Roughly speaking, a musical instrument can be called anything that can produce a sound more or less pleasant to the human ear: a spoon, a knife, a saw, sticks, and so on. But still, we are accustomed to more or less standardized devices. The largest is the organ - a huge piano with a complex system of pipes that produces sounds of high power and a wide range. But which musical instrument is the smallest? Let's figure it out.

Harmonica is a tool that can easily fit in your pocket. This is a plus: you can always have it with you, which harpers – people who professionally play this unusual instrument – ​​enjoy using.

Despite its apparent frivolity, the harmonica is often included in blues, jazz and even rock compositions. Many Russian musicians For example, Boris Grebenshchikov, Sergei Chigrakov, Vladimir Shakhrin and many others play it well.

The smallest harmonica “Little Lady” had a length of 5 centimeters and a thickness of 1.5. It was made in Germany in the 90s of the 19th century, but it has survived to this day.

In the minds of most musicians, the harmonica is a frivolous, folk or even amateur instrument. A triangle is a different matter. Despite its apparent simplicity, even primitiveness, it has a strong and bright sound. The triangle part, no matter how funny it may sound, is included in many classical works.

For example, “Anita’s Dance” from Grieg’s drama “Peer Gynt” and the overture to “William Tell” are incomplete without the sound of the triangle. It was used by Beethoven, Mozart, Hayden and many other composers. And Liszt even wrote a work that musicians call the “Concerto for a triangle” - Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra. In it, this frivolous instrument plays a very serious role.

The flute itself is miniature, and the piccolo is also called a small flute. This miniature instrument has a high but pleasant sound. She can often be found in symphony orchestras, but the little girl is rarely given the leading role; more often she simply complements other instruments. Vivaldi, Shostakovich, Ravel appreciated the delicate beauty of this instrument.

A child's play whistle, in skillful hands, turns into a musical instrument with a bright and rich sound. Traditional folk art is usually made from wood, clay and now plastic. Interestingly, a wide range of sounds can be produced from the same whistle simply by pouring a little water inside. Then the whistle turns into deep trills.

This simple and unpretentious musical instrument cannot be found in symphony orchestras, but folk groups they are happy to insert them, adding an authentic sound.

The tools we listed above are miniature in themselves. Of course, if you wish, you can make the triangle smaller, but they have their own standards and must obey them. But there are instruments that have become so tiny by the will of their creators.

For example, Dustin Carr and Harold Craidhead from the Department of Nanotechnology at Cornell University presented a nanoguitar to the public. It has a total length of about 10 micrometers, the strings are about 10 atoms in diameter. Nevertheless, it plays, however, you can crush it with your finger without even noticing it, so you have to use a laser beam. The guitar makes sounds, but the human ear cannot hear them; amplifiers have to be used.

Nanoharp

To say that this is just a small musical instrument is to say nothing. To make it, they took a silicon crystal, on which they etched the tool. The diameter of the strings is truly nano - 50 nanometers. They produce a sound of 380 million hertz. It is played in the same way as a nanoguitar – with a laser beam.

In addition to miniature and ultra-technological nanotoys, there is a third category - smaller copies of conventional tools. One of them is a piccolo saxophone that will fit on your dinner plate. Its length is 30 centimeters. This is especially noteworthy given that the saxophone is considered one of the the most complex instruments. To replicate it in miniature is a real feat.

In 2006, Sega Toys Co presented an unusual musical instrument, a piano weighing 2 kilograms. It, as expected, has 88 keys, each of which is 4 millimeters wide. It is incredibly difficult to play, and the sound is also not very familiar. But you don’t need movers to carry such a piano.

The string-bow group (double bass, viola, cello and violin) greatly depends on the size of the body, because it resonates and reflects sound. Some masters like to experiment with size and shape, achieving an unusual sound. But in 1973, Eric Massner took far from extreme measures: he created an instrument 41 millimeters long. Surprisingly, this cello replicates a regular cello in everything; it can even play, albeit in a very high range.

The quality of a tool does not necessarily depend on its size, and the ones we found are direct confirmation of this.

