When beginning lessons on the duduk, the student should keep a natural body position. You can practise sitting or standing, but during the playing itself the body must be held straight and relaxed.
The duduk is positioned so that the angle between the body and the instrument is within 40–45 degrees. The elbows are slightly raised — this keeps the breathing free. The head is held straight and the back does not bend.
If the performer plays standing, the right foot is moved slightly forward. In a seated position you must not cross your legs: this hampers the correct work of the abdominal muscles and diaphragm and over time affects your health.
Finger position
The fingers are kept soft and slightly curved. They are placed in one of two ways, depending on what the melody requires.
- If seven fingers are needed (without the thumb hole), the upper hand uses three fingers and the lower hand four.
- If eight fingers are required, both hands use four each, including the thumb of the main hand.
The difference between these positions lies in which parts of the holes the fingers fall on.
