Balalaika

Missing Infobox musical instrument / Maintenance / sound parameters example: template

The balalaika (Russian балалайка, Pl balalaikas or the Balalaika ) is a loud -like plucked instrument of Russian music. It has three strings and a triangular sound box with very little sound hole. In the West, the balalaika is known primarily as a characteristic instrument of Russian folk music, in Russia it is also considered a full-fledged instrument of classical music, which can be studied at universities like the guitar.

• 3.1 Prima
• 3.2 Secunda and old
• 3.3 bass and double bass

Variants and architectural styles

As with all stringed instruments, there is a balalaika from a corpus, the neck and the head with the mechanics. For the body, there are two methods of construction:

• The Passierbskij style in which the corpus of seven segments. In this way, the first chromatic Balalaika were built.
• The Nalimoff style: Here, the corpus consists of six segments. In this way the majority of today's balalaikas is built.

Moreover, there is mainly at the primary - Balalaika a number of variations:

• Concert instruments have up to 30 frets, the top six but only for the A-string. The fingerboard is then pulled to the middle of the sound hole.
• Folk instruments are simpler in construction: There are only 16 frets and thus a correspondingly narrower range. Also, the pickguard is missing.

Prim - Balalaika is also available in a form for double. These then have six strings and a fuller sound, but the mood is the same. Bass and subcontrabass the balalaika have a sting in which they are because of their size.

In the Soviet Union, most of the Balalaika was built in two factories: Lunacharsky in St. Petersburg laid emphasis on lighter tones and Experimental Well in Moscow, which have a dark, fuller sound. Rich embellishments such as painting are an indication of a souvenir instrument in which little attention was paid to a good sound.

Vocal ranges and range

The modern balalaika is available in six vocal ranges: Piccolo, Prim, secondary, alto, bass and contrabass and subcontrabass. They come in balalaika orchestra used that Piccolo only in pure balalaika ensemble.

Overview of balalaikas

The Subkontrabassbalalaika has the same mood as the double bass, but achieved through a larger body of sound a fuller sound.

The strings are mixed at the three smallest forms from intestine ( today usually of nylon ) and steel, with the larger of steel and unwrapped steel.

Playing style and techniques

A characteristic technique of Balalaikaspiels is to grab the low strings from above with the left thumb ( especially when playing chords ). This makes it possible to play with constant fingering both the melody and one to discordant voice that follows the melody in the distance of a third. Whenever the thumb grips the two lower strings, the other four fingers to play the melody run without interference. Thus, with slower passages each melody harmonize with faster passages every second or fourth.

Fine

The most important playing techniques on the Balalaika Prima are:

• The Strichspielart: With the tip of the right index finger is up evenly across all the strings and beaten down
• The tremolo is also performed, only faster
• Pizzicato runs down with the thumb and the index finger upwards

The vibrato, which is carried out with the edge of the right hand underneath the bar, the left hand pizzicato and glissando and flageolets found a rich repertoire of expressive possibilities.

Secunda and old

Here, for single notes of thumb, used for chords of the index finger or a plectrum. These sizes are only in Balalaikorchester for accompanying functions are used.

Bass and double bass

The largest instruments of Balalaikafamilie be played with a plectrum made of shoe leather. In the orchestra, they form the sound basis, but they are also in small ensembles such as a trio of Prim and bass and bayan, the Russian accordion, used.

History

Probably was taken by the Mongols from Central Asia to Russia ( original ) balalaika. Similar to these instruments, so show early representations of the balalaika with two to six strings. The early Balalaika were provided with movable frets, as today is customary in the Saz. Over the centuries, the balalaika developed their characteristic triangular body and got a shorter neck.

The balalaika was for centuries a popular instrument on the Russian land, especially in the skomorokhi, a kind of traveling entertainers who took the Tsar, the Russian Church and society on the grain. For this reason, the balalaika had been repeatedly banned.

In the late 19th century, the Russian nobleman Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev started to standardize the balalaika for use in the orchestra. He developed the various parameters and their moods as they are used today. Andreyev also brought two other ancient Russian instruments into use again: domra, a three-stringed melody instrument and the Gusli, a board zither with triangular or trapezoidal body.