An ancient Greek legend says that the first musical instrument was created by the god Pan, who was walking in the forest near a river, picked a reed and began to blow into it. It turned out that the reed tube was capable of producing enchanting sounds that formed beautiful melodies. Pan cut several branches of reeds and connected them together, creating the first instrument - the prototype of the flute.

Thus, the ancient Greeks believed that the first musical instrument was the flute. Perhaps this is so - at least it is the oldest tool recorded by researchers. Its oldest specimen was found in southern Germany, in the Holy Fels cave, where excavations of a prehistoric human settlement are being carried out. In total, three flutes were found in this place, carved from tusk and having several holes. Archaeologists also discovered fragments that apparently belonged to the same flutes. Radiocarbon dating helped determine the age of these instruments, and the oldest was dated to the 40th millennium BC. So far this is the oldest instrument that has been found on Earth, but it is possible that other specimens simply have not survived to this day.

Similar flutes and pipes were found in Hungary and Moldova, but they were made in the 25-22 thousand years BC.

Candidates for the title of the most ancient musical instruments

Although the flute is still considered the most ancient musical instrument, it is possible that in fact the first to be made was a drum or any other device. For example, Australian Aborigines are confident that their national instrument called the didgeridoo is the oldest, its history goes deep into the history of the indigenous population of this continent, which, according to scientists, ranges from 40 to 70 thousand years. Thus, it is quite possible that the didgeridoo really is the oldest instrument. It is an impressive piece of eucalyptus trunk, in some cases reaching three meters in length, with a hollow core eaten away by termites.

Since didgeridoos are always cut from different trunks with different shapes, their sounds are never the same.

The oldest drums found date back to just the fifth millennium BC, but scientists believe it is one of the most likely candidates for the title of the first musical instrument. Its long history is evidenced by both the wide variety of types of modern drums and their almost ubiquitous distribution, as well as the simple and uncomplicated design that would have allowed even the most ancient ancestors of people to play melodies with the help of simple devices. In addition, it has been proven that in many cultures, drum music was a very important part of life: it accompanied all holidays, weddings, funerals, and wars.

People have discovered the enchanting sounds of music since ancient times. IN ancient greek myths Both gods and mortals mastered the art of playing various musical instruments. Not a single feast was complete without pipes, timbrels and flutes, which brightened up the celebrations of kings and simple peasants. But what instrument is the most ancient on Earth?

The first musical instruments

Archaeologists were the first to talk about the existence of musical instruments in ancient times, finding pipes, tweeters and other objects for playing music in almost all excavations. Moreover, similar finds were discovered in those territories where archaeologists managed to excavate sites of primitive people.

Some found musical instruments archaeologists refer to the era Upper Paleolithic– in other words, these instruments appeared 22-25 thousand years BC.

In addition, ancient people knew how not only to make musical instruments, but also music for them, recording musical notation on clay tablets. The oldest musical notation to date was written in the 18th century BC. Archaeologists found it in the Sumerian city of Nippur they excavated, which was once located in the territory of modern Iraq. University of California scientists who deciphered the music tablet in 1974 said it contained the words and music of an Assyrian love ballad for string lyre.

The most ancient musical instrument

In 2009, archaeologists discovered in one of the caves located in southwestern Germany the remains of a tool that strongly resembles a modern one. Analyzes and studies have shown that age ancient flute is more than 35 thousand years old. Five perfectly round holes were made in the body of the flute, which should be closed with the fingers when playing, and at its ends there were two deep V-shaped cuts.

The length of the musical instrument was 21.8 centimeters, and the thickness was only 8 millimeters.

The material from which the flute was made turned out to be not wood, but a bird's wing. This instrument is by far the oldest, but not the first in the history of archaeological finds - bone pipes, hollow animal horns, shell pipes, stone and wooden rattles, as well as drums made from animal skins have also been repeatedly found at excavations.

There are many legends about the origin of music. The ancient Greeks believed that the great gods of Olympus gave it to them, but modern scientists have conducted a number of ethnographic and archaeological studies. As a result of these studies, it was found that the first music appeared in primitive society and was used as a lullaby to lull to sleep.

