3 STRING RUSSIAN GUITAR PROFESSIONAL

3 STRING RUSSIAN GUITAR PROFESSIONAL

Īmateur and/or souvenir-style prima balalaikas usually have a total of 16 frets, while in professional orchestra-like ones that number raises to 24. Today, nylon strings are commonly used in place of gut. The piccolo, prima, and secunda balalaikas were originally strung with gut with the thinnest melody string made of stainless steel. įour-string alto balalaikas are also encountered and are used in the orchestra of the Piatnistky Folk Choir. These have three double courses similar to the stringing of the mandolin and often use a 'guitar' tuning. ^ Secundas are often the same instrument as primas, just tuned to a lower pitch rangeįactory-made six-string prima balalaikas with three sets of double courses are also common.^ a b c d e Members of the modern balalaika orchestra.īalalaikas have been made in the following sizes: Name The folk (pre-Andreev) tunings D 4–F ♯ 4–A 4 and C 4–E 4–G 4 were very popular, as this makes it easier to play certain riffs. It can also be tuned to E 4–A 4–D 5, like its cousin, the domra, to make it easier for those trained on the domra to play the instrument, and still have a balalaika sound. Sometimes the balalaika is tuned 'guitar style' by folk musicians to G 3–B 3–D 4 (mimicking the three highest strings of the Russian guitar), whereby it is easier to play for Russian guitar players, although classically trained balalaika purists avoid this tuning.

The most common solo instrument is the prima, which is tuned E 4–E 4–A 4 (thus the two lower strings are tuned to the same pitch). 'Balalaika' also appears in Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls, written between 18. It made its way into literature and first appeared in 'Elysei', a 1771 poem by V. In the Ukrainian language the word was first documented in the 18th century as 'balabaika' this form is also present in South Russian dialects and the Belarusian language, as well as in Siberian Russia. It is also mentioned in a document dated 1714 and signed by Peter the Great regarding the wedding celebrations of N.M. Another appearance of the word is registered in a document from the Verkhotursky district of Russia, dated October 1700. The earliest mention of the term balalaika dates back to a 1688 Russian document. The rare piccolo instrument is usually played with a pick. The prima balalaika, secunda and alto are played either with the fingers or a plectrum (pick), depending on the music being played, and the bass and contrabass (equipped with extension legs that rest on the floor) are played with leather plectra. All have three-sided bodies spruce, evergreen, or fir tops and backs made of three to nine wooden sections (usually maple). There have also been descant and tenor balalaikas, but these are considered obsolete. The prima balalaika is the most common the piccolo is rare. There are balalaika orchestras which consist solely of different balalaikas these ensembles typically play Classical music that has been arranged for balalaikas. The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest: the piccolo balalaika, prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass balalaika, and contrabass balalaika. Balalaikas are often used for Russian folk music and dancing. The instrument generally has a short sustain, necessitating rapid strumming or plucking when it is used to play melodies. The higher-pitched balalaikas are used to play melodies and chords. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third string is a perfect fourth higher. The balalaika (Russian: балала́йка, pronounced ) is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck and three strings.

3 string russian guitar