Ancient accordions, unlike modern accordions, were distinguished by their small size. Tula handicraftsmen were the first in Rus' to begin making accordions. Their first Tula harmonicas had only one row of buttons on the right and left hands (single row). The Cherepovets accordions, or, as they were called, cherepankas, are well known. These harmonicas had 5-7 buttons on the right hand, and there might not have been a left keyboard at all.

Ancient accordions, unlike modern accordions, were distinguished by their small size. Tula handicraftsmen were the first in Rus' to begin making accordions. Their first Tula harmonicas had only one row of buttons on the right and left hands (single row). The Cherepovets accordions, or, as they were called, cherepankas, are well known. These harmonicas had 5-7 buttons on the right hand, and there might not have been a left keyboard at all.

The Saratov harmonicas that appeared after the Tula ones were structurally no different from the first ones, but the Saratov masters were able to find an unusual sound timbre and therefore these small harmonicas became very popular among the people.

The design of the accordion was constantly improved. Vyatka artisans expanded the sound range of harmonicas (they added buttons to the left and right hands). The version of the instrument they invented was called the Vyatka accordion.

All of the listed accordions had a peculiarity - the same button for opening and closing the bellows made different sounds. All of the above harmonicas had one common name - talyanki. Talyankas could be with Russian or German system. When playing such harmonicas, it was necessary, first of all, to master the technique of playing bellows in order to correctly produce the melody. This is a rather complex playing technique and the natural desire of the masters and accordionists was the desire to simplify and streamline the work with bellows.

This problem was solved by Livonian artisans. On the accordions of Liven masters, the sound did not change when changing the bellows. The accordions did not have straps that went over the shoulder. On the right and left sides, short belts wrapped around the hands. For the Liven accordion, the craftsmen increased the number of borins (up to 30-40), i.e. the furs were incredibly long. You could literally wrap such an accordion around yourself, because... when the fur was fully stretched, its length reached two meters.

The next stage in the development of harmony was the so-called. double row accordions. By this time, additional buttons began to appear in the single-row accordions that preceded the two-row ones, but they did not yet “pull” onto the independent second row. A two-row accordion could also be called a “two-row” accordion, because Each row of buttons in the right hand was assigned a certain scale. Such accordions are called Russian wreaths.

Currently, all the accordions listed above are very rare. Since about the 50s of the 20th century, talyankas were practically replaced by lame ones. And now, if you or someone you know has an accordion, then 99.9% it is lame.

Limps can be “ordinal” or “non-ordinal”. Out-of-order accordions on the left side have not three, but two rows of buttons (there is no auxiliary row).

Any harmonica can be one-voice, two-voice or three-voice, i.e. when you click on a pawn, one, two or three bars sound, which are tuned to each other in different ways (in unison or “in spill” - two voices sound in an octave).

- “HARMONY”, USSR, Mezhrabpomfilm, 1934, b/w, 66 min. Musical comedy. Based on the poem of the same name by Alexander Zharov. The first domestic musical film was based on the poem by Alexander Zharov. Some of the poetry in those days became, as it were, a kind of... ... Encyclopedia of Cinema

Turtle, accordion, harmonica, lame, tallyanka, three-row, livery Dictionary of Russian synonyms. accordion noun, number of synonyms: 11 harmonic (14) ... Synonym dictionary

HARMONY, accordion, female. (simple). Same as harmonic in 1 value. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

HARMONY, and, female. (colloquial). Same as harmonic (1 value). | adj. harmonious, oh, oh. Harmony Factory. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

HARMONIC- Keyboard pneumatic musical instrument with folded sliding bellows connected to the keyboard. The accordion was borrowed to Russia from Western Europe in the first half of the 19th century. and soon became one of the most beloved people... ... Linguistic and regional dictionary

Take someone to play the accordion. Jarg. corner. Commit a murder by taking advantage of the noise in the crowd on a train. Home. 1, 168. The accordion plays. Jarg. corner. The dog barks. BBI, 54; Baldaev 1, 85; Homeowners' Home, 75. /i> Harmony dog. Big, but without accordion. Yarosl. Shuttle... ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings

harmonic- and, f., colloquial. A reed musical instrument, which is a movable bellows with two keyboards on the sides. With a quick movement, he took the cherry-colored accordion from his shoulder and carefully stretched its bellows (Galin). Synonyms: harmon/nika, harmon/niya… … Popular dictionary of the Russian language

harmonic- Original. Formed by abbreviation based on harmonic, borrowed. at the end of the 18th century. from it. language, where Harmonika “accordion” is adopted from English. language, in which it is a neologism of B. Franklin, who invented this musical instrument, based on Greek... ... Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language