No one can say exactly when music began, but it is known that it has accompanied humanity since ancient times. Even at the dawn of civilization, three methods of musical sound production were identified: striking a sounding object, vibrating stretched string and blowing air into the hollow tube. This was the beginning of three types of musical instruments - percussion, strings and wind.

The very first wind instruments were hollow bones of various animals. For example, the most ancient one known to scientists - the Neanderthal pipe - is made from the bone of a cave bear. In its development wind instruments accepted different shapes, but different peoples observed common patterns in this process.

Pan Flute

Having learned to extract sound from a pipe (first bone, then wooden), a person wanted to diversify this sound. He noticed that pipes of different lengths made sounds different heights. The simplest (and therefore most ancient) solution was to tie together several different tubes and move this structure along the mouth.

Thus was born the instrument, best known by the Greek name syrinx, or the flute of Pan (according to Greek myth, it was created by the god Pan). But you should not think that only the Greeks had such a flute - among other peoples it existed under other names: ekuduchai in Lithuania, nai in Moldova, kugikly in Russia.

A distant descendant of this flute is such a complex and majestic instrument as the organ.

Pipe and flute

To produce sounds of different heights, it is not necessary to take several tubes; you can change the length of one by making holes on it and blocking them with your fingers in certain combinations. This is how an instrument was born, which among the Russians was called the flute, among the Belarusians - the pipe, among the Belarusians - the sopilka, among the Moldovans - the fluer.

All these instruments are held across the face, this is called a “longitudinal flute,” but there was another design: the hole into which air is blown is located in the same plane as the finger holes. Such a flute - transverse - was developed in academic music, modern flute goes back to her. And the “descendant” of the pipe – the recorder – is not part of the symphony orchestra, although it is used in academic music.

Zhaleika

The instruments discussed above are among the whistling ones, but there is also a more complex design: the instrument is equipped with a bell into which a reed is inserted - a thin plate (originally made of birch bark), the vibration of which makes the sound louder and changes its timbre.

This design is typical for the Russian pity, the Chinese sheng. There were similar tools in Western Europe, modern classical oboe and clarinet go back to them.

Horn

Another design option for a wind instrument is additional detail, in contact with the musician’s lips, mouthpiece. This is typical for a horn.

The horn is usually associated with the work of a shepherd. Indeed, the shepherds used horns, because the sound of this instrument is quite strong and can be heard at a great distance. This is facilitated by the conical shape.

This is just a small part of the diversity that wind instruments represent. different nations.

Video on the topic

Sources:

• Vasiliev Yu., Shirokov A. Stories about Russian folk instruments

Tip 4: Which musical instruments are considered folk instruments

Folk instruments are an integral part traditional culture of one country or another, however, in order to understand what instruments can be considered folk, it is necessary to turn to history and folk music.

People not only invented and improved musical instruments, they also tried to increase and decrease their size. And if the smallest musical instrument can also produce any sounds, then there will be many who want to get acquainted with it.

The smallest piano

The Sega Toys company released a miniature piano in 2006, which weighs 2.5 kilograms. This is the smallest keyboard instrument, on which you can perform musical composition. The width of each key is 4 mm, and there are 88 of them in total.

The smallest guitar

At Cornell University in New York, the department of nanotechnology created a guitar made of silicon measuring 10 microns (the length of a blood cell). It contains 6 strings, each 50 nanometers thick, and you can even play it, albeit with a laser beam.

The smallest accordion

Hochner company with early XIX century has been mass-producing harmonicas in the form of a keychain. It is called “Little Lady”, contains only 4 holes and has a range of 1 octave. Its length is 5 cm and its width is 15 mm.

The smallest violin

Here, masters from all over the world staged a whole competition and the record is constantly changing downwards. The Chinese master Chen, working for 7 years, created a 2-centimeter violin, and before that there was an instrument 3.5 cm long. It is made of maple, is fully working, all parts are made using real technology - it’s just difficult to understand how you can play it. But those who are interested in active sports can learn the rules of airsoft - clearly, briefly, quickly and go play their favorite game.

