All about the musical instrument komuz
Komuz is currently considered the most popular and revered of the folk musical instruments among the Kyrgyz. And it is not for nothing that his image is present in the national currency of the Kyrgyz Republic - on a 1 som banknote.
What it is?
Komuz is a rather unique and very ancient stringed musical instrument of the Kyrgyz people, belonging to the string-plucked family.... It has a pear-shaped body and a long thin neck with a head, on which 3 strings are attached at one end in pegs. The other ends of the strings are mounted in a tailpiece mounted on the body of the instrument.
The design of the komuz is devoid of sophistication and special difficulties: both the body and the neck with the head are usually cut out from a single piece of a local woody plant suitable for this purpose (apricot tree, juniper, walnut, juniper or apricot). In the part of the body, the width of which is about 200 mm, wood is hollowed out along the relief of its final shape to create a hollow space. A deck cut from a thin wooden material like plywood is superimposed on top and fixed with a special glue. A through hole (sometimes several) of a small diameter is drilled in the deck under the middle string in the center of the body. As a result, the hollow body acquires an acoustic characteristic.
A small recess is also cut in the neck, into which the fretboard is inserted. Holes are drilled in the head for wooden pegs, grooves are cut for the nut and strings.
The komuz neck has no sills, that is, it is fretlesslike a violin or cello. However, this also has its advantages.
On a fretless fretboard, you can get sounds that are spaced apart in pitch from each other not only in a standard semitone, like on a piano, accordion, mandolin and guitar, but also in 1/4 tone. They can be used to expand the capabilities of the tool.
These sounds can hardly be used as the main ones (the human ear is not ready for such music, attempts have already been made), but in some cases they are quite suitable for decorating normal notes (like grace notes or other melismas). Neck width averages 30 mm, maximum 40 mm.
There is a filly - a string stand that acts as a saddle... The total length of the tool is no more than 1 m (mostly 900 mm). The scale is strictly calculated by the master, since an error of even 2-3 mm will lead to the fact that the komuz will not build. An interesting fact is that the instrument has only one melodic string on which the melody is played., and the other two are drums, that is, they create a monotonous continuous sound background for the melodic line of the composition.
The history of the musical instrument
Now it is difficult to determine the more or less exact age of the komuz, but the first documentary mentions of a similar instrument were made in 2 centuries BC. NS. That is This musical instrument among the Kyrgyz has existed for at least 22 centuries, and today it remains popular at the level of professionals and among musicians in everyday life.
Komuz is an obligatory instrument in national musical ensembles engaged in Kyrgyz folk art, professional solo komuzists (komuzchi) perform with it, original musicians play it at various festive social or family events.
Until now, komuz are made by hand by local craftsmen., and it is almost impossible to find such a product in stores. In some regions of Kyrgyzstan, the appearance and dimensions of the manufactured tools may differ. And in the south of the country, komuz is even called differently - "chertmek", which came from the words "click", "knock"... The instrument owes this name to certain techniques of playing with the right hand: intense and varied strikes on the strings with the right palm or fingers, alternating with various ways of muffling the strings, reminiscent of clicking.
How does it sound?
As noted above, komuz has only 3 strings... Earlier, the strings were the veins or intestines of animals, much later they began to be made from silk threads. Nowadays, thick fishing line is mainly used for their manufacture..
The ordinal count of the strings is carried out by some masters and musicians from bottom to top, while by others - from top to bottom. True, this does not really matter, since the extreme strings in traditional types of tuning sound either the same note, or with an interval of one tone between themselves... The second (middle) string in any kind of tuning of the outer strings has a small octave "A" sound. Bourdons sound one fourth or fifth lower ("mi"Or"re»Small octave).
The notes are recorded one octave higher than the actual sound of the instrument on the stave in the treble clef.
Below are the options for the standard komuz setup:
It should be noted that the most popular among the performers of Kyrgyz music in komuz is the first version of the four given.
The actual sounds of the open strings in this tuning are as follows:
- string number 1 – «re»A small octave (do not forget that the musical notation of the sounds of komuz is one octave higher);
- string number 2 – «la»Small octave;
- string number 4 – «mi»Small octave.
The full range of the instrument in this tuning is one and a half octaves - from the note "D" of a small octave to the note "A" of the first octave in real sound... This is quite enough for building basic chords in all possible keys.
The timbre variety of the komuz can vary depending on the scale and characteristics of the game, from soft refined chamber sounds to powerful and full-sounding harmonic constructions. The constant presence of percussive background sounding of bourdons, on which the melodic line of the composition develops, is the main feature of the music of this instrument.... The harmonious influence of such music on the feelings of the listeners is especially acutely felt during the performance of the komuz ensemble. The sound of one instrument is not loud enough - it is certainly designed for a small and quiet audience (for example, at home with a family).
Technique of the game
The komuz is played traditionally while sitting, but an experienced musician will not find it difficult to play in a standing position. Hold the instrument with the neckline either horizontally or at an angle of up to 30 degrees. The left hand performs the clamping of the strings in chords and finger play of individual sounds, and the right hand "makes" the strings sound by means of finger plucking or rhythmic strikes on them with the whole hand or with individual fingers.
In addition, there are playing techniques known from other stringed musical instruments.
For example, maybe:
- play harmonics, like a guitar or mandolin, only touching the strings (and not pinching them) in certain places on the neck;
- perform a guitar trick called "barre" to get chords;
- knock on the body with your fingers, imitating percussion;
- carry out the following techniques: pizzicato, rattling on strings, tremolo, vibrato and much more.
In support of these words, you can watch a video, in which the professionalism of the members of the female ensemble is amazing, mastering the virtuoso techniques of playing the komuz and, in addition, it seems, the techniques of juggling.