AND; and. Keyboard pneumatic musical instrument, which is a movable bellows with stretchable folded walls and strips on both sides, equipped with a keyboard. Play the accordion. Two-row Tula, Vyatka *… … encyclopedic Dictionary

harmonic- HARMONY, and, f Same as harmonica. ... In Ogarkovo they are already walking with all their might, the accordion is playing, the girls... are walking along the street, singing (V. Belov) ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

Books

• Ivan Kashpurov. Poems, Ivan Kashpurov. The collection includes poems written by I. Kashpurov from 1948 to 1982, as well as the poems “April”, “Appassionata”, “Andreev”, “Poem about the Accordion” and ...
• And the accordion sings to me in the dugout. A collection of songs , . The collection includes the favorite songs of the older generation of our readers. The book opens with the section “Across the Valleys and Hills,” which consists of songs from the Civil War and the 1920s. The second and most...

No one can answer this question with certainty; “science doesn’t know.” There is an opinion that the accordion came to Russia from Germany. However, this cannot be stated with absolute certainty, since accordions existed in the 18th-19th centuries in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and even England.
There are a lot of accordion inventors. A monument should be erected to the person who invented the accordion bar, namely, who came up with the idea of ​​extracting sounds under air pressure from a metal reed inserted into a miniature metal frame. Who he was - German or Russian, French or English - is a mystery “shrouded in darkness.”
Academician A.M.Mireku proved its Russian origin. The harmonica in its modern form appeared in St. Petersburg. Her father, the Czech engineer Frantisek Kirshnik, lived in Russia at that time and demonstrated his instrument to the people of St. Petersburg in 1783. He gave his brainchild a Czech name

Harmonic. But now this name, like “accordion,” has become colloquial in Russian. The official name of this instrument is accordion.
It quickly became a Russian national instrument. The harmonica captivated me with its sonorous voice, ease of learning to play, and its “toy” size for those times.