American miniaturist David Edwards broke his record by creating a 1.5 cm violin. It is a copy of Stradivari's creations and costs only £1,000.

Ukrainian master Mikhail Maslyuk from Zhmerinka sculpted a violin 11.5 mm high back in the 80s. Only on a penny coin there will be 5 of them.

Nikolay Sryadisty, a resident of Kyiv, constantly competed with Maslyuk and created a violin that fits in the eye of a needle and has a size of 3.5 mm. It completely copies the famous Stradivarius violin and consists of 50 parts.

The smallest balalaika

The same story happened with the balalaika. First, Maslyuk made a musical instrument the size of a poppy seed. Sryadisty placed the balalaika in a case, and it in a poppy shell. Zhmerinsky’s “left-handed artist” created a musician sitting on a chair, playing the balalaika and looking at the music stand - and all this in a poppy shell.

Micronium

At the Dutch Trent University in Enschede, a group of students invented a device using microcircuit technology. The instrument consists of strings, each up to 1 mm long and several micrometers thick (ten times thinner than a human hair). Small combs and weights are fixed on these strings. By controlling them from a computer, sound vibrations can be generated using electrostatic force.

The vibrations themselves are only a few micrometers long, but the computer amplifies the sound so that the human ear can distinguish it. Each chip contains a specific tonality, and several hundred are capable of reproducing an entire musical orchestra.

Students have already performed a special composition “Improvisation for Micronium” on it. When creating the world's smallest musical instrument, they tried to achieve complete sterility, and then the device was placed in a vacuum so that no dust particles would affect the sound quality.

In addition to the world record for “the smallest musical instrument,” this device can be considered the beginning of the era of nanotechnology in music - any sound generated by the instrument is not without noise and linear distortions in the recording, and those born in a vacuum will be reproduced an order of magnitude cleaner.

If a child shows from childhood musical abilities and dreams of a career as a professional musician, then there is no need to grab your head and predict a life in complete poverty. Modern industry holidays allow not only “star” musicians to earn good money. But a lot depends on the musical specialization and the “money” of the instrument.

Who are the richest musicians in the world?

They earn tens, hundreds of millions of dollars a year and lead the life of an average oligarch who buys yachts and islands (for example, the fortune of Sting and Mick Jagger is estimated at approximately $300 million, Madonna - $650 million, Paul McCartney - $800 million. $, Bono - $1 billion, etc.).

The ability to compose beautiful, memorable, hit songs and perform them in a well-recognized voice is the main source of wealth and millions in royalties for world music celebrities. And the best, “monetary” and “rich” musical instrument, coupled with original author’s creativity, is, of course, the human voice.

Unfortunately, classic and jazz musicians earn hundreds, thousands of times less than pop stars (although the fortune of the famous Russian violist Yuri Bashmet is estimated at $3 million, but this is rather the exception than the rule). Almost all the money in this industry is concentrated in pop music.

Therefore, if your child loves to sing since childhood, and adolescence starts writing songs in a pop-rock style, and he has real talent, then this is the most Right way climb on musical Olympus, including financially.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, only a few of those who write songs in their youth achieve this. But nothing prevents your teenager from trying himself in this direction if he has a great desire to engage in original music.

You just need to take into account that in Russia, unlike Europe and the USA, where sometimes it is enough to write one hit song in order to then lead a comfortable life at the expense of numerous royalties, it is almost impossible to make money from musical content.

The main bread of musicians in Russia is concerts. Particularly gifted people also make money by composing music for commercials and films.

There is no need to force your child to learn notes and enroll in music universities.

If you carefully study the biographies of famous pop-rock musicians, you will find out that most of them never studied music in any way. educational institutions, and did not know notes (for example, the greatest melodists and composers of the 20th century, Paul McCartney and John Lennon, were not familiar with musical notation). But this did not stop them from achieving great success in the musical field. They simply followed their talent, and learned music through practice, not theory.

Therefore, there is no need to require a child who is interested in music and composes songs to necessarily enroll in some music universities and study musical notation. The number of self-taught people who have achieved great success in the field of pop-rock music significantly exceeds the number of those who studied the world's greatest art in special institutions.

