Making gusli with your own hands. Gusli - the cosmic heritage of Rus' - accessible to everyone

Today we will try to make with our own hands a beautiful, old Russian musical instrument — helmet-shaped harp.

How did I come up with the idea of ​​​​creating a helmet-shaped gusli. In general, the task was to use waste material left after finishing the balcony. Scraps of furniture board, remnants of plywood, parquet staves... It was a pity to throw it away, and the decision came naturally: to create an interesting interior element from all this with your own hands. We have already done an interior element recently, if you remember. By the way, this one.

The idea of ​​making Russian helmet-shaped gusli with your own hands

The idea of ​​homemade products was inspired by the good old fairy tale films. We all remember from childhood beautiful paintings Alexandra Row, on whom they grew up and were brought up: “Ilya Muromets”, “Morozko”, “Sadko”... And so the idea was born: to make a homemade instrument - Russians helmet-shaped harp. The image of the finished instrument spontaneously appeared in the imagination; the most difficult thing was to hold it and transfer it in detail to paper in the form of a sketch. The dimensions were determined arbitrarily, the main requirement was one thing: proportionality; After all, I repeat, the task was not to create a canonical instrument, but to produce an element of the interior. But, it seems, the product itself did not think so! - and what was my surprise when the newly created instrument, in spite of everything, took it and began to sing! Although, how else could a Russian instrument behave? Moreover, created with my own hands, and received a part of my soul? Just like in a fairy tale!

Materials and tools for making Russian helmet-shaped gusli

Required for work following tools:
a sharpened “simple” pencil;
breadboard or stationery knife;
square;
jigsaw;
the absence of a compass was compensated for by a piece of strong thread with a nail on one end, and a piece of pencil tied to the other - this homemade device was useful for drawing radii and rounded lines on workpieces;
A screwdriver and drills with a diameter of 1-1.5 and 3.5 millimeters will be useful;
You will also need PVA-Stolyar glue;
wood screws 30-35 mm long;
a tube of “Superglue” for gluing decor;
a small hammer and small nails for fixing the finishing wooden tape on the end planes.
From the material for homemade work we need:
three pieces of thin plywood (4.5 mm, 50/50 cm in size for the top and bottom decks);
two strips of the same plywood 8-10 cm wide and 98-100 cm long for the front end, and 70 cm long for finishing the rear wall;
scraps of furniture panels or pine planks 1.8–2 cm thick, 10–15 cm wide and 80 cm long;
strings from an old guitar...
Of course, all these dimensions are arbitrary; they are determined by the expected dimensions of the finished homemade product, which you set for yourself. You just need to remember the main principle: proportionality.

Russian helmet-shaped gusli - let's get to work

1. From a piece of furniture board we mark and cut out blanks for the gusli frame: we need two semicircular ones (pictured below) and two short blanks.
   
   Short blanks are frame reinforcers.
2. Next, we lay out the frame elements like this:
   and make sure that nothing protrudes beyond the line of the end plane anywhere.
3. The excess is cut off with a jigsaw.
4. Now you need to make blanks for holders for pegs and strings. IN in this case oak parquet planks were used: oak is a strong wood, most suitable for maintaining the tension of the strings. We place the planks on top of the frame, draw a contour from below with a pencil, and cut off the excess. We need those sides of the strips that “look” inside the future instrument.
   
5. Having cut off the excess, we copy the cut line, retreating 1.5 centimeters, and cut off the excess from the second side of the plank. It should look like this:
   
6. Sand the finished string holders with fine emery cloth to coat them with varnish.
7. Now we need to make the back wall of the frame. It requires a piece of our pine board; we saw off two pieces from it, which we immediately glued to the sides of the board like this:
   
8. On the resulting short sidewalls, you need to cut out landing grooves in place in order to fuse the back part with the rest of the frame. The picture clearly shows how the back wall should connect to the frame:
   For maximum strength, it is better to coat the back wall board with PVA and place it on self-tapping screws.
9. The frame and tailpieces are made, adjusted, now we are putting the frame together. Let's put the string holders aside for now! We fasten the frame parts using PVA glue and wood screws. There is one little trick... To prevent the wood from splitting under the screw, I will give helpful advice: first you need to drill a hole for it, and then screw in the self-tapping screw. While the glued frame dries, we make decks from plywood.
10. We take one of the pieces of plywood, place the frame on it, and outline its outer profile on the plywood with a pencil. Then we retreat 4 millimeters outward from our outline and copy the line with a pencil. This will be the cutting line.
11. We cut out the blank, sand the edges, put it on the second piece of plywood and simply trace it with a pencil.
12. We cut out the second blank, sand the edges, and put it aside: this will be the bottom - the lower deck.
    
