Folk instruments are an integral part of the traditional culture of a country, however, in order to understand which instruments can be considered folk, it is necessary to turn to history and folk music.
Instructions
Step 1
Pay attention to the unique sounds in a particular folk music. First of all, folk are those instruments that were created and widely used in a particular people, in a particular country. These musical instruments can be heard in the traditional music of this or that state, they give this music uniqueness and recognition.
Step 2
For example, the well-known Scottish bagpipe makes it possible to distinguish Scottish folk music from, for example, Russian, where spoons, balalaikas, gusli, rattles, etc. are played predominantly. The famous Ukrainian folk instrument is the bandura, the Georgian one is the chonguri, cymbals can be heard in Eastern European music, the gong is known in Southeast Asia, and the dombra is sure to give Kazakh folk music. The sitar is considered to be the Indian folk instrument, the pan flute is the Chinese instrument, the banjo is the American instrument, and the fluer is Moldavian.
Step 3
Do not forget about the "international" folk instruments. Ethnic community and long-term historical and cultural contact determine the presence of "interethnic" folk instruments, which are an indispensable element of the instrumental composition in folk music of several countries at once. For example, the metal pipe "whistle" was created in England, but was popular in Ireland, and in Russia its analogue called "pipe" is known. Both the whistle and the flute can be heard mainly in the folk music of all three countries. Instruments such as duduk, tar, saz, kemancha and zurna are an integral part of the folk music of Azerbaijan and Armenia, while in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan the set of folk instruments is practically the same.
Step 4
Note the use of folk instruments in modern times. As a rule, folk instruments are still used for playing today; you can distinguish them from their modern counterparts by several signs. First, folk instruments are much older. For example, the balalaika is several centuries older than the guitar, just as the recorder is older than the orchestral flute. Secondly, folk instruments can be heard predominantly in folk music. It can be modernly interpreted music, weighted with electric guitars, processed with the help of electronic effects, but it will be based on folk motives. Thirdly, authentic folk instruments are exclusively acoustic, unlike electric guitars, electric violins, etc.