Which musicians are most valued in Russia?

Unfortunately, in the Russian music industry, what is most valued is not original talent, but money and “publicity.” Therefore, the largest fees in Russia are earned by those musicians who appear most often on television (Grigory Leps, Stas Mikhailov, Philip Kirkorov, Nikolai Baskov, Dima Bilan and others) and those into whom producers pump the most money.

But nothing prevents your child from singing in English in the future so that his talents can be noticed at the international level, since he is not able to do this at home, where completely different things are valued. In any case, if a child has a talent for writing songs, this should be encouraged in every possible way, regardless of the presence or absence of external success and recognition of his creativity.

How do most graduates of music schools and conservatories make money from music in Russia?

But even if your child fails to reach big stage, this does not mean that he cannot make money from music. The modern event industry (the sphere of organizing and holding various festive, business and advertising events) provides great opportunity receive decent money to numerous graduates music schools, conservatories and simply talented self-taught musicians.

To do this, you need to perform popular songs and melodies at weddings, corporate events, anniversaries, presentations, in restaurants, cafes, shopping centers etc. You just need to choose the right “money” musical instrument, which is in demand in the event industry, both as a solo instrument and as part of a musical group.

The most “monetary” musical instrument is the voice

The most popular musical instrument at festive events is, of course, the human voice. Those with luxurious tones who can sing well can make decent money at weddings and corporate events, while spending on labor activity minimum time.

The only problem is that there are too many wedding singers and singers, and standing out among them in order to receive many orders for performances is not so easy. To do this, you need to find your niche, your repertoire and your customer. Then it will be possible to receive decent money for performing popular songs.

There is much less competition among wedding and corporate instrumentalists.
What musical instrument should a child choose in order to make decent money in the event industry?

Tenor saxophone - modern musical wedding king

If once upon a time the bayan was the main musical king at weddings, today the sound guidelines have shifted somewhat (although the bayan and its close relative the accordion are still in great demand at weddings in rural areas and small towns).

One of the most popular wedding instruments now is the saxophone, and in particular, the most euphonious and romantic tenor saxophone. The sharper-sounding alto saxophone is slightly less in demand in the event industry.

Sometimes we receive orders to perform compositions on soprano saxophone at weddings. The remaining members of the saxophone family (bass saxophone, double bass saxophone and baritone saxophone) do not appear at such events, although there are exceptions.

In any case, if your child thoroughly masters the tenor saxophone and learns to play popular melodies on it with a beautiful, luxurious, rich sound (which is actually not so difficult, since this is not improvisation or composing music), then he will have every chance successfully enter the event business. He will earn good money at weddings and corporate events, spending a minimum of working time on this.

For example, saxophonists I know who play at weddings, corporate events and presentations earn 50-60 thousand rubles, working only 8-10 hours a month! (one hour of their performance costs from 6 thousand rubles). For such a salary, many sales managers and office representatives have to sit through a whole month, working within the standard 40-hour work week.

Can you imagine how much free time you have? It is enough to play for an hour twice a week at a wedding or corporate event to lead a completely comfortable lifestyle. At the same time, you can still earn decent money by giving private saxophone lessons.

Other musicians who play wind instruments (flutists, clarinetists, trombonists, oboists, etc.) are much less fortunate. They are extremely rarely invited to weddings and corporate events, only if they are part of some musical group.

Violin - musical wedding queen

Among string instruments, the most popular in the event industry is, of course, the violin. This is a real musical queen of the wedding and corporate sphere. If the “sachs” are played mainly by men, then among wedding violinists there are many representatives of both sexes.

Other classics stringed instruments(cello, viola), most often, are invited to such events as part of string trios and quartets.

One of the most popular instruments in the world, the synthesizer, oddly enough, is not in great demand as a solo instrument at events. As a rule, pianists and keyboardists are invited to play as background music in cafes and restaurants, but not at weddings and corporate events.

Much more popular are “singing keyboardists” who know many popular songs and can fill pauses during the holidays with instrumental music.