Still, how did the accordion appear in Rus'? This story is like a fairy tale.
Everything was decided by chance... If the Tula gunsmith Ivan Evstratievich Sizov had not gone to the fair in Nizhny, we would not have enjoyed the amazing sound of the accordion today.
And it was like that. On a July Sunday in 1830, Ivan Sizov walked around the Nizhny Novgorod fair, admired all sorts of goods - both overseas and Russian: painted Semyonov dishes, Gorodets gingerbread, Balashikha and Vologda lace, blacksmith and jewelry work of Kostroma residents, and suddenly... he heard rich, deep sounds, melodious, then I saw an instrument that gave birth to music for some unknown reason: folds seemed to be made of fabric and wooden slats with spatulas and buttons for both hands... “The harmonica,” the owner explained, “is a rare thing, overseas...” And he asked for an unheard-of price - 40 rubles in banknotes! But Ivan could no longer leave: he kept returning to the harmonica. And then he paid and took him home - to Tula, to Oruzheynaya Sloboda... It turned out to be not so difficult for a craftsman to repeat the sample. Ivan Sizov made several harmonicas: for himself, as a gift for people, and then he started making them for sale. After him, others who were more daring began to play harmonicas... On Shrovetide Week of 1831, first in one hut, then in another, they danced not to a balalaika or a horn, but to a harmonica “which evoked such a dance in which life would be expressed artlessly, the energy and sweeping nature of the Slav. This is where the harmonica is a real treasure!”
According to other sources, the origin of the production of Russian harmonicas dates back to the 30s of the 18th century in Tula, with wide specialization in individual parts and operations. Over their almost two-century history, durable and sonorous, distinguished by high artistic merit, Tula accordions and button accordions have become one of the symbols of Russia, receiving well-deserved recognition throughout the world. The most primitive, isolated examples of hand-held harmonicas were made by Tula masters - the Shkunaev brothers - in their home workshop. Following them, from about 1820, the stationary production of simple hand harmonicas was organized by gunsmith Timofey Vorontsov in the basement of his samovar factory. This process was further developed by the simplest five-valve accordion brought by gunsmith Ivan Sizov from the Nizhny Novgorod fair in 1830. He opened a harmonica workshop in Tula, in which he first copied the imported sample, and then organized mass production of harmonicas.
Harmony production opened in a one-story house in Chulkovskaya Sloboda. The former harmonious subsidiary farm soon grew into the “Free Arms Harmonious Factory” - the first in Russia. Its owner was T.P. Vorontsov. At first, musical instruments were made on it according to samples imported mainly from the Austrian capital. In 1848, the statement of the “Civil Arms Harmonious Factory” noted that there were no machines at the enterprise, but things were made by working people, of whom there were: 10 masters, 3 apprentices, all civilians, from Russians. Hired workers produced three types of tools: large, medium and small, priced from 15 to 25 kopecks per piece, depending on the size. Up to 6 thousand harmonics were produced per year. Subsequently, production reached 10 thousand musical instruments. They were sold to Moscow. After the death of Timofey Pimenovich in 1854, the harmonium factory passed into the possession of his son Gabriel. The samovar factory went to another son, Akim. Subsequently, the brothers swapped factories. The third son, Ivan, was a Moscow merchant of the first guild. In 1920, the former harmonium factory of A.A. Vorontsova was taken over by the cartridge factory. Factory buildings housed kindergartens. A two-story residential house built for the family by Alexei Akimovich on the street. Rozhdestvenskaya (now K. Marx St., 128) was transferred to a hostel. It is the only one of all the buildings that has survived, albeit in a modified form. Its first floor went into the ground up to the windows, and the magnificent decor was badly damaged in many places. The Vorontsov house no longer stands out for its beauty and majestic appearance against the background of its neighbors, as in the old days.
At the end of the last century, a new harmonious factory appeared on the edge of Shtykova Street in Chulkovo. It was opened in 1880 by Leonty Alekseevich Chulkov, who lived with his six sons on nearby Zamochnaya Street. It was small, but in terms of technical equipment no enterprise in our city could compare with it. At an exhibition of accordions held in Tula in 1888, the products of this workshop so impressed Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich that he immediately ordered to award Leonty Alekseevich with a gold medal in his presence. In 1907, his son, Gennady Leontievich Chulkov, created the mechanics of the so-called borrowed basses for a two-row Viennese harmonica, with the help of which, when pressing the bass buttons, not only the bass valves opened, but also the corresponding valves from the chord set, which made the bass sound more saturated. He received a patent certificate for this invention. Until now, mechanics G.L. Chulkova is used in all Viennese harmonicas, which is a feature of the sound of bass lines in all products of the Tula harmonica industry.
The largest enterprise for the production of harmonics in Tula was the factory of the Kiselev brothers ,

which mainly specialized in the production of two- and three-row Viennese harmonicas, in which it achieved significant success. They first worked at a weapons factory, and in the evenings and on Sundays, in order to get additional extra money, they were engaged in the manufacture of harmonicas. At first, artisans made simple five-valve valves. Their harmonicas had good sound and beautiful finish, so they were an easy sell. To the Kiselevsky factory N.I. Beloborodov brought a Viennese accordion, where with his help it was converted into a two-row one with Russian tuning and became capable of playing Russian melodies. In 1883, the brothers organized harmonica-making workshops in their home. In 1886, the owner of a Moscow store on Tverskaya Street, Petr Pavlovich Vatutin, drew attention to their products. He came to Tula and concluded a deal with his brothers for the supply of Kiselev harmonicas for a large sum. His order allowed the Tula people to expand the production of their vociferous warblers. Using the money accumulated by their mother through petty trade and advances from a Moscow merchant, the brothers in 1890 built a two-story house on Venevskaya Street, where a harmonica factory was located. She was in a large wooden house, which was decorated with intricate carvings. But the openwork parapet grilles and flowerpots, unusual for Tula residents, gave it a special chic. The harmonium factory employed hired workers, but also employed handicraftsmen who were engaged in the manufacture of individual parts at home. The best Tula masters were lured to it. Dmitry Lyalin, Alexey Pastukhov, Alexander Gorbunov, Nikolai Badeishchikov, Dmitry Kuzmin, Nikolai and Dmitry Gryaznov and many other local craftsmen worked here. All of them were forced to abandon artisanal labor due to the fact that their own workshops could not compete with well-established production. They were tasked with performing the most complex operations and working on assembling individual units. The Kiselevskaya factory mainly specialized in the production of two and three-row Viennese harmonicas of the Russian type, abbreviated as “wreath,” which were in especially great demand, and achieved significant success. Having saved money, the brothers expanded the range of reed musical instruments at the beginning of the 20th century. Their factory occupied a leading position in the production of harmonicas and button accordions in Russia, competing in the world market.
In 1900, at the International Trade Exhibition in Paris, two- and three-row Viennese harmonicas of the Kiselev brothers received awards. In 1905 - 1907 The factory also began to produce three-row chromatic harmonicas - "left by right (elective) and foot basses." In 1914 they were awarded a gold, three silver and bronze medals.
Among the harmonium masters, Leonty Alekseevich Chulkov especially stood out. In 1880, he organized an independent harmonium workshop, where he worked together with his six sons. In 1907, the most talented of them, Gennady Chulkov, created the mechanics of the so-called borrowed basses for the two-row Viennese harmonica. He received a patent certificate for this invention. From then until now, G. Chulkov's mechanics have been used on all Viennese harmonicas, which is another artistic and stylistic feature of the sound of bass parts in all products of the Tula harmonica industry. The first examples of Russian harmonicas were distinguished by originality, good quality and visual appeal, but had one significant flaw - they lacked chromatic structure, which naturally limited the musical and artistic capabilities of the instrument. The creation of a harmonic with chromatic tuning was an important step towards improving the instrument.
One of the most prominent promoters of the harmonica was a Tula tradesman

