<p>Funny as it may sound, I was introduced to balalaika, an interesting stringed musical instrument that has its origin in Russia, while watching the film Doctor Zhivago. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Struck by curiosity, I researched about this stringed instrument, only to learn that it has a history dating back to the 17th century. Now, doesn’t it make it the grandfather of stringed instruments? Well, let me share a few nuggets about this guitar of sorts.<br /><br />Balalaika has a triangular body and three strings, and comes in various sizes. While the pitch varies according to the size of the instrument, the variety itself is mind-boggling — piccolo, prima, secunda, alto, bass and contrabass balalaika. While prima balalaika is the most common of all, piccolo balalaika is the rarest. <br /><br />Generally played with fingers or using a plectrum, these instruments are made of fir, spruce, maple or evergreen wood. The strings were originally made of gut, however, today, nylon strings have replaced gut, I was told.<br /><br />The specifics of the instrument’s origin are unclear. However, the common belief is that it is a take on an instrument from the Caucasus region of Russia, named Domra. <br /><br />Its similarity to the Kazakh domra and Mongolian topshur also gives some indications of its origin. <br /><br />The credit for making balalaikas popular is always given to professional violinist Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev, who worked with violin maker V Ivanov to develop the standard form of balalaika. He also made it a point to play it in all his concerts, accounting for its popularity. Further research even brought up the name Alexey Arkhipovsky, known better as the ‘modern-day balalaika player’, as the solo performer of balalaika.<br /><br />That balalaika is famous outside Russia is evident from the fact that our very own A R Rahman has used it while composing music for the Tamil film Sivaji! <br /><br />The music for last year’s Oscar-winner The Grand Budapest Hotel is also filled with balalaikas. <br />Well, that’s balalaika for you.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Funny as it may sound, I was introduced to balalaika, an interesting stringed musical instrument that has its origin in Russia, while watching the film Doctor Zhivago. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Struck by curiosity, I researched about this stringed instrument, only to learn that it has a history dating back to the 17th century. Now, doesn’t it make it the grandfather of stringed instruments? Well, let me share a few nuggets about this guitar of sorts.<br /><br />Balalaika has a triangular body and three strings, and comes in various sizes. While the pitch varies according to the size of the instrument, the variety itself is mind-boggling — piccolo, prima, secunda, alto, bass and contrabass balalaika. While prima balalaika is the most common of all, piccolo balalaika is the rarest. <br /><br />Generally played with fingers or using a plectrum, these instruments are made of fir, spruce, maple or evergreen wood. The strings were originally made of gut, however, today, nylon strings have replaced gut, I was told.<br /><br />The specifics of the instrument’s origin are unclear. However, the common belief is that it is a take on an instrument from the Caucasus region of Russia, named Domra. <br /><br />Its similarity to the Kazakh domra and Mongolian topshur also gives some indications of its origin. <br /><br />The credit for making balalaikas popular is always given to professional violinist Vasily Vasilievich Andreyev, who worked with violin maker V Ivanov to develop the standard form of balalaika. He also made it a point to play it in all his concerts, accounting for its popularity. Further research even brought up the name Alexey Arkhipovsky, known better as the ‘modern-day balalaika player’, as the solo performer of balalaika.<br /><br />That balalaika is famous outside Russia is evident from the fact that our very own A R Rahman has used it while composing music for the Tamil film Sivaji! <br /><br />The music for last year’s Oscar-winner The Grand Budapest Hotel is also filled with balalaikas. <br />Well, that’s balalaika for you.<br /><br /></p>