The main instrument of pop-rock musicians is the guitar (both acoustic and electric), most often invited to holiday events as part of duets and musical groups, or as an accompaniment for a singer.

If your teenager plays in a rock band, then he can make decent money with it at weddings and corporate events, performing cover versions of popular songs. True, since the performance musical groups costs 4-5 times more than a solo musician’s performance, they are invited to weddings and corporate events much less often than solo instrumentalists and vocalists.

Those who play exotic instruments, unfortunately, have to look for other sources of income (for example, they can periodically earn extra money as studio musicians). Music connoisseurs and exotic lovers are, unfortunately, very rare among newlyweds.

Instrumentalists can earn money anywhere in the world

It is best, of course, if your child becomes a multi-instrumentalist, confidently plays several instruments (he will earn money on some, and play others for fun), and knows a huge number of popular melodies. Then he will definitely be able to support himself with music. Moreover, not only in Russia, but also in any corner of the planet, since instrumental music is a universal language, understandable to all inhabitants of the Earth without any words.

Let music be a favorite hobby rather than a boring “obligation”

But even if he cannot make it to the big stage, and does not want to play “money” instruments, but writes complex, experimental music that cannot be sold, there is no need to worry about it. Let it be better for the greatest art in the world to become his favorite hobby and passion than a tedious “obligation” to perform other people’s songs in order to make more money. Only now he will have to earn a living in some other field.

Article provided by:

Alexey Kormushkin,
especially for DETINFORM

Current issues

Hello! My baby is 3 months and 3 weeks old today. From 24.02-28.02 we had a hoarse voice, the throat was not red, there was no fever or snot, the condition was painful. (Treatment: 1 Kipferon suppository, 1 Viferon suppository, inhalation with saline solution). From 20.03 to this day, the voice is again hoarse, not as strong as the first time, there are no signs of illness, the condition is playful, from 04.03 the voice is even more hoarse, the condition is pathogenic, and since yesterday the voice has almost disappeared, the temperature is 37.2. According to the blood that was donated on March 12, when they were healthy and had a normal voice, there was a slight increase in lymphocytes.. What to do?

Question No. 913 |6 year old son takes off his panties at night |20.02.2017 | Asks Petrova Nadezhda Alekseevna

Good afternoon My son likes to sleep naked because... Everything constantly bothers him, presses, presses, etc. During the day, he sometimes pulls his T-shirt, sometimes he pulls his panties down, sometimes he pulls his neck up; he is very active and constantly adjusts something from his clothes. Since you can’t undress in the garden during the day, you have to put him down at night, at least in shorts, so he gets used to it, but most often at night he takes everything off. And not so long ago I started lowering my underwear at all, i.e. I don’t take it off completely, I wake him up and his panties are down on his butt. What could this mean? Why does the child do this? What should I do - should I pay attention to this?

Do you know where the largest musical instrument in Russia is located? This huge organ is installed in the Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow International House of Music. The organ weighs 30 tons, the total height is about 15 meters, like a five-story building, total number pipes in the organ - six thousand. The most big pipes reach a length of 10 meters. Let's take a closer look at this amazing tool and even take a look inside.

2. The project of the organ of the Moscow International House of Music was developed specifically for the Svetlanov Hall long before the opening concert venue.
“The hall and the organ should be created together, at the same time, as if for each other,” explains Pavel Nikolaevich Kravchun, associate professor of the Department of Acoustics at Moscow State University and chief caretaker of the organs of the Moscow International House of Music, who participated in the creation of the instrument.

3. The organ was built in Germany by a world-famous consortium of German companies Glatter Gotz (Ovingen) and Klais (Bonn). It was manufactured and initially installed in Bonn in the spring of 2004, and transported to Moscow in the summer. It took six months to install and configure the instrument. Ceremony The opening of the organ took place on December 21, 2004, in the spring next year The first organ festival was held in the Svetlanov Hall with the participation of outstanding musicians from different countries peace.

4. The control panel of the House of Music organ has four manual keyboards (manuals), located one above the other, each keyboard has 61 keys. There are another 32 pedal keys on the foot (pedal) keyboard. In addition, the remote control has many auxiliary buttons and knobs.

