Balalaika
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The Balalaika is a three-stringed Russian folk lute with a slim, fretted neck. Its unusual, triangular body gives the instrument an unmistakable shape, and its attractive, tinkling sound is just as distinctive. It is used as a solo instrument to accompany song and dance, and also in large balalaika ensembles and orchestras.
| Family |
| Strings |
| Pitch range |
| About one-and-a-half octaves. |
| Material |
| Wooden body with steel, gut, or nylon strings. |
| Size |
| Variable : this example is 26 in (66 cm) long and 15 in (39 cm) wide. |
| Origins |
| The balalaika evolved from the dombra, an early Russian folk lute, and was refined in the 1880s. |
| Classification |
| Chordophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of strings. |
| And also... |
| The largest balalaika, the contrabass, is huge ; it even has a spike at one corner, like a double bass, to rest the weight of the instrument on the floor. |