13. Now we take the first cut plywood, put it on the frame, and from below we outline the internal contour of the frame on the plywood. We cut it out with a jigsaw and get this upper deck blank:
    
14. We take our third piece of plywood, put the sawn top deck on it, trace the inner contour, and also retreat from it in outside 7 - 8 millimeters, repeat it. The result is a pattern for the overhead panel - the resonator of the upper deck. This is a decorative piece, so the cutting line should be adjusted to make it beautiful.
    
15. Now we take the assembled and glued frame. We decorate the back wall with a strip of plywood, previously sanded and smooth, put on the top deck, and check the uniform protrusion of the part on all sides.
    
16. Now we put the tailpieces on top, and the panel is the resonator. We mark their places with risks.
    
17. On the resonator panel we mark the center, draw a circle along it, and cut out a sound window.
    
18. All of our blanks are cut, sanded, all that remains is to paint and assemble! In this case, the “antique” decor style was chosen. I didn’t have a suitable tint at hand, so I had to be smart. Instant coffee helped solve the problem! Three teaspoons of coffee poured with two tablespoons of boiling water gave an excellent result! The tone is applied with a regular brush, after drying it is lightly polished with fine sandpaper and varnished. The desired effect has been achieved!
    
19. Now you can start putting everything together. Glue the bottom deck to the frame. We lay it down and glue the top deck with the resonator into place. The resonator panel must be glued to the top deck, raising it on wooden spacers by 3.5 - 4 mm. above the deck. For this purpose, wooden pieces, scraps, stumps - whatever you can find at hand - are suitable. After this, we put the tailpieces in their places, glue them, and fix them with self-tapping screws. Self-tapping screws can be hidden by slightly deepening them and sealing them with wooden plugs made from pieces of furniture dowel.
20. Next, we drill holes for the pegs and strings. Pegs can be taken from an old piano, or simply cut from a thick nail. The strings are guitar strings. This harp has 17 strings and pegs, but I repeat - everything is arbitrary! The distance between the strings is chosen so that it is comfortable for your fingers to play. We apply an end strip of plywood, gluing it to the end of the frame, and fix it with self-tapping screws.
    
21. The next step is installing the decor. There was a remnant of wooden finishing tape, which was adapted, but it was only enough to decorate the lower part. The decor on the top is just a narrow strip of plywood. Installing decors is easy. It is best to hold the wooden tape for a while hot water– then it easily bends, without breaking, to any shape. We glue it on PVA, securing it with nails. With plywood it’s easier: remove one layer of thickness from the strip, and it will fit as it should! We also glue with PVA, but you can fix it with Superglue. It turns out like this:
    
22. After all the adhesive joints have dried, we tint all the other parts of the gusli. When the tint is dry, lightly polish it with fine sandpaper and varnish it.
23. Now the tinted, varnished, and dried psaltery needs to be polished with a soft cloth and furniture polish. We get this effect:
    
24. Now it's time to install the pegs and strings. The pegs are simply carefully driven with a hammer into the places drilled for them, the strings are placed and tensioned as on a regular guitar...
    

Our homemade tool is ready! Now it can very well serve as an excellent interior filling, and even be used for its intended purpose!

We really hope that you will be able to make the same beautiful helmet-shaped harp from the photo.

The Gusli and Strings workshop shares the secrets of making gusli.
In this video we will tell you about bone glue for musical instruments.
What is bone glue and how to prepare it, why bone glue, the secret component of glue, is used in the manufacture of musical instruments.

ANDinterview for the music web magazine "U ntergrund.ru"

In November 2015, the Gusli and Strings workshop took part in an interview for the musical

Web magazine "U ntergrund.ru". This is a young Russian magazine about music and its performers,

For a number of reasons, little known in the vastness of our great country.

How to tune a harp.

Greetings, dear readers!

People often come to me asking how to tune a harp. In this article I will try to explain in the simplest and most accessible language how you can tune the harp. I am writing especially for beginners, who took the harp in their hands for the first time, who are not familiar with music theory

and terminology. We will look at two ways to tune a harp, including how to learn how to tune a harp by ear. Let's proceed as follows: in the first part we will consider the method of tuning using a tuner for those who do not have the desire or time to go deeply into theoretical basis

music.

Some points will still have to be touched upon, but this is the minimum.

In the second part we will tune the harp by ear by intervals. I assure you, there is nothing complicated here, sooner or later everyone comes to this. It does not happen that there is no hearing at all, and it develops quite quickly.

Part one. Tuning the gusli using a tuner.

So, the easiest way is to tune the harp using a tuner. To do this, we need a tuner - a special device for tuning instruments, or a computer program for your desktop computer or mobile device.

Let me give you the simplest example: let’s say we have a tablet with the Android system. We install the tuner application (there are many of them, choose any one, you can install several - then we will choose the most convenient one). Let's launch the application.

