Gusli: description and varieties

Despite the fact that the balalaika is usually called the symbol of Russia, the gusl has a much more ancient history: the first memories of this musical instrument date back to the 6th century. The popularity of an integral part of folk culture continues to this day.

Gusli is a stringed musical instrument, widespread in Russia. They look like a small flat box with a resonator cavity inside, above which there are fixed strings in an average of 5 to 20 pieces. The body of the instrument is still made from a variety of wood species. The gusli sound very original - their gentle, rich and melodic "voice" is able to depict everything: from the ringing of bells to the murmur of a stream.

The source of the sound of a folk instrument is flexible strings, each of which is tuned to its own pitch. By the way, the tighter the thread is pulled, the higher it sounds. It is allowed to touch them both simply with your fingers and with a pick. This device may vary in shape, number of strings, dimensions and tuning. It is worth mentioning that the harp, cithara, lyre and psaltery can be attributed to the gusle-string bow relatives of gusli.

It is believed that the gusli appeared due to the unusual properties of the bowstring of a hunting bow - that, being strongly stretched, made a pleasant sound. There is even a theory that it was originally called "gusloy". It is difficult to say who first came up with the idea of ​​attaching it to a wooden hollow box with the ability to resonate. Nevertheless, this marked the beginning of the musical instrument we are accustomed to.One of the first mentions of the psaltery dates back to the end of the 6th century: the Byzantines in their letters admired the game of the Russians on devices resembling citharas.

In Russia, the harp was used very actively. Slavic musicians performed at the holidays, to their accompaniment fairy tales were told, dances were arranged, even fistfights were held. Everyone preferred to listen to the music of the guslars: from peasants to tsars. The old harp was usually made of spruce or maple, and the strings were always made of metal for a particularly bright sound.

From the 15th to the 18th centuries, on Russian lands, buffoons found special love, who also played this folk musical instrument. However, from the middle of the 17th century, persecution began against the artists who periodically made fun of the church and those in power. They were exiled and even executed, and musical instruments, including the psaltery, were not just banned, but destroyed. Punitive measures were canceled only with the accession to the throne of Peter I. Nevertheless, when Russia opened a window to Europe, the salons of the nobility were filled with fashionable instruments of European states, for example: the harp and harpsichord. The peasants and the lower classes remained faithful to their beloved gusli.

Under Catherine II, table-shaped gusli were created, the sound of which was considered even better than that of the harpsichord. The folk device was increasingly used for the performance of Italian arias and partitas. The development of the instrument continued actively until the middle of the 19th century, after which it rather quickly gave way to a short lull and subsequent revival. For example, in 1914 P. Fomin invented a new version of it - the keyboard gusli.

Modern harp can be made from softwood or hardwood. Spruce, pine and gray fir are suitable for producing sonorous sounds, and spruce, in general, has the highest resonance ability. Unfortunately, they do not differ in the duration of operation, since under the influence of the load, the strings lose their shape over time. An expensive beech holds the tuning pegs well, but gives a rather dull acoustics. Maple or sycamore, aka white maple, and alder are considered the best options. A deep and powerful sound is sometimes able to generate and oak, and in Siberia, cedar is quite often used.

It is customary to design the device either from a processed board, or from a wooden deck, split to fit the required dimensions. The most important characteristics of the selected material are the speed of sound propagation and the speed of decay, as well as the resonance capacity. Hardness and resilience are taken into account during the design of the body. When creating musical instruments, the presence of old wood that is several tens or even hundreds of years old is especially appreciated. The most skilled craftsmen even collect gusli from several such fragments of different breeds. Sounds in old wood decay faster, allowing for outstanding performance while playing.

The gusli design can be crushed or framed. The first is budgetary and does not require adhesive bonding, but the second, which is expensive, is more reliable and allows you to create rounded shapes. At the heart of any type of instrument are three key parts: the body, the string holder, and the tuning pegs. The frame consists of a pair of decks, one at the top and one at the bottom, held together by a frame. On the top deck, there must be a resonator hole, a steel plate with fasteners, a stand and a nut.

The hollow area allows you to amplify the sound and extend the span. The pins are required to secure the strings.The stand and sill, made of hard wood and containing a fret plate in the middle, determine the height level of the metal rods. The cylindrical tuners needed to position the strings are also made of metal. Their diameter is 0.7 centimeters, and their length does not go beyond 5-6 centimeters.

Bars of wood, called springs, are glued to both decks from the inside to increase resistance and even sound. The tailpiece is usually a metal bar or tube made of strong steel. In modern devices, strings are constructed from special grades of steel. They can differ in length and section from 0.30 millimeter to 0.70 millimeter. The scale of the gusli, that is, the working length of the string, is calculated individually for each model.

Modern gusli are wing-shaped or wing-shaped, helmet-shaped or helmet-shaped, lyre-shaped and stationary. Stationary, in turn, are subdivided into keyboards and plucked ones.

The winged gusli, popularly known as vernal or voiced, are considered the most popular today. Previously, nine-string and four-string models were most often created, but today the number of sounding threads can reach from 5 to 18. Today's musicians know how to tune the wing-shaped unit in 12 different ways. It is played primarily by right-handed rattling, although single-string plucking and tremolo are also possible. A special feature of the instrument is the presence of a thin opening that supports the left hand.