possibilities , he suggested to master L.A. Chulkov to make for him an instrument with a two-row keyboard according to his own sketches, in which Nikolai Ivanovich especially worked out the keyboard system, in all other respects relying on the knowledge and experience of the master. The new instrument was a two-row harmonica with a full chromatic scale and not with seven, as usual, but with 12 sounds. The new chromatic accordion turned out to be unusually melodious and beautifully designed: cypress wood and ivory were used in its decoration, and brass inlay, leather and mother-of-pearl were placed on top in intricate script. In one of the rooms

copy the chromatic harmonica he invented, made by hand

The voice bars were changed in such a way that the accordion began to produce the same sound when the bellows are compressed and unclenched. Its structure was still diatonic (in a certain key, for example, in C major.
But to expand the range of tonalities, two or three chromatic sounds were added to the upper part of her keyboard. So the “lame” became almost chromatic, which is why it got its name.
“Khromka” was good because you could play any local tune on it. It was also called “two-row” because the buttons in the right hand were arranged in two rows, so that everything was, as they say, under the fingers.
In the mid-80s of the 19th century, Nikolai Ivanovich created a circle of lovers of playing chromatic harmonics, and in the early 90s of the participants

Beloborodova continued for many years and stopped at the end of 1902. IN

started by your teacher. A modest Tula accountant became the concertmaster of an orchestra that toured neighboring cities.Subsequently, an accordion with a chromatic scale

"accordion". Among other crafts, harmonica occupied second place in Tula, and the growth in the number of artisans - harmonica makers continued from year to year. The highest level in the production of harmonics was achieved in our country before the First World War, in 1912-1913.

After the end of the civil war, artisans began to cooperate in artels for the production of various harmonics. The first such artel was organized by harmonica master A.P. Pastukhov in Tula in 1922. The name of this master, unsurpassed in riveting voices, is associated with
producing the best solo and orchestral button accordions for many years.
All private factories (more precisely, assembly shops) in pre-revolutionary Russia were based on cottage industry and were not suitable for converting them into state-owned industrial enterprises, which raised the question of creating state-owned factories. To better organize harmonica production, an exhibition of harmonicas was organized in Moscow in 1928, simultaneously with a harmonica competition, after which a firm range and standards of produced harmonica models were established for factories. The quality of the products and their artistic and stylistic features were monitored at the held masters competitions. Musical instruments were played behind a curtain, and the jury determined the sound quality by ear. At the same time, Tula masters invariably turned out to be the winners.
During the terrible years of the Great Patriotic War, the production of musical instruments was interrupted everywhere. But the people’s craving for music was so great that letters began to arrive from the army. The front demanded: “Give me harmonicas and button accordions! It’s easier to fight with a song!” And the production of musical instruments was restored. In the harsh times of war, the accordion and button accordion rightfully took their place in the military formation. At the beginning of 1943, a vocational school was organized on the basis of the Tula Harmony artel to train workers for musical production. Then the first 250 boys and girls sat down at their desks to become successors to the glory of Tula craftsmen and masters of folk art.
The best products of Tula craftsmen have repeatedly won prizes at various competitions, exhibitions and fairs. These products are among the hundred best products in Russia. Tula Harmony LLC is one of the largest Russian manufacturers of button accordions and accordions. The company produces reed musical instruments of any playing capabilities, as well as metal parts for harmonicas, button accordions, pianos and accordions.
In the two-hundred-year history of the development of musical instruments, the harmonica in the Tula region has come a long way in a short time - from a toy that played one chord to a professional musical instrument, preserving the best traditions of a unique folk craft.
In the 30s of the twentieth century, the first harmonious factory (artel) was created; in the 70s of the 20th century, the enterprise, then called the Melodiya Production Association, produced about 110 thousand button accordions per year.

