey into the duduk world. In addition to studying repertoire and music theory, our classes are always filled with jokes and fun. I express my gratitude for the extremely pleasurable time learning with Canberk!"

    Wladyslaw Krauchuk - Poland
    Music lover - his first instrument

  • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    "When I started playing the duduk, I was fortunate to hear about Canberk’s music and learn that he also offered lessons. I even had the opportunity to meet him in person for private duduk lessons. He is not only a talented musician with a unique sound on the duduk, but he also has a fantastic attitude toward music in general. As a student, this made me feel that Canberk could both guide me toward a traditional playing style while also helping me explore new possibilities on the instrument. He explains things very clearly and he has helped me overcome several big obstacles in my duduk playing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the lessons we have had so far, and I look forward to many more in the future. I will definitely continue to seek guidance from Canberk throughout my duduk journey." 

    Oscar Callenberg - Sweden
    Music lover

Real Music From Real Students

Simon Heath - Scotland

Kieron Concannon - Ireland

Meet Your Duduk Instructor

Hi, I am Canberk.

I am a duduk player, composer, teacher, and improviser, and I have spent nearly two decades working with this instrument, not only exploring its sound but understanding how it functions as a complete system.

I was born in Türkiye and shaped by the musical cultures of the region. Before dedicating myself fully to the duduk, I played several different instruments. When I first encountered the duduk, something shifted. I stopped playing everything else and chose to focus exclusively on this instrument.

At that time, I was already studying the mey. I first learned about the existence of the duduk through my mey teacher, and when I decided to take up the duduk, he naturally taught it to me using mey technique, as that was the approach he knew. Since the mey and the duduk share the same roots and are structurally very close, this became my initial point of entry into the instrument. In Türkiye, the mey has traditionally been played mostly by Kurdish and Turkish musicians, and for a long time I approached the duduk through this perspective.

This gave me an entry point, but it also created limitations. Despite my musical background, I struggled with tone stability, intonation, and understanding why the instrument behaved the way it did. These years of confusion later became fundamental to my teaching philosophy.

Everything changed when I began studying closely with Özcan Gül and Suren Asaduryan. With them, I had to let go of the mey-based approach entirely. I learned a duduk technique developed in Armenia and is deeply connected to Suren’s personal technique and to the heritage of one of the defining figures of the Armenian duduk tradition, Vache Hovsepyan. Through this process, I rebuilt my technique from the ground up and began to understand the duduk as its own physical, musical, and expressive system.

Alongside this transformation, I studied at Istanbul Technical University Turkish Music State Conservatory, where my foundation in traditional music was further shaped.

Duduk workshop. Canberk teaches duduk to a group of people

After this period, years of experimentation followed. Through careful listening, trial and error, performing at studios and live, and continuous refinement, I gradually developed my own approach and methods. My curiosity for sound also led me to build my own atelier and begin making duduks myself, experimenting with different wood types and dimensions. Today, I play instruments built with my own unique measurements, developed to support a wide, deep, soft, and stable tone.

Canberk Ulaş makes duduk in his atelier

I later completed my Master’s degree in World Music Performance at University of Agder in Norway and University of Gothenburg in Sweden. During my master’s studies, my work focused on improvisation, interplay, and solo performance. My master’s thesis, How to Explore Contemporary Potentials of the Duduk, explored extended techniques and electronic treatments, opening new sonic and expressive possibilities for the instrument. This research led to new compositions and eventually to my second solo album, Echoes of Becoming, which received wide attention from European music magazines.

Cover of the album titled 'Echoes of Becoming' by Canberk Ulaș.
Listen

  • “The soulful Armenian instrument, the duduk, transforms into new sounds and new emotions in the hands of Canberk Ulaş.”

    Cazkolik - TR

  • “The strong, yearning sound of Ulaş’ duduk leads poignantly in this ethereal soundscape.”

    Songlines - UK

  • “When the playing of Canberk Ulaş meets your ear, the duduk appears as one of the only things that manages to reach deep inside.”

    Ballade Music Magazine - NO

  • "An artistic skill that both intellectually stimulates and emotionally engages us as listeners."

    Der Kultur Blog - DE

  • "A beguiling musical mixture that is deeply touching simply through the haunting sounds of the woodwind instrument duduk."

    Virgin Jazz Face - DE

  • "Mediterranean fatalism and the melancholy of endless winters, a balance that this captivating record embodies to perfection."

    Indie Rock Mag - FR

As a performer, I work both as a soloist and in collaborations, performing on different stages across Europe. I have collaborated with internationally recognized Scandinavian jazz and improvisation musicians such as Arve Henriksen, Jan Bang, Bugge Wesseltoft, and Eivind Aarset, all of whom also took part in Echoes of Becoming. I have worked across genres and formats, using the duduk in borderless musical contexts and exploring new sounds and forms of expression beyond its traditional roles.

I founded Global Duduk Academy to bring together everything I have learned through tradition, experimentation, performance, and teaching into a clear, structured, and human way of learning the duduk. The Academy is designed especially for those who feel the instrument’s depth but struggle to find a reliable path forward and a beautiful community to walk that path with.

I hope to see you inside.

