balalaika
Three-sided Russian instrument
A balalaika is a Russian stringed instrument with a triangular wooden body and three strings, played by plucking or strumming.
It has a distinctive bright, twangy sound and appears in Russian folk music: The orchestra featured balalaikas and accordions.
Thin flexible lines
- fretboardStringed instrument's neck face
- triangularThree-cornered in form
- pluckedPulled out forcefully
- strummingSweeping across guitar strings
tuning · chords · resonance · soundboard · fingerboard · pick · arpeggio · tremolo
Three-cornered in form
- three-sidedHaving three edges
- woodenMade from timber
- spruceNeat; also a conifer
- soundholeOpening in acoustic instrument
resonator · body · neck · lacquered · decorated · painted · ornate · handcrafted
Eurasian federation, largest country
- MoscowRussia's capital city
- matryoshkaRussian nesting doll
- samovarWater-heating tea vessel
- vodkaClear distilled spirit
Kremlin · Tchaikovsky · borscht · ushanka · dacha · babushka · steppe · Cossack
strings
Thin flexible lines
- fretboardStringed instrument's neck face
- triangularThree-cornered in form
- pluckedPulled out forcefully
strumming · tuning · chords · resonance · soundboard · fingerboard · pick · arpeggio · tremolo · fingerstyle
triangular
Three-cornered in form
- three-sidedHaving three edges
- woodenMade from timber
- spruceNeat; also a conifer
soundhole · resonator · body · neck · lacquered · decorated · painted · ornate · handcrafted
Russia
Eurasian federation, largest country
- MoscowRussia's capital city
- matryoshkaRussian nesting doll
- samovarWater-heating tea vessel
vodka · Kremlin · Tchaikovsky · borscht · ushanka · dacha · babushka · steppe · Cossack · troika
folklore
Inherited cultural narratives
- ensembleUnified group or outfit
- orchestraLarge instrumental ensemble
- troikaSet of three, Russian-derived
ballad · serenade · traditional · bard · minstrel · dance · accompaniment · melody · polka · waltz
bandura
Ukrainian plucked string instrument
- RussiaRussia, Moscow, Kremlin, Red Square, Siberia
- European instrumentsaccordion, bagpipes, bandura, bodhran, bouzouki
- instrumentosviolin, piano, flauta, cello, viola
- instrumentsguitar, guitars, piano, pianos, drum
- stringed instrumentsguitar, lyre, lute, mandolin, harp
- European FolkIrish folk, Celtic music, fado, flamenco, polka