The alboka is a double hornpipe or clarinet native to the Basque Country.
Although the alboka is a woodwind instrument, its name is derived from the Arabic "al-bûq" (literally "the trumpet" or "the horn"). Though long identified with the Basque people, according to some scholars the instrument was originally native to Asia and may have been brought into Iberia by the Arab conquest. It was evidently already established in Spain by the time of the 13th-century "Poema de Alexandre," in which it is mentioned by name, and there are apparent representations of the instrument in surviving medieval sculptural church decorations. musicalinstruments-list.blogspot.com
Playing the Alboka requires circular breathing to sustain a tune similar to a bagpipe. Whereas the bagpiper blows air into a bag then presses the bag to make the tune, the alboka player has to turn his/her mouth into that bag.
That is where circular breathing comes into play: you have to be able to blow air into your mouth while simultaneously blowing it out into the instrument. To see how hard this is, give it a try with a glass of water and a straw. Keep blowing constant bubbles while still filling your cheeks with air.
Videos
Playing Alboka Video
How To Make An Alboka Video
Photos
Alboka Pictures
Sources: Wikipedia.org / Nabasque.org