In 2000, the association was purchased by OST WEST CORPORATION and registered as Tula Harmon LLC. Material investments and competent policies of OWK management allowed the enterprise to significantly increase production volumes.
Currently, thanks to the constant improvement of the production process, the range of musical instruments produced by Tula Harmon LLC has expanded fourfold compared to the 80s of the last century. Today the company produces about three thousand musical instruments a year, which are played in professional and amateur orchestras, musical institutions, and in the hands of virtuoso musicians. Among customers OOO

and many others.
One of the most important areas of enterprise development is training and advanced training of its employees. Today, Tula Harmon LLC is one of the few Russian enterprises that trains masters in the manufacture of musical instruments. The best products of Tula craftsmen have repeatedly won prizes at various competitions, exhibitions and fairs. In 1994, Melodiya OJSC was awarded the International Diamond Diamond in Mexico City.

national Institute of Marketing, the company was once again awarded such a high award. In 1997, Melodiya received the international Earthmaker award in Switzerland in the nomination “For the preservation and development of the intellectual personnel potential of the enterprise during the period

awards in the category “For the wisdom and flexibility of management policy.” In 1998 in Madrid, Melodiya OJSC was awarded the international award for the quality of its products “Platinum Star”, and in 1999 in Paris it was awarded the XIII International Prize of Europe “For Quality”. In the regional competition of 2004 and 2007 “Flagship of Small Business” LLC “Tula Harmon” became the winner in the category “Best Enterprise of the Year in the Field of Folk Arts and Crafts”. The company is a laureate of the “100 Best Products of Russia” competition.

The employees of Tula Harmon LLC worthily continue the traditions of the glorious Tula masters, in whose workshops new samples of Tula button accordions are created that meet the most modern performance requirements, such as button accordions “Rusich”, “Rus”, “Mir”, “Tula”, etc.

How does an accordion work?
The heart of the accordion is the bars. It is the slats that make sounds dear to the heart. The bar is a metal frame on which a metal tongue is attached. The pitch of the sound depends on the size of the reed. The deepest sounds are produced by the largest reeds. Using paraffin, the slats are attached in a row to a plank strip, which in turn is installed on gorodushkas (a whole system of air channels supplying air to the slats). The devices on the right and left sides are basically the same. Air is supplied to the towns through valves, which are opened by physical pressure through a push-button mechanism on the pawns (buttons). Pawns are lined up on the boards in rows (one, two or even three). All this (slats, slats, towns, push-button mechanisms) are located in decks (right or left), which are interconnected by bellows. The bellows tend to be folded with the help of borin (8-40 pieces). This is the general scheme of the accordion structure. But each accordion, of course, has its own nuances and differences in its design.
The next stage in the development of the accordion was the so-called double-row accordion. By this time, additional buttons had already begun to appear in the previous two-row single-row accordions. The harmonica is the great-grandfather of the modern harmonica.

Listen to its sound

05/04/2012 | Russian folk instruments

Gusli- a stringed musical instrument, the most common in Russia. It is the most ancient Russian stringed musical instrument. There are wing-shaped and helmet-shaped harps. The first, in later samples, have a triangular shape and from 5 to 14 strings, tuned according to the steps of the diatonic scale, helmet-shaped - 10-30 strings of the same tuning. The wing-shaped harp (they are also called ringed harp) is played, as a rule, by rattling all the strings and muffling unnecessary sounds with the fingers of the left hand; on the helmet-shaped or psalt-shaped harp, the strings are plucked with both hands.