Canberk Ulaş and Eivind Aarset are performing live on the stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The duduk is not difficult to begin, but it does require the right approach.

    Most beginners struggle not because the instrument is too hard, but because they do not yet know how to work with the reed, embouchure, and finger positioning.

    Another common reason is the instrument itself. Many people start with cheap or souvenir duduks that do not respond properly, even when played correctly. This can make the instrument feel much harder than it actually is.

    With the right guidance, a structured method, and a good instrument, the duduk becomes much more accessible than most people expect.

  • Not as much as you might think.

    The duduk does require breath control, but it does not require unusually large lung capacity. Most of the challenge comes from technique, not from how much air you have.

    If playing long notes feels difficult at the beginning, that is completely normal. Breath control improves naturally with the right practice.

    A well adjusted medium reed and a responsive instrument also make a significant difference and help you play more comfortably.

  • We recommend starting with a key of A duduk and a medium strength reed.

    The A duduk is the most widely used and best represents the characteristic sound of the instrument. It also provides a comfortable and accessible fingering system for beginners.

    All lessons inside the Global Duduk Academy are designed for a key of A duduk, so starting with this setup will give you the best experience.

  • This is one of the most common challenges for beginners, and it is completely normal.

    Several factors can affect the sound:

    The reed may be too hard or not well made, which makes it difficult to respond.
    The connection between the reed and the instrument may not be fully sealed, allowing air to leak.
    The reed may not be prepared correctly, either too open or too closed.
    Too much pressure from the lips can stop the reed from vibrating.
    Finger holes that are not fully covered can also prevent the sound from forming.

    In most cases, it is not just one issue but a combination of small details. Once these are adjusted correctly, the sound usually appears much more easily.

    If you are unsure how to prepare your reed, you can watch this video for guidance:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0dAnjpvQK4&t=1s

  • Yes, when the videos are created with the right teaching approach.

    What matters is not only the format, but who created the material, how it is explained, and how the learning process is designed.

    The video material inside the Academy is based on years of teaching experience by Canberk Ulaş, both as a performer and as an educator. These lessons are shaped by real teaching situations and common challenges that students face.

    The idea behind the Academy comes from observing how effective video based learning can be. Many students have made significant progress simply by watching and following recorded lessons, even during periods without regular one to one sessions.

    This is because the duduk is not learned only through explanation, but through listening, observing, and imitating. Video allows you to return to the lesson as many times as you need and absorb the details at your own pace.

    Inside the Academy, this is combined with personal guidance, so you are supported throughout the process.

  • Yes, absolutely. Yes. The Academy is designed for complete beginners as well as players who want to improve their fundamentals and go further.

    If you are just starting, you will be guided step by step from the very beginning, with a clear focus on tone, embouchure, breath control, and finger positioning. You will also start learning pieces early on, so you can apply what you learn musically from the beginning.

    If you already play the duduk, the Academy helps you refine your sound, improve control, and expand your repertoire and musical expression.

    The system is designed to meet you where you are and guide you forward at your own pace.

  • YouTube gives you fragments.

    The Academy gives you a clear system:

    • A structured path

    • Step-by-step progression

    • Focus on tone and technique

    • Personal feedback

    • A supportive community

    This is the difference between trying to figure things out… and actually progressing.

  • Both.

    The Academy is built around a structured video curriculum that you can follow at your own pace, giving you flexibility and clarity in your learning process.

    Alongside this, there are regular live group sessions and Q&A meetings where you can ask questions, receive guidance, and connect with other students.

    These sessions are optional, but they add a valuable layer of interaction, motivation, and real time support.

    For those who want more personalized guidance, members can also book one to one online lessons with Canberk Ulaş.

  • Yes. All courses are recorded with an Armenian duduk in the key of A.
    For the best learning experience, it is strongly recommended that you also use an A duduk, so you can play in the same pitch and register as the teacher throughout the lessons.

    It is also important to study with a solid, well-made duduk. The quality of the instrument directly affects your sound, intonation, and progress. Guidance on choosing the right duduk and trusted makers will be shared soon. If you need help with it, you can always contact us.

  • Feeling stuck is a normal part of learning the duduk. Everyone goes through it.
    The instrument has unique challenges, and certain stages naturally feel more difficult than others.

    In the Academy, you are not left alone with these moments. You can use the video feedback system to get personal guidance, join live group sessions to ask questions, and learn from the shared experience of the community.

    You will also be able to send a private message to your instructor, Canberk Ulaş, inside the community. You can always reach out when you need support.

  • Yes. All live sessions are recorded and made available inside the Academy, so you can watch them later at your convenience, even if you miss them.

  • No.

    The Academy is designed for complete beginners as well as players who want to fix their fundamentals and improve their sound.

  • Yes.

    One to one online lessons with Canberk Ulaş are available as an add on for Academy members.

    These sessions offer personalized guidance and the opportunity to focus on your individual needs in more depth.

  • Because learning the duduk is a process, not a one-time purchase.

    The Academy gives you:

    • continuous guidance

    • new material

    • feedback

    • community support

    You stay as long as you want, and you can cancel anytime.

Join the Waitlist

You have questions?
You are always welcome to ask.
We are here to help.

contact@globaldudukacademy.com