The appearance may vary, but the essence is the same: there is an arrow on the screen, we pull the string - the arrow shows the closest note for a given sound. We also see how much and in what direction (higher - lower) our sound differs from this note. If the arrow is in the middle of the scale, then the string is tuned exactly to a specific note, and this is how we will tune the harp.

What if it is not possible to find a craftsman who made the instrument, or you made your first harp yourself and still don’t know how it should sound?

Then we proceed according to the algorithm below. But to understand it, we need a little theory.

Let's start with the fact that the harp can generally be configured in different ways, depending on what kind of music we want to play. This article deals with only one of the most common and typical tunings for Russian gusli.

So, we will tune the harp in the Mixolydian mode.

In addition, we will tune the lowest string (both in terms of sound and location on the instrument) as a bourdon.

I will not deviate from the topic now and explain what the Mixolydian mode is; those who want to find out will look it up in a musical dictionary. Bourdon (or bass) is a low, constantly sounding tone, a kind of background against which the rest of the melody is played. Remember, for example, bagpipes: 1-2 bourdons constantly sound, and the main pipe plays in the background.

On Russian wing-shaped gusli, the lower string was usually tuned to bourdon (with a total number of strings of 7 and above). You can play without a bourdon, but with a bourdon the harp sounds more beautiful.

So, here we have a detuned harp and a tuner. First you need to determine at what pitch the harp will sound.

In fact, we don’t have many options, namely 12. Why 12, you ask, since there are only 7 notes? Let's look at the table. ()

On the left is a column with string numbers from 0 to 9. The bourdon does not participate in the general numbering, so we assigned it the number 0. The table is compiled for 10-string gusli (there are 10 strings in total including the bourdon), but is suitable for tuning gusli with any number of strings, including helmet-shaped multi-strings. Simply, starting from the 8th string, the names of the notes are repeated from the beginning. We will tune the Bourdon last, but now we are interested in 1 string (the line is highlighted).

gray

From left to right we see the names of the main and “intermediate” notes. There are seven basic notes: do, re, mi, fa, salt, la, si. ♭ The remaining notes are obtained by raising or lowering the fundamental notes by a semitone (half a tone, 1/2 a whole tone).

A semitone will be considered the minimum possible distance between notes.♭ - this is the same thing, in the table I write B everywhere♭ .

One more thing about A# and B: confusion often arises due to different note notation systems. In our table, all notes are written in Russian. It often happens that notes are written down with Latin letters. The trouble is that in various systems writing notes in Latin letters notes A# and B♭ can be designated differently:

To avoid confusion, it is best to find a tuner where you can change the setting for displaying notes from Latin to Russian letters.

Now let's return to tuning the gusli.

Algorithm for tuning gusli using a tuner

1. Tuning string number 1 “as we like.” Just choose medium tension. Not too weak, not too strong. At this stage the string just needs to sound. If it rattles and dangles on the peg, tighten it; if it is too tight and is about to break, loosen it.

2. We look at the tuner, adjust the 1st string to the nearest note (any note, the arrow should be in the middle, i.e. a clean note, it doesn’t matter, with a sharp, flat or without them).

Let's say we get the note D#.3. Look at our table. We find in line 1 (highlighted in gray) the note that the tuner showed. In our case this is re#.

(download the table in good quality)

4. Now we set up strings 2-9 in accordance with the values ​​of the found column.

5. Lastly, set up the bourdon.

6. We listen to what we got and adjust it if necessary.

If, during tuning, we realize that the upper strings are too tight, or have already pulled and broken one, then we tuned the first string too high, we loosen the tension of 1 string and repeat the algorithm from the beginning.

If the tension on the bourdon is too weak and it does not sound, then you need to increase the tension of 1 string and repeat the algorithm from the beginning.

If the bourdon is not tightened and the upper strings are too tight, most likely the set of strings has been selected incorrectly; try tuning without the bourdon.

Part two. Tuning the harp by ear.

Tuning the harp by ear is very simple and, most importantly, quick.

A musical interval is the relationship between two sounds.

To tune the gusli, we will need to remember how the following intervals sound: octave, fifth and fourth, as well as a major triad.

With the octave everything is simple, it is the same note, only at a different height, the sounds merge into one. Let's just remember the fifth and fourth using examples. A triad is three sounds, but we consider it as a single whole, so it will be more convenient and easier for us to remember. In fact, we get a triad from a fifth: we simply insert another sound between the two sounds of the fifth, and remember how this construction sounds.

Now we listen to how the intervals we need sound.

Octaves - an example of sound on the harp:

Fifths - an example of sound on the harp:

Fourths - an example of sound on the harp:

Major triads - an example of sound on the harp:

So now we know what the octave, fourth, fifth and major triad sound like. Let's proceed directly to the setup.

