Gusli is an ancient multi-stringed plucked instrument, widespread in Russia. Since the time of Kievan Rus, mentions of the harp are found in the annals, legends and notes of foreign travelers. Now the harp is part of the orchestras of folk instruments.
Instructions
Step 1
Instruments similar to the Russian harp are found among different peoples. According to one of the hypotheses, the name of the instrument comes from the word "gusla", as in ancient times they called a string pulled over a bow.
Step 2
There were various varieties of this folk instrument: lyre-shaped, helmet-shaped, wing-shaped gusli. The lyre-like gusli or gusli with a play window is probably the most ancient type of instrument. Archaeologists have found similar gusli in the layers of the 11-13th century. On the lyre-shaped harp, on the back side there is a window into which the left hand of the harp is placed. When playing, such gusli are held vertically, and the strings are muffled with the fingers of the left hand.
Step 3
Helmet gusli are rare among archaeological finds. Currently, varieties of helmet gusli can be seen among some peoples of the Volga region. The body of such a tool resembles a helmet in shape. On such a harp could have from 11 to 30 strings. They played the helmet-shaped harp while sitting, while playing the strings were plucked with the fingers of both hands.
Step 4
The winged gusli were popular in the northwestern regions. Until now, in some Novgorod and Pskov villages, you can find real winged gusli. The strings on such an instrument are stretched in a fan-like manner, the body of the instrument is shaped like a wing. On the wing-shaped harp, from 5 to 17 strings can be stretched. There are various ways to customize such gusli. As a rule, the bottom end strings are tuned like drone strings, these strings are constantly sounded as you play. On the wing-shaped harp, they play while sitting. The fingers of the left hand are placed between the strings and in the process of playing they muffle unnecessary strings. The right hand strikes all strings, while the strike can go from top to bottom and bottom to top. The most common technique for playing the winged gusse is clanking. Sometimes guslars can use the plucking technique. Traditional dance tunes are most often played on the wing-shaped harp, such melodies are distinguished by a sharp and clear rhythmic pattern. You can play on such a psaltery with songs, but such a game will be distinguished by its smoothness and melody.
Step 5
The technology for making traditional gusli is quite simple. The psaltery is most often made from a solid pine or spruce board. Initially, instrument strings were made from animal veins. The sound of such an instrument was very soft. Tuners for gusli used to be carved out of wood, now metal strings and tuning pegs are most often used.
