rd is not crowned like it is in the piano, and the wavelengths of the sounds are short, it makes this tremelo sound. When playing the balalaika, you can't just play one note at a time like a quarter note. Out of that came the whole style of the background of Russian traditional music --- which could be why it's so upbeat. "Belly Scratchers" was their nickname given to them by the musicians. They were given this name because it mad sense, because the balalaika hangs down by the belly, and they make rapid "scratching movements" when they play. The origin of the balalika takes us way back probably to the XIIth century, but the "father" of the Russian balalaika orchestra was Vassily Andreyev (1861-1918), a balalaika virtuoso who modified and improved the traditional balalaika and enlarged its family by introducing piccolo, secunda, alto, bass and counter-bass instruments. With one of the greatest balalaika makers ever, S. Nalimov, he gave birth to an entire family of instruments pretty much like the violin family. While the balalaika as we know it today was first seen in France in Paris in 1900 at the Universal Exposition, musicians such as Troyanovsky, Ossipov, Shalov, Glukhov, and lately Nitsheporenko or Zazhigin have contributed to the amazing reputation of this instrument. http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/russian/music.htmlCreated in Paris, France in 1994 by Petia Jacquet-Pritkoff, the "St-Georges" Balalaika Orchestra is a 20-member group of balalaika enthusiasts under the direction of Petia. This truly Russian instrument regularly brings together the orchestra members in a quite unique way (even in Russia): a balalaika-only ensemble. All sizes are present from bass to piccolo. The Balalaika Orchestra is headed by Petia Jacquet-Pritkoff who also writes arrangements and own compositions in a very Russian repertoire. The music is based on Russian melodies and in particular on the balalaika repertoire. It tries to take full ...