5. Using the knobs, you can turn on or off the corresponding register, that is, a group of pipes of the same timbre. There are 84 such registers in total and two more sound-image registers. Each register is like a separate musical instrument, for example, a flute, an oboe or even Christmas bells. It turns out that the handles turn on the necessary registers, and the keys open air access to the pipes of specific tones. If the registers are turned off, the organ will not sound when you press a key.

6. Each keyboard is assigned a specific group of pipes. The connection of the keys with the valves that open air access to most of the pipes is mechanical. Therefore, the further the pipes are from the performer, the harder the keys responsible for them are pressed. For example, the first keyboard is connected to pipes located a meter from the organist; its keys can be pressed easily and without hindrance. And the fourth keyboard is responsible for the outermost pipes, located in the upper part of the organ - there the keys are pressed with some difficulty (of course: from it to the pipes there are 13 meters up and a few more meters to the left and right).
An electrical connection is organized for the chamad registers and the lowest-sounding registers of the pedals, since air pressure creates a greater force on the valves.

7. Three huge fans are responsible for supplying air to the pipes. Previously, before the advent of electric motors, air was pumped into the organs by specially trained people who stomped on huge pumps - bellows.

8. They play the organ with their hands and feet at the same time. The capabilities and sound of the instrument are amazing. The range of this organ is from infrasound (8 hertz) to ultrasound. In terms of sound volume, the organ is comparable to the whole symphony orchestra.

9. This is what a recording of a piece for organ looks like. Considering that all organs are different, a lot of performance depends on the specific organ and organist.

10. The feet have their own pedal keyboard.

11. You can also control the sound volume with your feet.

12. Pavel Nikolaevich is a wonderful storyteller and a very enthusiastic person. Organs are his whole life. He became interested in this instrument while still a schoolboy; because of the organ, he entered the Department of Acoustics of the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University, and now he is a leading expert on organs in Russia. We were very lucky with the excursion.

13. A few words about the hall. It is trimmed with larch for better sound.

14. For better acoustics, many panels are fixed at angles.

15. But that's not all. In order for the entire hall to have good acoustics, a special Constellation system is used. The operating principle of Constellation can be described as follows. Microphones pick up sound in certain areas of the hall, then the processor processes this sound according to a certain algorithm and sends it to loudspeakers located in the hall. In this way, room acoustics can be simulated and controlled.

16. Depending on the settings, you can achieve sound like in a cathedral or in a huge hall, the size of which is several times larger than actual sizes hall

17. Now let’s go see what the organ looks like from the other side. Let's take the elevator several floors up.

18. This is what the organ looks like from the inside. A huge number of pipes and intricacies of mechanisms.

19. Mechanical rods go from the keys to the pipes. When you press a key, the dampers open and the pipes sound.

20. The rods are made of wood. Attempts to replace wood with metal cables were unsuccessful; metal is too sensitive to temperature changes.

21. The pipes in the organ are made of different materials, there are metal ones made from an alloy of tin and lead and wooden ones - from pear, pine and oak. The timbre and pitch of the sound depend on the design of the pipe, material and size.

22. The wall thickness of metal pipes is only 0.5 millimeters, the alloy is very soft, if you carelessly touch the pipe, you can leave a dent.

23. The organ is a rather “meteorologically sensitive” device; changes in temperature and humidity can affect the sound quality. Therefore, the microclimate is monitored very carefully.

24. The design of the pipes allows for customization. It is different for different pipes, some are equipped with special tongues, the smallest pipes need to be flared or rolled.

25. Tuning the organ lasts several hours and is done before each concert. You need to have enormous patience to tune the organ.

26. This is what the “mouth” of the pipe looks like. The pipe “sings” through it.

27. The smallest pipes are a few centimeters in size. It’s even surprising that these little ones can sound throughout the entire hall.

28. Remember the pipes sticking out forward on the facade? This is how they look from the balcony from inside the organ.

29. In general, the instrument is fantastic, you should definitely listen to it.

30. Many thanks to the Moscow International House of Music for the most interesting excursion.

And a very short video: