Detvian fujara (pastoral fujara, Slovak fujara, fujara)

At about 2 metres in length, fujara is the largest of yhe class of instruments known as pipes. It consists of the main pipe, usually made of elderberry wood (Sambucus nigra), 3-10 cm in diameter, but sometimes other kinds of wood are used. It has three finger holes, a mouth hole located in the additional shorter pipe. The additional pipe is connected to the main one by a short connecting element, also made of wood. The holes in all the wooden elements are drilled or burned out, and the elements are never made of two carved halves. The air is blown into the instrument through a wooden, removable mouthpiece which is installed right before the performance. The two main pipes are usually tied together with a leather string but sometimes metal aglets are used. The instrument is held in a vertical position.

Fujaras are frequently decorated with colourful cuts and carved plant ornaments. Incrustation with copper or brass elements is a less popular and more sophisticated technique of decoration. The style and details of the decoration are characteristic of each producer's individual style.

The Detvian fujara is endemic in the central Slovakian massive of Poliana and it is from this region that it has spread all over Slovakia in the recent years. The kind of wood used and the time it is cut are specified by the tradition. The musicians have a very personal relation to the fujara and it was originally played as a solo instrument used for contemplating sound in the natural environment. This is partly due to its exceptional melodiousness of its overblown sounds, rich in overtones. The fujara has been included in the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.