Presentation
Karen (Samveli) Mukayelyan, born in 1972 in Yerevan, is among the most renowned Armenian makers of traditional wind instruments. Also known by his brand name MKS, he has been practicing his craft since 2001 with rigor and professionalism. With more than two decades of experience, he is today regarded as one of the most accomplished artisans of his generation, combining exceptional craftsmanship with an unwavering commitment to quality.
Karen Mukayelyan - MKS ©
Music in the Life of Karen Mukayelyan
Karen Mukayelyan grew up in an environment where music held a sincere and deeply rooted place. From an early age, he developed a particular sensitivity to sound and musical expression. In his family, music was passed down naturally: his grandfather played the violin resting on his knee, an unconventional posture still found in certain rural regions of the Caucasus, while other family members regularly performed folk, traditional, popular, or religious songs.
Although he never received formal training in a music school or conservatory, one decisive encounter would shape his path: that of Armand Ghazaryan. A skilled musician, passionate teacher, and luthier specialized in string instruments, Armand opened the doors to a new world for him. Alongside him, Karen discovered the Shvi and began his journey into musical practice. Beyond technique, however, he received an education grounded in accuracy, respect for musical codes, and precision of execution.
This relationship, blending friendship and intergenerational transmission, became the true starting point of his lifelong dedication to music and craftsmanship.
His First Steps in Instrument Making
Nothing initially predestined Karen Mukayelyan to become a maker of wind instruments. Coming from a family without any artisanal tradition, he inherited no direct knowledge in this field. His meeting with Armand Ghazaryan, however, proved decisive. A musician and luthier specialized in the making and restoration of string instruments such as the tar, Armand introduced Karen to the art of instrument making. Under his guidance, Karen discovered the fundamentals of the craft: the handling of tools, the recognition of wood species, the attentive listening to vibrations, and the delicate art of tuning. Gradually, he learned to master lathes, drills, and precision tools, developing the technical skills that would shape his entire career. This patient and demanding apprenticeship opened the doors to a savoir-faire he would never cease to refine.
Karen often emphasizes that this encounter changed his life. Armand guided him with kindness, never hesitating to share his advice or correct his gestures, a rare openness in a world where manufacturing secrets are often closely guarded.
Despite his deep attachment to music, craftsmanship, and Armenian culture, Karen had to face the economic realities of the time. In an Armenia newly independent and still marked by seventy years of Soviet rule, manual trades were directed toward practical specialties such as mechanics, carpentry, or locksmithing. Karen therefore worked in these fields throughout his twenties, relegating instrument making to the status of a parallel passion.
After several experiences in Armenia and Russia, he realized that no occupation could separate him from his culture, his homeland, and music. For him, music is not only an artistic or cultural practice but a universal language, inscribed in the very substance of the world. “Sounds existed before man,” he says, “and man merely organized them.”
Driven by this conviction, he returned permanently to Armenia to dedicate himself to the making of traditional wind instruments. His first creation was naturally a Shvi, the very instrument he had learned to play alongside Armand, marking the beginning of his artisanal journey.
It was also during this period that he perceived a major opportunity: the retirement of Karlen Matevosyan, the legendary craftsman based in the United States. Having studied his instruments extensively and met him several times, Karen drew deep inspiration from his work. Through constant discipline and a keen sense of detail, he managed to approximate the acoustic qualities of Karlen M.’s duduks. Gradually, musicians accustomed to those instruments turned to Karen’s creations, finding in them a faithful continuity of that heritage of excellence.
In 2001, Karen Mukayelyan signed his first wind instruments with a personal logo, which evolved over the years. Initially marked with a simple “K,” then a treble clef, this distinctive symbol finally took its current form, “MKS,” incorporating his initials and the silhouette of Mount Ararat, a powerful national emblem.
Animated by constant curiosity, precision, and attention to every detail, he relentlessly refined his technique. He developed a personal approach to instrument making, sensitive, exacting, and deeply expressive, where each instrument bears the imprint of his unique craftsmanship.
Today, he is recognized as one of the most respected and active artisans in the field. His instruments, engraved MKS, have become a reference for both professional and amateur musicians, combining precision, stability, and tonal character.
Design Philosophy
A self-taught luthier, Karen Mukayelyan has over the years forged his own philosophy of instrument making. He has patiently refined his expertise by observing, dismantling, and meticulously studying the instruments of the masters who came before him.
