iShvee LT

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iShvee™ LT

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Another Woodwind Instrument from the creators of iDuduk and iZurna, this instrument simply brings you the missing sound of the Armenian Culture.

The Shvee (Armenian: Շվի) (pronounced sh-vee) which means whistle in Armenian, is a woodwind instrument with a labium mouth piece. Commonly made of wood (apricot, buxus, ebony ) or bamboo and up to 12 inches in length, it typically has a range of 2 octaves. The shvi is up to 12 inches in length and is made of reed, the bark of willows, or walnut wood. It has 8 holes on the front, 7 of which are used while playing, and 1 thumbhole. One octave is obtained by blowing normally into the shvi and a second octave is attained by blowing with slightly more force. The lower octave has a timbre similar to a recorder whereas the higher octave sounds similar to a piccolo or flute. Typically, most Armenian duduk or zurna players learn the shvee before moving on to either instrument.

The tuning is basically untempered and diatonic, though chromatic notes may be obtained by partially covering the finger holes. The iShvee™ LT version does not support the chromatic note option because the iPhone being an electronic device has its limitations, therefore we have only included the C major scale starting from low middle C going up to high D in the second octave which will also make the application more consumer friendly.

Key Features of iShvee™ LT
•In the Blow Mode, blow into your microphone to play music
•In the Press Mode option, simply play by pressing down the holes (for iPod Touch users as well)
•Press down individual holes to change pitch within one octave
•The Blow Mode includes 9 notes including the open blow middle C
•The Press Mode includes 8 notes D-Dorian
•In the Duet Mode, use the ‘Dum (Drone) slider to choose a pitch to harmonize and enrich your melody.

The Artists
•In the info section on top right corner, find out more about the recording Shvee virtuosos such as Ararat Petrossian, Norik Manukian, and composer/film maker Sevada's debut album called Palpitation of Soul released in 1995 where you can hear Ararat Petrossian's tasteful improvisational skills in a track called "S.O.S." It's a must have.