Algorithm for tuning gusli by intervals

1. We tune 1 string “not too high - not too low” (see point 1 of the tuner tuning algorithm).

Let me remind you that our bourdon is numbered as the “zero” string, string 1 is the one next up after the bourdon.

2. We tune the 5th string to the first. The interval is a fifth.

3. We tune the 3rd string so that a major triad is formed between the 1st, 3rd and 5th strings. More precisely, we have already aligned the first and fifth strings with each other in step 2, and all we have to do is adjust the third string to them until the triad.

4. We tune the 4th string to the first. The interval is a quart.

5. Tuning the 2nd string to the fifth. The interval is a quart.

6. We tune the 6th string to the second. The interval is a fifth.

7. Tuning the 7th string to the fourth. The interval is a quart. In this way we tuned the first seven strings, not counting the bourdon.

8. We tune all other strings (no matter how many there are) to the octave: 8th string on the first, 9th string on the second, 10th string on the third, etc.

* * * * *

9. We tune the bourdon to an octave on the fifth string.

Dear professional musicians, do not judge strictly and do not swear for the many assumptions and simplifications in the theoretical part. The purpose of the article is to convey information to people who are picking up a musical instrument for the first time, and to help them tune the harp themselves. If any of the readers succeeded, I consider that the goal has been achieved.

Questions, reviews and suggestions, write to me by email gusliistruny@gmail. com

Maxim Stepanov,

Founder of the Gusli and Strings workshop

How to set up a harp - video.

In continuation of the article about setting up the gusli, I post links to the video:

I wish everyone creative success!

Maxim Stepanov

I

How to install strings on a harp

Today I will tell you about one of the ways to install strings on a harp. This method is characterized by simplicity and reliability of fastening. And if you prepare strings in advance using the method given below, you can very quickly replace a suddenly broken string.

The string holder of wing-shaped or lyre-shaped psaltery is usually a U-shaped bracket or a metal rod. We will attach the strings in such a way that they themselves will be pulled into the loop on the tailpiece.

The only tools we need are a pair of small pliers to wind small loops on the ends of the strings. This is done as follows.

We retreat 10-15 millimeters from the edge of the string and bend the end.

We clamp the curved end with pliers, as shown in the photo.

We take the second pliers in the other hand, grab the short free end with them and carefully, turn to turn, wind it onto the long end of the string.

When the short end is completely wound onto the long end, our loop is ready.

The loops may not turn out beautiful and neat right away; you can first practice on a small piece of string.

Now we take our string and loop it under the tailpiece.

The free end of the string, in turn, is passed into the loop. Here it is, a self-tightening loop on the tailpiece.

So, we have the strings themselves ready, now let's talk about the pegs.

Pegs can be metal or wood. In my opinion, metal ones are more reliable and easier to use: after all, wood is a capricious material. Metal ones do not require maintenance and hold their tune well, the main thing is that they are screwed tightly enough into the body. They are screwed in - each pegs have a thread with a fine pitch. Under no circumstances should the pegs be driven in with a hammer. It is convenient to screw in the pegs using an L-shaped or T-shaped wrench.

We screw the pegs into the body to such a depth that there is approximately 25 mm left from the body to the hole for attaching the string.

We fix the string on the stem of the tailpiece (as described above), and pull the free end of the string to the peg.

Leave 60-70 millimeters for winding, cut off the rest.

There is no need to leave the end too long; two or three turns are enough for secure fastening.

We bend the end and insert it into the hole of the peg.

Holding it with your finger, twist the peg. We make 1 turn up, the rest down.

When the string is stretched, we align the loop at the tailpiece.

As a rule, the loop becomes a few millimeters away from the rod, and is also a little uneven. Simply take a metal object, such as small pliers, and push the loop closer to the tailpiece.

Now everything is smooth and beautiful.

After all the strings have been installed, we align their height above the soundboard by moving the bottom turn up and down.

Now you can leave the harp for a while so that the strings stretch a little, and then start tuning.

Ito Yandex wallet: 41001306126417

How to install pegs and strings on a harp - video If you liked the video, support our workshop! ndex wallet: 41001306126417

The magic of the gusli. This
antique instrument
Anyone can do it, it's quite simple.
Good people, Russian people
Not by passport, but by soul mate!
Take care of your body in sobriety,
The mind is cold, but the soul is holy,
Don't let yourself be led by the enemy
By gullies, and in a crooked way,
Go ahead with a firm step
On your own land and on the Right Path.
I’ll add the words if they match,

Maybe that proverb can become a song. If you like it, give it to others, The right word is not lost.