Karen crafts the vast majority of his instruments from apricot wood, the emblematic material of the duduk. Although he has experimented with other fruitwoods such as pear, apple, and plum, as well as exotic species like ebony, cocobolo, and Brazilian kingwood, he always returns to apricot. According to him, its acoustic properties, density, stability, and availability in Armenia make it the most suitable wood for the making of the Armenian duduk.
Beyond the choice of raw material, his main goal is to achieve optimal sound depth. While some makers focus on external appearance or the use of particularly dense and heavy woods, Karen concentrates his attention on resonance, accuracy, harmonic richness, and ease of play.
For him, a good duduk is a living instrument whose sound must be rich, full, and expressive. It should move naturally under the musician’s fingers, without resistance or effort, offering a constant pleasure in playing. This precision and attentive listening explain why so many professional musicians choose his instruments.
Variety and Diversity
With extensive experience and many years of meticulous practice, Karen Mukayelyan has mastered the making of a wide range of traditional wind instruments. In addition to traditional duduks, he has specialized in creating variants such as tunable duduks, bass duduks, models tuned to 432 Hz, chromatic duduks, and instruments crafted from exotic woods, which are more complex to work with due to their density.
His expertise also extends to the making of other Armenian instruments such as the Shvi, Blul, Pku, and Zurna, each produced in different keys and configurations. All are designed with the same demand for accuracy, refinement, and acoustic quality.
This ability to produce varied instruments without ever compromising on quality is the result of long experience and a constant determination to meet the expectations of musicians, even when they are technically complex or unconventional. Karen draws much of his inspiration from dialogue with artists. Their ideas, specific requests, and ambitious projects constantly push him to innovate. From these exchanges are born unique, custom-made instruments where excellence becomes a shared language between the craftsman and the musician.
Instrument Inventions and Improvements by Karen Mukayelyan
For more than twenty-five years, Karen Mukayelyan has been perfecting the traditional making of the duduk and has created, then refined, several models designed to meet the specific needs of musicians, particularly within contemporary stage settings.
Invention – Chromatic Duduk
In 2008, he designed one of his most notable models: the chromatic duduk, custom-made for multi-instrumentalist Pedro Eustache, a member of Hans Zimmer’s orchestra. Inspired by the mechanism of certain European recorders, this model facilitates the execution of semitones through the addition of extra finger holes. Whereas the traditional duduk requires great fingering precision to produce these intermediate notes, this adaptation makes them more accessible.
Although Karen himself, along with many Armenian musicians, does not use this type of duduk, which they consider to be less rich in sound, the innovation addressed a specific need. Pedro Eustache, who did not play the duduk on a regular basis, was looking for a simple and efficient way to incorporate the instrument into his performances without having to master all of its technical subtleties. Karen listened attentively to this request and proposed a fitting solution, combining functionality with respect for the spirit of the instrument.
Chromatic Duduk by Karen Mukayelyan – MKS ©
Invention – Adjustable Duduk
In 2010, at the request of musician Ashot Khandgeldyan, Karen Mukayelyan developed the adjustable duduk. This invention addresses a common issue: the instability of the duduk’s tuning and reed during performances, caused by humidity and climatic variations that can slightly raise the pitch. Thanks to an adjustable mouthpiece, the musician can extend the total length of the instrument in real time, thereby lowering the pitch and restoring perfect tuning accuracy.
This innovation led to the creation of other variants, such as duduks equipped with several interchangeable heads. This modular design allows the musician to easily switch from a 440 Hz tuning to 432 Hz, or to other tonalities.
The distinctive feature of the adjustable duduks crafted by Karen lies in his use of thread reinforcements rather than metal rings to stabilize the removable head. Metal rings, being rigid and fixed, can constrain the wood, while thread bindings provide the elasticity needed for the material to expand or contract naturally. According to Karen, this more organic approach extends the instrument’s lifespan, improves airtightness, and ensures a secure attachment of the head.
Adjustable Duduk by Karen Mukayelyan – MKS ©
Invention of a Hybrid Instrument Inspired by the Shvi, the Blul, and the Transverse Flute
Among his most original creations, Karen Mukayelyan has developed a hybrid instrument that has not yet received an official name but is drawing increasing attention from musicians. Its main particularity lies in a horizontal playing position, similar to that of the transverse flute—an unusual approach in the world of Armenian instruments, which are generally played vertically or at a slight angle.
