Two young brothers Siyabend Güler (10) and Semend Güler (8) living in Turkey’s eastern province of Van (Wan) love to play the traditional double reeded wind instrument, the Mey. As they begin to play in a street corner in the İpek Yolu (Rêya Armûşê) district, crowds gather around them to listen.
They are also interested in other woodwind instruments such as the Kaval (Described as the ‘father of the flute’ and often played by shepards in Anatolia). Having acquired this interest in music from their family members, the two young brothers have learned to play the Mey with no formal education as such.
Siyabend, the big brother, is very keen on the works of the Yazidi Kurdish Kaval master Egîdê Cimo, who played an important role in the preservation of Kurdish culture and who died in 2019 in Armenia at the age of 87, and for the last two years Siyabend has been focused on his works, ANF reports.
“I feel so peaceful when I play the Kaval and Mey. I love this art. I learnt this art from my father two years ago. I especially like to play Egîdê Cimo’s works and the songs of Radio Yerevan,” he said.
Siyabend’s biggest dream is to be a legend like Egîdê Cimo. Siyabend and his father Çetin Güler will continue to travel from city to city and to perform their music on the streets.