Wooden spoons are one of the traditional Russian instruments. Several spoons are used to play, usually from 3 to 5. Sometimes spoons of different sizes are taken, the sound changes quite a lot. You can hit with spoons in different ways, and the timbre of the instrument depends on it.
Instructions
Step 1
Spoons began to be used as a percussion musical instrument a very long time ago, the first mention of them dates back to 1259. But the way of playing was very different, depending on the period and location. So, on the territory of Belarus, for a long time, they played only with the help of two spoons, and in Central Russia they usually used at least 4.
Step 2
Externally, musical spoons look almost the same as ordinary wooden table spoons. Differences in what kind of wood they are made from: music spoons are made from especially hard types of wood. Simple spoons quickly deteriorate from playing on them. Also, music spoons usually have slightly lengthened handles, and the reverse side of the surface is polished with numerous strokes.
Step 3
As a rule, in order to extract sound, the performer takes two spoons in one hand and applies them with their backs to each other. He takes a third spoon in his other hand and hits the other two with it. Sometimes spoons collide on the hand or knee to make it easier to control the strength of the sound. Special musical spoons are amplified by hanging bells from them.
Step 4
Typically, if multiple spoons are used, 2 to 4 of them are the same size, and another is slightly larger. This large spoon allows you to get sounds of a slightly different timbre, and sometimes it even seems that they differ in pitch.
Step 5
Since ancient times, musical spoons have been used in a wide variety of areas of life. They were used as a percussion instrument during military campaigns, dances and holidays, during the performance of rituals. Spoons could well have been combined with tapping or slapping. There is evidence that sometimes not only spoons were used as musical instruments in ancient times, but also pans, basins, pots, forks, samovar pipes and other things. The scythes and saws, emitting characteristic “floating” sounds, were especially loved, right after the spoons.
Step 6
The most widespread use of spoons was in the 18th century. They are found in numerous popular prints, they can be seen in the hands of both ordinary peasants and buffoons. Among the spoon musicians of ancient times, there were real virtuosos who could perform solo, often their concerts were accompanied by singing or dancing. In the 19th and 20th centuries, spoons were used, for the most part, first in ensembles of Russian folk instruments, and later in folk orchestras.
Step 7
In the modern world, even groups that are completely far from Russian folk music have adopted spoons as an instrument. For example, they are used by American folk singers or musicians participating in minstrel shows. The performer of the British art-rock group Caravan went even further: he plays on two spoons connected to an amplifier, which allows him to extract completely unusual sounds from them.
