Musical instruments of the peoples of the world help to understand the history and culture of the nation. With their help, people extract sounds, combine them into compositions and create music. She is able to embody the emotions, mood, feelings of musicians and their listeners. Sometimes a rather unprepossessing-looking instrument publishes such magical, amazing music that the heart begins to beat in unison. There are several types of instruments: string, keyboard, percussion. There are also several subspecies, for example, stringed stringed and stringed stringed ones. Musical instruments of different nations of the world have absorbed the traditions of their region, region, country. Here is a description of several of them.
Shamisen
Japanese shamisen is a stringed musical instrument from the plucked category. It consists of a small body, fretboard without frets and three strings, and the total size usually does not exceed 100 cm. Its sound range is from two to four octaves. The thickest of the three strings is called savary, it is thanks to her that the instrument is able to make a characteristic vibrating sound.
Shamisen first appeared in Japan at the end of the 16th century thanks to Chinese merchants. The instrument quickly became popular among street musicians and party organizers. In 1610, the first works were written specifically for the shamisen, and in 1664 the first collection of musical compositions was published.
Like many other musical instruments of the peoples of the world, shamisen was considered the prerogative of the lower strata of the population. However, after World War II, the situation changed dramatically and they began to show greater respect for him. Shamisen is used by musicians during performances of the famous Japanese kabuki theater.
Sitar
Indian sitar also belongs to the class of stringed musical instruments. It performs classical and modern tunes. It consists of a rounded elongated body with two resonators, a hollow neck with metal curved frets. The front panel is usually richly decorated with ivory and rosewood. The sitar has 7 main strings and 9–13 resonating strings. The melody is created using the main strings, and the rest respond with resonance and produce a unique sound that is not available to any other instrument. On a sitar they play a special pick, which is put on the index finger. This musical instrument appeared on the territory of India in the 13th century during the formation of Muslim influence.
Bagpipes
In the list of musical instruments of the peoples of the world, the name "bagpipe" is probably one of the most famous. An amazing wind instrument with a sharp sound is popular in many European countries, and in Scotland it is national. The bagpipe consists of a leather bag made of calf or goat skin, with several playing tubes of reeds. During the game, the musician fills the tank with air, then presses on it with his elbow and thus makes it sound.
Bagpipes are one of the oldest musical instruments on the planet. Thanks to the simplest device, they were able to manufacture and master it several millennia ago. The image of the bagpipe is found in ancient manuscripts, frescoes, bas-reliefs, figurines.
Bongo
Drums occupy a special place in the list of musical instruments of the peoples of the world. The photo shows a bongo - the famous Cuban drum of African descent. It consists of two small drums of different sizes, fastened together. The larger one is called hembra, which translates from Spanish as “female”. He is considered "female", and the smaller is called "macho" and is considered "male". “Female” is tuned lower and is located on the right side of the musician. Bongos are traditionally played with hands in a sitting position, pinching the drums between the calves of the legs.
Maraca
Another one of the most ancient musical instruments of the peoples of the world. It was invented by the Indians of the Taino tribes - the indigenous inhabitants of Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. It is a rattle that, when shaken, reproduces a characteristic rustling sound. Today, maracas have become popular throughout North America and far beyond.
For the production of the instrument, dried fruits of the guir tree or calabash tree were used. Fruits can reach a length of up to 35 cm and have an extremely hard shell. For musical instruments, small-sized fruits of regular oval shape are suitable. First, two holes are drilled in the fruit, the pulp is removed and dried. After that, small pebbles and seeds of various plants are poured inside. The number of pebbles and seeds is always different, so each maracas has a unique sound. Then a handle is attached to the tool.
As a rule, musicians play on two maracas, holding them in both hands. Also, maracas are sometimes made from coconuts, woven willow branches, dried skin.