In the old days, the body of the gusli was made from crushed dry spruce or maple boards. The craftsmen especially loved the sycamore maple, hence the name of the gusli - “spring-shaped”. As soon as the vein strings were replaced with metal ones and the instrument “ringed,” the harp began to be called “ringed.” The smallest number of strings recorded on a harp is five. This number can reach up to 66. However, the five-string gusli, according to scientists, the best way history of gusli, types of gusli, structure, playing techniques - let's talk about it, but all this becomes unimportant when the instrument falls into your hands.

Preface to the photographs:

How it all began.

The first harp was made without drawings, without consulting anyone, and deliberately protected himself from external information. There was only one thing left - a great desire to try, to find out what kind of instrument it was, what it sounded like, how to play. I finished the carpentry quite quickly, using scrap materials and guitar tuning machines. On January 7 I installed the strings. I didn’t expect much, but... a miracle happened!

The harp sounded. And they didn’t just sound, but they sounded fabulous, bewitching, magical. I learned to play them at random, since I can play the guitar.

Over the course of a couple of days, I picked up several songs and played them by jingling. Friends and relatives appreciated it, but the desire to make a real perfect harp only intensified when I saw the shortcomings of the first model.

I made a couple more gusli. This time I studied sketches and drawings of Pskov ringed pterygoids, went to the factory of musical instruments named after. Tchaikovsky. I took the best from everywhere, developed the ergonomics of the body of the gusli, purchased German components (viribili, strings, frets, guitar bones).

This is what happened.

Vladimir Borisov - musician, poet, composer, sound engineer-arranger, holder of the Order of Unity. Faith, Truth, Honor. For action for the benefit of Russia and the unity of sound forces on Earth,” creator and leader of the creative union “POLYUBOMU.” Songs “LOVEM” have repeatedly become laureates of festivals and received awards. The song “Road” (lyrics by V. Borisov and A. Sakin, music by V. Borisov) was noticed by the film company “Paradise” and in 2009 included in the official release of the DVD with the film “Planet-51”. In December 2012, the song “Rysiuniya enchants the eyes” (lyrics and music by V Borisov) took 1st place according to the results popular vote in the Music category of the Internet award “For the Benefit of the World”.

In the 1980–1990s, in the process of frontal work of folklore expeditions of the St. Petersburg (Leningrad) State Conservatory, led by Anatoly Mikhailovich Mekhnetsov, a systematic study of folk traditions of gusel playing was carried out in the central regions of the Pskov and eastern regions of the Novgorod regions. An important part of the expedition materials is a collection of ethnographic gusli (32 samples, of which 19 are Novgorod and 13 Pskov instruments). The schematic map shows the location of the Pskov and Novgorod villages in which samples of the gusli were found (photo 01).

The importance of the scientific discovery made by A.M. Mekhnetsov and his colleagues, is that indisputable documentary confirmation has received the fact of the existence in the Pskov and Novgorod regions of a distinctive, ancient Russian origin folk tradition playing the wing-shaped, few-stringed harp, the distinctive features of which are manifested both in the system of tunes and performance techniques, and in the design features of the instrument.

Typological connections between the Pskov and Novgorod traditions are observed at the following levels:

The design of a plucked string instrument, realizing in various forms the shape of a wing-shaped psaltery;

Vertical positioning of the instrument when playing (with the longest string located at the bottom); it is possible to play sitting (the instrument is placed edgewise on the knees) and standing, while walking (the instrument is hung from the neck using a ribbon, for which a small hole was made in the corner part of the card);

Playing techniques - division of functions between the hands: muting the strings with the left and jingling or selective playing with the right hand; the left hand is in one position (in most cases, three fingers of the left hand are placed between the strings), which determines the need for a fan-shaped arrangement of the strings; the main hand or finger strike on the strings is directed from top to bottom (clanging), which is the reason why the strings are also wound on the peg from above (thus the instrument “keeps tune” better);

The structure of the instrument, which in the main part implements a diatonic sequence of two fused tetrachords (Mixolydian mode), which determines the harmonic basis of the tune - a comparison of two consonances in a larger-second ratio (the universal principle of tuning gusli is presented by A.M. Mekhnetsov, (photo 22);

The basis of the repertoire (playing to a procession / “to songs” and playing to a dance); principles of organizing tunes (general types of rhythmic-harmonic periods).

