Svilpa

The svilpa is a transverse flute type instrument of Lithuania. It is made of willow or aspen bark, or of ash or maple wood. A cylindrical pipe is made with a thin and a wide end. At times the pipe was made of several shorter pipes stacked together. The mouthpiece is similar to that of a flute, a skudutis or lamzdelis. While playing, the left hand holds the svilpa, and the index finger of the right hand covers the open end. The sound of the svilpa is soft, the timbre is gentle. The svilpa is a solo instrument for free improvisation, song and dance melodies, and sutartinės.