Sopele
Description
Aerophone shawm type (Schalmei) instrument that comes in two sizes: great and small sopela. Sopela consists of five parts, and the great sopele rarely have an extra part, a wooden stock, today without a function, which covered the flap for the little finger on the shawm.
Parts
REED
(pisak)
Double reed of the western type made of cane.
PIROUETTE
(špolet, špulet, tondak, štibrica, pirouette on the shawm)
The cylindrical wooden part of sopele which has a conical metal tube where the reed is inserted.
CHANTER
(kanela, prebiralica, roženica, sopel)
The chanter of the great sopela has six drilled finger-holes (škulje, škuje), but there are specimens with five holes. The chanter of the small sopele is characterized by six or seven finger-holes , and the seventh one is always doubled. In today's practice when playing on a small sopela more than five holes are rarely used. Sometimes the chanter has also vent-holes.
BELL
Funnel shaped part where the chanter is inserted and serves to augment the sound intensity. As a rule, the bell also has vent-holes.
WOODEN STOP
Located into the bell and its purpose is to prevent the pirouette from falling off when the instrument is not in use.
FONTANELLE
The cylindrical portion surrounding the connection between the chanter and the bell.
Dimensions
Vela (great) and mala (small) sopela
- A - the total length
- B - the length of the pirouette
- C - the diameter of the bell
- D - the average thickness of the chanter
- E1-E10 - the distance from the top of the sopela to the first hole (E1); the distance between the remaining holes (E2-E10 / depending on how much holes are on the chanter)
- F - the diameter of the finger-holes
Great sopela (Vela sopela) - the scheme of instrument's dimensions
Small sopela (Mala sopela) - the scheme of instrument's dimensions
Doble tab reed and the pirouette of sopela - dimensions