The body of the helmet-shaped gusli outwardly resembles a helmet, hence the name. Previously, they were known as the "psalter", as they were often sung in temples. The number of strings varies from 10 to 26, but models with 25 pieces are more common. You have to play the helmet-shaped instrument with two hands: the right one plucks out the main melody, and the left one is responsible for the chords. The device is preliminarily installed vertically on the knee of the player. This variety is especially popular with modern bards.

Lyre-shaped, or lyre-shaped, gusli have 5 strings and a so-called playing "window" for manipulating strings: plugging unnecessary ones or creating additional ones. During the game, the device has to be held vertically, placing the lower end on the knee or belt. On the back of it there is an opening, like a Scandinavian lyre, in which the player's hand is located. Today, the lyre variety is found only in museums and collectors.

The stationary gusli category combines keyboard and plucked models with a chromatic scale. Their peculiarity lies in fixing in a certain place to facilitate the game. Outwardly, the instrument can resemble a clavier, be table-shaped or rectangular. The musician can sit or stand near the set and use both hands to play.

The plucked harp looks like a steel frame on which strings are stretched in two levels. She, in turn, is fixed on a wooden base with legs. The range of the plucked variety matches the range of the keyboard. It should be played with two hands.

Key gusli, also known as concert harp, range in pitch from 4 to 6 octaves. The number of sounding rods on a device with keys is from 49 to 66, with the largest number being, as a rule, on orchestral models. The device is equipped with a special 12-key system, like a piano. When you press them, only those strings that need to sound become available.

Fans of modern technology with might and main enjoy electronic gusli with sound, although many guslars do not even take them seriously. Usually they are stylized as ethnic models and equipped with guitar tuners.

Academic, or voiced, usually means modified wing-shaped gusli: without a wing and with a lot of strings. They also have a special stand near the pegs. When playing with the left hand, plucking usually occurs in the background, and the right one leads the melody. Cross psaltery was developed in the middle of the last century. They are an instrument with a very complex acoustic system, with large dimensions and 50 strings.

Before buying gusli, it makes sense to evaluate the sound of several of their varieties, at least: folk, academic and multi-string. You can do this without leaving your home by searching the Internet for videos with recordings of musicians. Further, it is worth deciding on the budget, because if the price of small children's gusli is usually limited to a couple of thousand, then in the case of some adults it is already about several tens of thousands. Each material used to create this musical instrument has both its pros and cons. The choice is also made between crushed and frame structures.

The size of the gusli is selected depending on the purpose of using the device. For beginners, a versatile instrument is more suitable, but for professional musicians, a sample with legs may be more convenient. Optionally, you can choose a device with an unusual shape of the sound hole, intarsia or pickup. Of all the varieties, the seven-stringed gusl is considered to be the most suitable for beginners.

The modern school of playing the harp allows you to play music both sitting and standing. In the first case, the instrument is usually suspended on a string or belt, and in the second, it is placed on slightly apart knees with a slight tilt towards the body. The upper corner is usually pressed to the chest. You need to sit on half of a chair with a suitable height with a straight posture, resting your feet on the floor. The device can also be simply laid on your lap or placed on a table. The fingers placed near the resonator hole are slightly bent.

Basically, you can also play the harp with a pick - a small oval plate made of bone or plastic with a pointed angle. Its length does not exceed 25 millimeters, and its width is 20 millimeters. You can touch the strings with both ends of the pick: a pointed one will produce a sharp sound, and a rounded one will produce a softer sound. Hold the assistive device between the first phalanges of the index and thumb of the right hand.

The first lessons in playing the instrument usually introduce you to a variety of techniques for making sounds. It is customary to receive rattling by alternately striking the strings up and down with a pick, and glissando - sliding it along the open strings. Arpeggio requires you to consistently play the sounds included in the chord: from low to high, or vice versa. Pizzicato is the playing of individual sounds or chords: you need to do this with plucking with your right or left hand. Finally, lightly hitting the strings up and down with the pick produces a tremolo.

The instrument is tuned in a major key according to its scale. It is convenient to use for this purpose a special program that recreates the chromatic tuner. The harp should always be tuned from the first (longest) string, that is, the note of G. Novice guslars are advised to start by researching which note sounds on which string, as well as memorizing its Latin designation.Also, in the first lessons, you memorize the chords that can be played on a particular instrument, and set your fingers to get them.

In order for the gusl to serve for a long time and without interruption, they must be kept at a temperature of 20 to 25 degrees. If temperature jumps are observed in the apartment, to which the wood reacts poorly, it is better to leave the instrument in a case or wardrobe trunk. The device should not be placed near a battery or in the sun by a window. In winter, bringing harp from frost to warmth, they need to be given time to get used to about half an hour or even an hour, and then go on to the game. The optimum moisture content, suitable for gusli, does not go beyond 50-60%. An increase in the indicator will lead to swelling of the wood, and a decrease in the occurrence of cracks.

Before playing the harp, it is recommended to thoroughly wash and dry your hands, and after playing, wipe the strings with a dry cloth. As the metal threads become dirty, it is recommended to treat them with a special agent. If necessary, the body of the tool is wiped with a dry cloth or moistened with the addition of a few drops of detergent. However, if the surface is coated with varnish, then it is categorically not recommended to do this - it is better to use special waxes and oils. A polish that can even smooth out microscopic cracks is also suitable.