As a result of studying the collection of instruments, A.M. Mekhnetsov summarizes the design parameters of the gusli: “The typical features of the traditional gusli are given by the special shape of the instrument: an oblong board, beveled along the upper edge (usually from the place where the peg of the upper, short string is installed) board, usually 50–70 cm long, 20 cm wide in the rectangular part –30 cm and a thickness of 4–5 cm. A resonator trough, chiseled from the front or back side of the board, reaches the line of the peg row (peg bar), located at an angle of 45–60° to the base of the instrument. The part of the front side of the board protruding beyond the peg row (“opener”) is hewn along the inner plane to a thickness of 7–10 mm. The resonator trough is closed by a lid recessed into the body - the soundboard. The thickness of the soundboard and bottom of the resonator trough is 5–10 mm, the side walls of the body are 10–20 mm. The deck is secured around the perimeter with wooden (iron) nails (sometimes with glue). On the front side of the resonator box, as a rule, there is a vocal opening (3–5 cm in diameter). The main material for making the body of the gusli is fine-grained spruce and pine; In the Novgorod region, alder is predominantly used. Spruce is almost universally used for the soundboard” [see. Bibliography No. 17, p. 16].

The definition of “wing-shaped” is associated with the shape of the instrument’s body, which outwardly resembles a wing. This variety of gusli was isolated in the 1960s by K.A. Vertkov, however, the researcher’s field of view was limited to the single ones available at that time in museum collections samples of 5–9-string instruments with a slotted body [see. Bibliography No. 2, p. 275–286].

Subsequently, two more features were identified that characterize Russian wing-shaped instruments: the principle of a fan-shaped arrangement of strings and the presence of an opening. As I. Tynurist notes, “the only significant structural detail that distinguishes the wing-shaped harp from the kantele is the flap, on which the musician’s left hand rested when the instrument was in a semi-inclined or vertical position while playing. This is a kind of ethnic feature of the winged gusli” [see. Bibliography No. 26, p. 23].

Instruments brought from the eastern regions of the Novgorod region (19 copies) indicate the existence of a typologically archaic gusel tradition in this territory. Novgorod gusli have a single set of characteristics and are embodied in a stable form.

Seven instruments (including a gusli body blank) were brought from the Khvoininsky district. Equal amount- three instruments each - from nearby districts: Pestovsky, Borovichsky, two - from Lyubytinsky district, one - from Moshensky. The collection is complemented by two gusli tablets, made at the request of collectors and reproducing the appearance of primitive three-stringed children's instruments (like a gusli); they were brought from the Pestovsky and Borovichi regions. One instrument was found in the Udomelsky district of the Tver region - in the village of Lipny, located on the border with the Moshensky and Borovichsky districts of the Novgorod region. Due to the fact that the characteristics of the Tver instrument do not differ from those from Novgorod, it is included in the Novgorod collection.

Extremely important for historical assessment Novgorod tradition is the fact that all instruments have a relatively small number of strings (from 4 to 11). Of the 18 samples stored in the Folklore and Ethnographic Center, 11 are six-string and 4 are seven-string, which indicates the undoubted predominance of six-seven-string gusli in the Novgorod tradition. The collection also includes one example each of four-, eight-, nine- and eleven-string instruments.

The following design features of the Novgorod gusli prove to be stable:

15 out of 18 samples have a hollowed-out body, of which 14 instruments have a resonator box hollowed out on the back side and covered with a soundboard - overhead or inserted into grooves specially cut for this purpose (photo 02);

Pentagonal (in the diagram) body with a flap protruding beyond the line of pegs, while the resonator box is located up to the line of pegs;

Fan-shaped arrangement of strings with a significant increase in the distance between them in the wide part of the body and with a gradual decrease in length towards the shortest top string;

Wooden pegs (with spade-shaped handles) inserted into the back of the body.

An exception to the general typological series of Novgorod gusli is a 7-string instrument from the village of Kvasilnikovo, Lyubytinsky district: the body of the gusli is hollowed out on the front side and has a quadrangular rounded shape in the design, since the flap, slightly protruding beyond the boundaries of the resonator box, is cut along the line of the pegs. In addition, the peg row is oriented not to the left, like other instruments, but to right hand player - this feature is due to the fact that the harp is made specifically for left-handers (as evidenced by expeditionary data). Also in the collection there are 6-string harps, the body of which was first hollowed out from the side, but during the work the master, for unknown reasons, abandoned this idea, and in the final version the body has a prefabricated structure (village Emelyanovskoye, Khvoininsky district; photo 09).

The Pskov collection of instruments includes 13 gusli from the central regions of the region: four each from Krasnogorodsky and Pytalovsky, three from Ostrovsky and one each from Opochetsky and Palkinsky districts.

Compared to the Novgorod ones, the Pskov gusli is more diverse in structure and represents the next stage in the development of the constructive idea of ​​the instrument (photo 03). The following significant changes are observed:

Increasing the number of strings: most Central Pskov gusli are characterized by the presence of 9–10 strings (8 instruments, which is 2/3 of the collection); in addition, the collection contains two 11-string instruments and one instrument each with 7, 12, 17 strings;

As a rule, harps have a prefabricated body on a frame (9 instruments), and only four samples have a hollowed-out body (in three the body was hollowed out from the front side, in one - from the back);

The opener is retained, but in many cases the resonator box extends beyond the line of pegs (10 out of 13 instruments have a hollow opener that acts as an additional resonator);

Metal pegs are inserted from the face of the instrument.