Gusli in the form described above is essentially a purely Russian phenomenon. Many Slavic peoples have musical instruments with similar names: gusle - among Serbs and Bulgarians, gusle, guzla, gusli - among Croats, gosle - among Slovenes, guslic - among Poles, housle ("violin") among Czechs. However, these instruments are quite diverse, and many of them are bowed (for example, guzla, which has only one horsehair string).

Researchers of the early 20th century. noted the striking similarity of the contemporary Chuvash and Cheremis gusli with images of this instrument in medieval Russian manuscripts (for example, in the Service Book of the 14th century, where the capital letter D depicts a person playing the gusli, and in the Makaryevskaya Chetye-Minea of ​​1542). In these images, the performers hold the harp on their knees and pluck the strings with their fingers. In exactly the same way, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Chuvash and Cheremis played the gusli. The strings of their harp were intestinal; their number was not always the same. Psalter-shaped harps are believed to have been brought to Russia by the Greeks, and the Chuvash and Cheremis borrowed this instrument from the Russians.

The clavier-shaped gusli, which was also found at the beginning of the 20th century, mainly among the Russian clergy, was an improved type of psalter-shaped gusli. This instrument consisted of a rectangular resonance box with a lid, which rested on a table. Several round cutouts (voices) were made on the resonance board, and two concave wooden blocks were attached to it. On one of them there were iron pegs screwed in, onto which metal strings were wound; the other beam played the role of a stringer, that is, it served to attach the strings. The keyboard-shaped harp had a piano tuning, with the strings corresponding to the black keys being placed below those corresponding to the white keys.

For clavier-shaped gusli there were notes and a school compiled at the beginning of the 19th century. Fedor Kushenov-Dmitrevsky.

In addition to the psaltery-shaped gusli, there were kantele, similar to the Finnish instrument. Probably, this type of gusli was borrowed by the Russians from the Finns. By the beginning of the 20th century it had almost completely disappeared.

Balalaika- Russian folk three-stringed plucked musical instrument, from 600-700 mm (prima balalaika) to 1.7 meters (double bass balalaika) in length, with a triangular, slightly curved (in the 18th-19th centuries also oval) wooden body. The balalaika is one of the instruments that has become (along with the accordion and, to a lesser extent, the pity) a musical symbol of the Russian people.

The body is glued together from separate (6-7) segments, the head of the long neck is slightly bent back. The strings are metal (in the 18th century, two of them were vein strings; modern balalaikas have nylon or carbon). On the neck of a modern balalaika there are 16-31 metal frets (until the end of the 19th century - 5-7 frets).

The sound is clear, but soft. The most common techniques for producing sound: rattling, pizzicato, double pizzicato, single pizzicato, vibrato, tremolo, rolls, guitar techniques.

Balalaika-double bass

Before the transformation of the balalaika into a concert instrument at the end of the 19th century by Vasily Andreev, it did not have a constant, widespread system. Each performer tuned the instrument in accordance with his manner of performance, the general mood of the pieces being played, and local traditions.

The system introduced by Andreev (two strings in unison - the note "E", one - a quart higher - the note "A" (both "E" and "A" of the first octave) became widespread among concert balalaika players and began to be called "academic". There is also a “folk” tuning - the first string is “G”, the second is “E”, the third is “C”. In this tuning, triads are easier to play; its disadvantage is the difficulty of playing on open strings. In addition to the above, there are also regional traditions of tuning the instrument. The number of rare local settings reaches two dozen.

The balalaika is a fairly common musical instrument that is studied in academic music schools in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

The duration of training on the balalaika in a children's music school is 5 - 7 years (depending on the age of the student), and in a secondary educational institution - 4 years, in a higher educational institution - 4-5 years. Repertoire: arrangements of folk songs, transcriptions of classical works, original music.

There is no unambiguous point of view on the origin of the balalaika. It is believed that the balalaika has become widespread since the end of the 17th century. Possibly comes from Asian dombra. It was “a long two-stringed instrument, had a body about one and a half spans in length (about 27 cm) and one span in width (about 18 cm) and a neck (neck) at least four times longer” (M. Guthrie, “ Dissertation on Russian antiquities").

The balalaika acquired its modern appearance thanks to the musician-educator Vasily Andreev and masters V. Ivanov, F. Paserbsky, S. Nalimov and others. Andreev suggested making the soundboard from spruce, and making the back of the balalaika from beech, and also shortening it (to 600-700 mm). The family of balalaikas made by F. Paserbsky (piccolo, primu, alto, tenor, bass, double bass) became the basis of the Russian folk orchestra. Later, F. Paserbsky received a patent in Germany for the invention of the balalaika.