The sound is produced following the same principle as the Shvi, using a beveled mouthpiece integrated into the headjoint, while the fingering is inspired by that of a chromatic Blul. This combination allows for a range spanning two octaves and a third, offering a rich and expressive tessitura.
The specific posture it requires demands a certain familiarity with horizontally played instruments, which makes it particularly suited to musicians already experienced with this playing technique.
Hybrid Blul by Karen Mukayelyan – MKS ©
Creation of the Double-Body Shvi
In 2011, Karen Mukayelyan created a Shvi that could be described as having “two bodies,” meaning it is equipped with two separate sound tubes that allow the musician to play two different notes simultaneously with a single breath. This configuration makes it possible to accompany the main melody with fixed intervals, such as thirds or fifths.
Although this creation is not an invention in the strict sense—since similar instruments already exist in other traditions, particularly among peoples who use recorder-type flutes, Karen successfully adapted the concept to the Armenian Shvi. The result is an instrument that is both familiar and innovative, offering musicians an expanded sound palette while remaining deeply rooted in tradition.
Double-Body Shvi by Karen Mukayelyan – MKS ©
Improvements to the Shvi
Although the Shvi is already a well-established instrument widely played among Armenian musicians, notably thanks to the work of craftsman Ruben Rushinyan, Karen Mukayelyan has developed over the years many variants aimed at enhancing it. He has particularly focused on creating lower-pitched models while maintaining impeccable precision and tuning accuracy. As Karen’s instrument of choice, the Shvi holds a central place in his artistic journey. He has always taken great pleasure in designing, experimenting with, and refining each model.
The interest and use of his instruments by musicians such as Levon Tevanyan, Helbert Asatryan, and Ernest Manukyan have encouraged him to further expand creative possibilities and explore new acoustic and technical variations.
Improvements to the Blul (Sring)
Since the addition of an eighth finger hole by Norayr Kartashyan in the 1990s, the Blul (Sring) has gradually gained recognition, particularly among conductors and composers. Long overshadowed by the Duduk or the Shvi, the instrument began to be taken seriously in professional contexts. This evolution naturally led to an increased demand for precision, stability, and adaptability in its construction.
In this context, Karen Mukayelyan set out to perfect his Bluls by developing a series of technical and acoustic variants. He now offers Bluls tuned in rare tonalities, once seldom used but now increasingly sought after. He has also designed Bluls with removable heads, allowing players to adjust or change the tuning, or to easily replace the head in case of wear or cracking over time.
Other models go even further in accessibility and innovation:
- Bluls with Shvi-type mouthpiece, which produce sound through an integrated beveled edge rather than a free-blown embouchure, often difficult to master.
- Bluls with Shvi (diatonic) fingering, making the instrument much easier to learn for musicians already familiar with the Shvi or Duduk, by avoiding the traditional chromatic fingering of the Blul.
These innovations reflect Karen’s desire to open the instrument to a wider audience while preserving its authentic tonal character. The Blul, once considered a shepherd’s instrument and known only to a few, is thus finding a renewed and rightful place within the Armenian musical landscape.
Improvements to the Pku
Without seeking to radically transform the Pku, Karen Mukayelyan focused his work on developing models in higher, less common tonalities such as A (six-finger) and B♭ (six-finger). These registers are known for being difficult to stabilize, both in terms of tuning and tonal quality.
Traditionally, the Pku has been crafted in lower tonalities, which are more widespread and easier to design and control. Higher tonalities, rarer and technically demanding, had long been overlooked. By taking on this challenge, Karen expanded the instrument’s sonic possibilities and enriched its musical repertoire.
Musicians Using the Instruments of Karen Mukayelyan
With over 25 years of experience, Karen Mukayelyan has established himself as one of the most respected and active master craftsmen in the making of duduks and traditional Armenian wind instruments. His expertise has won the admiration of many distinguished musicians, beginning with Gevorg Dabaghyan and his students Emmanuel Hovhannisyan, Harutyun Chkolyan, Norayr Gapoyan, and Arsen Petrosyan.
His instruments are also used daily by renowned masters such as Kamo Seyranyan, Norayr Kartashyan, Loris Nikoghosyan, Vahan Harutunyan, Ashot Khangeldyan, Gevorg Karapetyan, Avag Margaryan (Blul), and Vahan Zakaryan (Blul), as well as many active contemporary artists including Anna Mkhitaryan, Edward Manucharyan, Anna Hovanyan (Blul), Narek Khazandyan, Tatul Hambardzumyan, and Gabriel Shahinyan.