As a result, we can say that a new, improved variety of winged gusli is being formed in the Pskov region.

For comparative research, not only statistically confirmed common features are extremely important, but also exceptions, which make it possible to build the stages of transformation of the instrument design in a certain evolutionary sequence and to discover the generic connection of the Novgorod and Pskov gusel traditions.

First of all, it is significant that there are two 9-string Pskov instruments from the village of Avdoshi (photo 04) and the village of Desyatskiye, Krasnogorodsky district, which completely repeat the constructive idea of ​​the Novgorod gusli - they have a hollowed-out body on the back side and a characteristic opening.

The famous 7-string dugout gusli of Trofim Ananyev also fully corresponds to the Novgorod type of instrument - the first example of Russian wing-shaped gusli, which entered the museum of the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1889 and described by A. S. Famintsyn [see. Bibliography No. 28, p. 68-74]. This instrument was brought from the village of Deeva Gorki, Yablonetsky volost, Luga district, St. Petersburg province (now belongs to the Strugo-Krasnensky district of the Pskov region). It is significant that the instrument has a body hollowed out on the side and wooden pegs inserted from the back - features that are absent in the specimens of Pskov gusli brought from expeditions in the 1980s, but indicative of the Novgorod collection of instruments. It is also important that Trofim Ananyev held the instrument vertically while playing, resting its long edge on his knees, and inserted three fingers of his left hand between the strings.

In the collection of the Russian ethnographic museum contains two gusli made by Fedot Artamonov (a worker at the Putilov plant, former peasant village Klimova, Dokatovskaya volost, Pskov province and district). The gusli entered the Ethnographic Department in 1911 along with other instruments from the collection of N. I. Privalov. As A. A. Gadzhieva notes, “both instruments are nine-stringed, hollowed on top, with an opening of ≈1/3; small round resonator holes are grouped into a circle (the second instrument has two such circles); pegs are wooden, inserted from below” [see. Bibliography No. 5, p. 522]. Features of the instrument, such as the number of strings (9) and the body hollowed out on top, indicate a connection with other Pskov instruments, and wooden pegs inserted from the bottom are typical of the Novgorod gusli.

An exception in the Novgorod collection are three instruments with a prefabricated body (photo 05) from the Khvoininsky, Borovichi and Lyubytinsky districts (six-, nine- and eleven-strings, respectively), although in their own way appearance these instruments do not differ from other examples of Novgorod gusli with a dugout body. Two instruments from the Pskov collection have a similar prefabricated design (12-string and 17-string gusli from the Pytalovsky and Ostrovsky districts; photo 06). This group of Pskov and Novgorod instruments constitutes a transitional link in the evolutionary chain. A completely definite typological connection between the two traditions is revealed at the level of instrument design.

At the same time, a gradual modification of the postcard occurs. As a transitional model from the Novgorod to Pskov type of gusli, we can imagine samples from the village of Sukmannaya Gorushki, Ostrovsky district (7-strings) and the village of Mekhovo, Krasnogorodsky district (9-strings). These Pskov instruments have a hollowed body, a small volume of strings is retained, but the opening has a resonator cavity, takes on a rounded shape, and the soundboard is placed on the front side (photo 07).

The main typological features indicating that all considered instrument variants belong to the wing-shaped type of gusli include a fan-shaped arrangement of strings and a blade protruding beyond the line of pegs. Based on the expedition materials, it can be judged that the shape of the opener completely depends on the vertical position of the instrument and is adapted for ease of play. In eight Novgorod and four Pskov instruments, the openings protrude significantly beyond the line of the pegs and are cut at a right angle (in many samples the edges are slightly beveled). To this number we will add six more Pskov instruments, in which the corners of the opening are slightly smoothed or have a figured shape.

In the light historical study gusli, other questions arise related to the design of the instrument and the shape of the psaltery. Based on Novgorod archaeological materials and the restoration work of V.I. Povetkin, it is known that the Novgorod tradition of the 11th–13th centuries was characterized by gusli with a playing window (“lyre-shaped” gusli) [see. Bibliography No. 20, p. 284–320]. During the expeditions of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, no instruments with a similar design were found. But in this regard, the Novgorod gusli with a figured postcard shape is of particular interest in expedition collections. These are instruments from the villages of Kuntsovo (photo 02), Poptsovo (photo 08), Emelyanovskoye (photo 09) in the Khvoininsky district, as well as from the villages of Shchukina Gora in the Pestovsky district and Udino in the Borovichi district. In the sample from the village of Poptsovo, the shape of the cutout is more prominent, rounded, and in the gusli from the village of Emelyanovskoye, the wavy cutout is made from the side edge. Some external similarity of these instruments with the gusli with the playing window from the Novgorod archaeological excavations is explained by the general structural function of the cutout in the opening. When studying the techniques of playing the instrument, it becomes obvious that the recess in the opening (as well as the slight bevel of the upper line of the opening) are created for the convenience of positioning the left hand. Due to the shaped cutout (bevel), a stable position of the hand is fixed - a support appears to give the entire instrument immobility during playing (which is especially important when playing while walking), at the same time this promotes the close positioning of the left hand to the strings.