The balalaika is used as a solo concert, ensemble and orchestral instrument.

Accordion (accordion)

- reed keyboard-pneumatic musical instrument. All hand-held harmonicas that do not belong to the button accordion and various accordions are called harmonicas.

The design of the harmonica, like most other types of hand-held harmonicas, consists of a right and left half-body, on each of them there is a keyboard with buttons and (or) keys. The left keyboard is intended for accompaniment - pressing one button will sound a bass or an entire chord (note: the turtle accordion does not have a left keyboard); the melody is played on the right. Between the half-cases there is a bellows chamber to allow air to be pumped to the sound bars of the instrument.

The distinctive features of accordions, in comparison with a button accordion or an accordion, are:

• As a rule, the harmonium can only produce sounds of the diatonic scale, or with a certain number of chromatic sounds. For example, in a harmonica with 25 keys in the right and left keyboard (25/25) with the key “C”, these are the sounds: “G-sharp” of the first octave, E-flat and F-sharp of the second octave. For a harmonica with 27 keys in the right keyboard, in addition to the indicated sounds, C-sharp and B-flat are also added.
• Reduced range of sounds (number of octaves).
• Smaller dimensions (dimensions).

It is impossible to say with certainty where exactly the hand accordion was first invented. It is widely believed that the accordion was invented in Germany, at the beginning of the 19th century, by Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann, a native of the city of Friedrichrod. However, there is other data. The Germans themselves consider the accordion to be a Russian invention, and according to the research of Academician Mirek, the first accordion appeared in St. Petersburg in 1783 through the efforts of the Czech organ maker Frantisek Kirschnik (he invented a new way of producing sound - using a metal reed that vibrates under the influence of air flow). It is considered a folk instrument of the Tatars since the second half of the 19th century. There are other views on this problem.

Russian harmonicas are divided into two types according to the type of sound production: firstly, harmonicas, in which, when the bellows are stretched and compressed, each button when pressed produces a sound of the same pitch, and, secondly, harmonicas, in which the pitch of the sound changes in depending on the direction of movement of the bellows. The first type includes such harmonicas as “livenka”, “Russian venka”, “khromka” (the most common in our time). The second type includes “talyanka”, “cherepanka”, “Tula”, “Vyatskaya”. You can divide the harmonies according to the type of right keyboard, depending on the number of rows of buttons. The most common accordion in our time is the two-row “lame”, but there are also three-row instruments and instruments with one row of buttons.

• Single-row accordions: Tula, Livenskaya, Vyatka, Talyanka (short for “Italian”, there are 12/15 buttons on the right keyboard, and three on the left).
• Double-row accordions: Russian wreath (first double-row), lame.
• Automatic accordion.

Wooden spoons used in the Slavic tradition as a musical instrument. The game set ranges from 3 to 5 spoons, sometimes of different sizes. The sound is produced by striking the back sides of the scoops against each other. The timbre of the sound depends on the method of sound production.

Typically, one performer uses three spoons, two of which are placed between the fingers of the left hand, and the third is taken in the right. The blows are made with the third spoon, two at a time in the left hand. Usually, for convenience, blows are made on the hand or knee. Sometimes bells are hung from the spoons.

In Belarus, only two spoons are traditionally used when playing.

In addition, spoons are widely used in American folk music and minstrel shows. British art-rock band Caravan use electric spoons (spoons equipped with an electrical amplification device) in their performances, played by Jeff Richardson.

You can use an inexpensive, simple instrument, and then buy a high-quality harmonica later. With this approach, the matter most often does not come to the point of buying an harmonica, because the performer is completely disappointed in the harmonica after playing a low-quality instrument.

There are several types of harmonicas:

• Diatonic (10 hole);
• Chromatic;
• Tremolo;
• Octaves;
• Bass;
• Chord;
• Various hybrids of these harmonics.

Most often, chord, bass and octave harmonicas are used in harmonica orchestras; they are very difficult to find on sale, so we will not focus on them. Let's instead discuss diatonic, chromatic and tremolo harmonicas.