Internationally, renowned musicians such as Pedro Eustache, Sylvain Barou, Levon Minassian, Artyom Minasyan, Rostom Khachikian, Levon Khozian, and Tigran Karapetyan also trust his instruments, which they use both on stage and in the recording studio.
In Paris, Philippe Shahbazian, who owns one of the largest private collections of instruments crafted by Karen Mukayelyan, has been captivated by his work for over twenty years. A dedicated user of his instruments, he is also one of their most faithful ambassadors.
Karen Mukayelyan and Pedro Eustache © Karen Mukayelyan
Official Recognition and Status
Distinctions
In 2023, at the initiative of the renowned duduk player Levon Tevanyan, a nomination was submitted to the Ministry of Culture of Armenia for the conferment of the honorary title People’s Master upon Karen Mukayelyan. This prestigious distinction is traditionally awarded to artisans who excel in emblematic fields of Armenian craftsmanship such as tapestry, goldsmithing, wood carving, khachkar making, and the creation of musical instruments.
Although Karen Mukayelyan had never sought official recognition, it was through the initiative of Levon Tevanyan, Honored Artist of Armenia, who wished to highlight his work and pay tribute to his contribution, that this distinction was awarded to him. In an interview on Armenian Public Radio, Karen stated with humility: “I could not see myself going to the Ministry on my own to request the title of People’s Master. Without the initiative of Levon Tevanyan, I would most likely never have received it.” (Armenian Public Radio, 2025)
He thus became one of the very first duduk makers to receive this official recognition, underscoring both the exceptional quality of his work and his essential contribution to Armenian culture.
Status
Karen Mukayelyan remains above all an independent craftsman, faithful to a deeply personal approach to his art. Although he involves his sons, Davit and Samvel, in certain stages of the making process, he personally carries out the most delicate and demanding phases, particularly tuning and finishing.
Unlike large workshops or serial production environments where tasks are standardized and divided among workers, Karen insists on maintaining full control over every creation. This direct involvement allows him to instill a unique soul into each instrument, a living and authentic character that reflects both his identity and that of the musician.
In the same spirit, Karen Mukayelyan rejects the use of automated CNC machines, which can standardize operations such as wood cutting and drilling. For him, investing in such equipment would mean embracing an industrial logic of production, faster and more efficient, but distant from the intimate relationship he maintains with each instrument and each musician. He instead favors a truly artisanal method, slower yet rigorous, where every gesture is deliberate and every detail carefully considered. It is in this manual precision that Karen finds the singularity and sensitivity of his instruments.
Transmission
Karen Mukayelyan now passes on his craftsmanship to his two sons, Davit and Samvel, who are themselves musicians and passionate about the making of wind instruments. He hopes one day to expand his workshop to welcome apprentices and thus ensure the continuation of this precious heritage. For him, transmission remains an essential mission: keeping these traditional instruments alive and securing their future in the hands of the next generations.
Confusion with Karlen (Smbati) Matevosyan – MKS
It is important not to confuse Karen (Samveli) Mukayelyan with Karlen (Smbati) Matevosyan, a legendary and emblematic figure in the world of the duduk, who also used the initials MKS to sign his instruments. Since the use of initials is a common practice among craftsmen, certain confusions may occasionally occur. However, these two masters belong to different generations, and it is essential to distinguish them clearly.
Meet Karen Mukayelyan
Karen Mukayelyan works primarily in a small 6 m² workshop located within his own home in Yerevan. Though modest in size, this space is perfectly suited to his work as an independent craftsman.
Because of this setting, he cannot accommodate groups or offer open visits. Meetings with Karen are therefore usually arranged in advance, by appointment. During these encounters, he welcomes visitors into his home and, when possible, lets them try a few of the available instruments. However, such opportunities remain rare, as demand is high and his production is intentionally limited in order to preserve the quality of each individual piece.
Sources
The information presented in this blog article comes from direct conversations with Karen Mukayelyan. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of the content, the article was reviewed and approved by Karen Mukayelyan himself, with the aim of providing the most precise and authentic account of his biography and career.
Interviews, Videos, and Additional Resources:
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