When comparing the Novgorod and Pskov gusli, one can also trace the evolution of the tailpiece design:

For most instruments (16 samples), the function of a tailpiece is performed by a metal bracket, which is due to the convenience and reliability of this part;

One Novgorod and four Pskov samples have the previous type of tailpiece - a wooden “duck” (photo 03); proof that this part has ancient origin, serve similar designs to the gusli found in Novgorod archaeological expeditions.

In three Pskov gusli, the tailpiece has a shape borrowed from zither-shaped instruments: the strings are attached to screws (nails) from the end of the narrow part of the body and then tensioned through a curved metal plate / stand (photo 06); Such a tailpiece muffles the sound of open strings and leads to the appearance of rattling overtones, which explains the rarity of its use.

The study of expeditionary gosling collections allows us to draw a conclusion about the gradual process of the emergence and recognition of the acoustic significance of resonator holes. IN AND. Povetkin, based on materials from archaeological expeditions, concluded that the Novgorod gusli is not characterized by “vocal” holes [see. Bibliography No. 21, p. 297–300] . One 9-string Novgorod instrument from the collection of the Folklore and Ethnographic Center actually has no holes (village of Kholshchagino; ill. 05). Most Novgorod gusli have very small holes - either single or in the form of a rosette. Obviously, a large resonator hole on the miniature, light and ringing body of the Novgorod gusli made of alder would be redundant. Using the example of the Pskov collection of gusli, one can observe how the aesthetically designed “vocal” rosettes (photos 04, 06, 07) are replaced by large round resonator holes (modeled on factory instruments), which become an obligatory element of the design. In improved models (6 Pskov instruments), a second round resonator hole is made in the hollow opening (photo 03). The acoustic significance of these holes is fully understood by the craftsmen.

Thus, an evolutionary sequence is built that allows us to talk about the history of changes in the design of Russian winged gusli. But what caused these changes? Why do archetypal indicators remain in the Novgorod traditions, while in the Pskov traditions there is active development and new modifications of the instrument appear? In all likelihood, the answer is related to the geographical location of these two centers of the Russian gosling tradition. The complexity and development of the Pskov tradition is explained, on the one hand, by long-term and productive contacts with the peoples of the Baltic, on the other hand, by active migration flows of the Russian population moving through the territory of the central Pskov region and often settling there for residence (for example, the resettlement of Old Believers to the areas of the Pskov region is known) . In contrast, the territory of the eastern part of the Novgorod region is known as reserved and difficult to access (it is no coincidence that various forms of ritual folklore have been preserved in this area).

It is also important to emphasize that during the expeditions, the memories of village residents about the existence of gusli in the relatively recent past - at the beginning of the 20th century - were also recorded in the territories of other regions of the Pskov and Novgorod lands. This gives grounds to assert that the surviving two centers not so long ago belonged to a single Pskov-Novgorod instrumental tradition, covering a wide geographical area.

Since the 1980s, interest in authentic ethnographic and archaeological harps has been growing, workshops have been created, and individual master makers of instruments based on samples have been working. In Novgorod in 1990, V. I. Povetkin created the Center for Musical Antiquities, thanks to the reconstruction work he began in the mid-1970s to restore the forms and sounds of ancient Russian gusli, beeps and sniffles, modeled on exhibits found in archaeological expeditions.

The results of the scientific systematization of expedition collections, descriptions, photographs and drawings of musical instruments are presented in the publications: Mekhnetsov A.M. Russian gusli and gusli game: Research and materials. St. Petersburg, 2006; Gusli - Russian folk musical instrument: Exhibition catalog / Scientific. ed. A. M. Mekhnetsov; author-comp. 1–2 parts G.V. Lobkova; author-comp. 3 parts V.V. Koshelev. St. Petersburg, 2003.

See: Mekhnetsov A.M. Russian gusli and gusli playing: Research and materials St. Petersburg, 2006. P. 19.

The absence of resonator holes is one of the main differences between the harp of the 11th–14th centuries, reconstructed by V.I. Povetkin, from instruments from the Museum collection musical culture named after Glinka in the reconstruction of N.L. Krivonos.