Harmonica tremolo

They tend to have the two sound reeds slightly out of tune relative to each other on each note. This is what creates the tremolo effect. These harmonicas have only the sounds of the “white piano keys” and do not have any “black keys”. The tremolo can be considered a primitive harmonica; anyone with the slightest ear for music can learn to play it quickly and easily. However, due to the large shortage of missing notes, it is very limited in its capabilities. If you choose a tremolo harmonica, you will only be able to perform simple children's melodies, Russian and Ukrainian native songs and, probably, the anthems of some countries.

Chromatic harmonica

It has all the sounds of the chromatic scale, i.e. with all the “white and black piano keys.” Chromatic harmonica is capable of reproducing complex classical works and even jazz music. But at the same time, it’s good to have a good musical education, sight read music and play the diatonic harmonica perfectly. Everyone who plays the chromatic harmonica started with a diatonic harmonica, because you can learn some techniques (like bends or beautiful vibrato) perfectly on a diatonic harmonica without damaging the reeds of the instrument.

It is the most popular harmonica in the world and can play any music in any style. It has a rich and thick sound relative to the harmonics described above. It has all the notes, but, nevertheless, you should master sufficient skills to play this instrument. This harmonica is sometimes called a blues harmonica, but this does not mean that it is intended only for blues compositions. The name is explained by the fact that the diatonic harmonica gained enormous popularity precisely in the era of the formation of blues music, into which, by the way, it fits perfectly.

Harmonica reeds

The material from which the harmonica reeds are made directly affects the durability of the instrument. Hohner and Suzuki traditionally use copper reeds for their harmonicas. Seydel made an innovative breakthrough in this area; it became the first company to make steel reeds for its harmonicas. They are difficult to break and last longer.

Harmonicas have different tones. If you consider yourself to be a beginner harmonica player, then choose a harmonica in the key of C major. It will be easier and easier for you to master the main techniques and skills. In addition, most of the existing tutorials are written for the harmonica in C major. Once you start learning the harmonica of this key, you will then easily play all the others, higher and lower. keys.

Checking the tool before purchasing

If you purchase a harmonica in a special musical instrument store, be sure to ask for special bellows for harmonicas. With their help, they “blow through” each hole as you inhale and exhale to make sure that all notes are sounded. It is very important to “breathe” each hole separately. This can be quite challenging if you have never played the harmonica before. When checking each hole for inhalation and exhalation, pay special attention to additional sounds in the form of “ringing” that can be found on harmonicas. This means that the reed clings to the harmonica board. In this case, ask for another harmonica. In addition, in low keys (A, G and lower), the reeds may hit the harmonica cover; in principle, this is normal, there is nothing wrong with that. But after going through several harmonics, you will find one that does not ring. On harmonicas in the key of C major there should be no ringing at all, so the best criterion for buying a harmonica in C major is a clear sound on each hole.

The harmonica does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature and dampness. Before playing, it is recommended to heat the harmonica in your palms to human body temperature. For a long life, the harmonica should be carried in a case, played softly and try not to drop it. Periodically, it must be shaken out, removing particles of dirt and accumulated saliva. And then the harmonica will delight you with its sound for a long time.

Develop a sense of rhythm

If you have a natural sense of rhythm, that’s good, but this does not free you from working on the rhythmic pattern of the work. This is where a regular metronome will come to your aid. By the way, metronome analogues can be easily found on the Internet. Having achieved some success, do not stop and continue to master complex types of rhythm, learn to determine the size of a musical composition by ear.

The harmonica is very compact and convenient to carry with you all the time. You can train in any free minute, you will feel significant progress and in a few months you will not recognize yourself.

Develop musical memory

Once you start learning a melody from notes or tabs, try to break away from them at some point and pay attention to the intonation. Play from memory, putting your soul into this piece. At the same time, you will develop your ear for music, and memorization will become easier each time.

Accurate sound and original playing style

High-quality sound and a good sense of rhythm are the main thing for a master! Show your individuality in variations on the theme of the melody, but the sound must be impeccable!

The game of virtuosos is the best textbook for beginning performers. You should always have with you not only a harmonica, but also audio recordings of your favorite melodies and musicians. Listen to them whenever possible.

Play in a group

So, you are already quite good at playing and improvising, and now you are invited to join a musical group. Playing in a group requires compliance with special rules: you must wait for the moment when you can solo without interrupting other performers. A sign of the skill of a harmonica player who performs in an ensemble lies precisely in the ability to collaborate. If you give others the right to speak, you won't be left behind either.