Today we’ll talk about how to set up a balalaika for a popular system. In Russia, this musical instrument has been known for several centuries. From the village, the balalaika migrated to the academic orchestras. Our grandparents knew exactly how to tune a balalaika by ear. Their experience can be a good example. In fact, in order for simple folk tunes to sound from the balalaika, it is completely optional to undergo training at the conservatory or music school.
Balalaika device
To understand how to set up a balalaika, you should understand the principle of its operation. A modern musical instrument of this type has three main parts. The first is a special triangular case. Its front end is called the deck. The back side is glued from wooden segments. There is a resonator window on the deck. Sometimes it is called the voice. The second part of the instrument is the fingerboard. On it are frets. The third part is the head. A ring mechanism is fixed on it. It is through this element that you can solve the question of how to set up a balalaika. According to the rules, the lower nut and the upper one should be at an equal distance from the 12th fret. It is at this point that the string is conditionally divided in half.
rules
We turn to a practical solution to the question of how to set up a balalaika. To begin with, you should know that at present there are two main approaches to solving this issue: rural (also called "guitar") and academic. Until the end of the nineteenth century, there was no single concept of how to tune the instrument. Village musicians proceeded from their own preferences, as well as traditions that existed in a particular place. The balalaika turned into a concert instrument at the end of the nineteenth century thanks to the efforts of Vasily Andreev, a great musician. This man introduced the academic system into practice. He suggests that a pair of upper strings is set in unison with the note “mi”. Next, the note “la” is taken as a landmark. It is necessary for the lower string, which should be set a quart higher.
National system
This option has some differences. In this case, tuning is done by triad. It should be noted that the first note in it can be any. This approach is incredibly convenient. This is especially true in cases where you need to adjust the balalaika for other instruments for a harmonious play in the village orchestra.
After the first string is properly set, you can move on to the rest. The algorithm in this case is not too complicated. Clamp the second string in the third fret. We tighten and weaken it one by one. Thus, we achieve unison with the first string, which is open. Go to the next step. Clamp the third string in the fourth fret. Configure the open second. For convenience, you can use the tuner, accordion, guitar, piano or other instrument that can produce the necessary notes.
Now you know how to set up a balalaika.