The Shepherd’s Flute
A beautifully expressive Bulgarian kaval, rich in warmth and character.
The Bulgarian kaval is deeply intertwined with the shepherd’s way of life in Bulgaria.
Historically it is said that mountain shepherds played the kaval while tending to their flocks in the picturesque Bulgarian countryside.
The instrument is crafted from a single piece of wood, typically apricot, plum, or boxwood. It features a simple design consisting of an open-ended tube with eight finger holes and a thumb hole.
The kaval has been integral to Bulgarian folk music for centuries, adding its unique timbre to traditional melodies and dances, making it a cherished symbol of the country’s musical identity.
Videos
Audio Demos
Highlights
8 Idiomatic Articulations
Including sustains, shorts, vocal effects, and traditional ornaments.
Phase-aligned Dynamics
The dynamic layers of the sustained samples have been phase aligned for buttery smooth crossfading.
Highly Playable
The instrument adapts to your playing in real-time. Allowing you to effortlessly perform legato, trills, and portamento.
Purge Until Played
The player includes an optional lazy load feature to minimise memory usage.
Dynamic Vibrato
Precise control over vibrato rate and depth is provided by the on-screen controls.
Dry Recordings
Clean, unprocessed samples that are easy to place in any mix.
What’s Included
The Shepherd’s flute was recorded in a small studio in Sofia, Bulgaria, using a single microphone. This approach gives the recordings a cosy and personal ambiance, almost as if you were right there in the room with the musician.
In keeping with Libre Wave’s style, these samples boast minimal natural reverb, affording you the freedom to apply your own effects and shape the virtual sonic environment to your liking.
The sustain samples have been looped and phase aligned to produce smooth, artifact free dynamic crossfades.
Performance
Interprets your playing to generate realistic legato transitions, trills, attacks, ornaments, and slides in real time.
Staccato
A short, detached note played with clear separation from the following note.
Staccatissimo
An extremely short, crisp note with even greater separation than staccato.
Overblown Sustain
Long notes with an overblown attack.
Vocal Sustain
A unique effect consisting of long notes with a vocal tone performed over the top.
Vocal Staccato
Short notes with a vocal tone over the top.
Vocal Staccatissimo
Very short notes with a vocal tone over the top.
Finger Taps
Sound made by the musician tapping their fingers on the tone holes.
Tech Specs
| Format | Rhapsody Player |
| Samples | 657 @ 24-bit / 48kHz |
| Size (Installed) | 650MB |
| Max Round Robins | 3 |
| Release Tails | Yes |
| Articulations | 8 |
Rhapsody Player
Built for the free Rhapsody Player. Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.