Europe (East)

Here is the second page of Europe, the East :
Austria, Russia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Rumania and Croatia

Go to Europe West for the western side : Spain, Portugal, Canary islands, Madeira, Azores, Cape Verde, Ireland Go to Europe South for the south side : Albania, Greece, Italy, Sardinia, Corsica

The concert zither is a typical instrument of the mountainous area of central Europe, so Austria and surroundings. Although zithers in general would not be included in this website, this one is different, as there is a fingerboard with frets to play the melody.

The concert zither is basically a wooden box (although in a nice rounded shape), with on one side (like a kind of keyboard) 5 strings over a fretboard with metal frets. Next to the fretboard are about 27 more strings, which are played open. They are arranged in 7 chords of 4 strings each, which for orientation are separated by strings in a different colour. The strings over the fretboard are tuned with guitar-like tuning machines; to tune the rest you need a tuning key. The two top strings are in the same pitch, but appearently not played together.

To play the zither you put it in front of you on a table with the fretboard towards you. The right hand picks with a metal thumbpick the melody strings, and with the index or ring finger you strum the chord strings, just aiming for the right chord group. The left hand has to push down the strings on the fretboard. As the highest string is nearest the player, the playing is just the other way around from playing guitar.

Usually just folk music is played on it and due to the soft sound - mainly only at home.

For the history of the concert zither see Zitherorchester (in German).

This is a special harp guitar used in so called "schrammel quartets" in Wien (Vienna), with violin, viola and clarinet to play semi-classical music in restaurants. Called after the two brothers Schrammel who made this type of music popular in the 19th century. The schrammel guitar (also called kontra-gitarre) provides the harmony and the basses for the music. Nowadays often only a harmonica and schrammel gitarre are used.

The schrammel guitar can have many shapes, but basically it is a spanish guitar (with 6 nylon strings), with an extra unfretted neck, with 3 to 9 extra bass strings, which are only played open. The peghead can be different (some look like Fender guitars), with some having a separate nut for each string, giving extra string length. To withstand the enormous pull of the strings on the body, there is a steel pin inside. To get some orientation in the bundle of bass strings, some are coloured red.

Playing is like a normal classical guitar, mainly in chords, with the thumb picking the occasional bass string (like on the baroque lute).

For a look at very many schrammel gitarre see Harpguitars.net - it will be under form 2c; don't drown in all the hundreds of other types !

The most famous Russian instrument is the balalaika. It has an awkward shape to hold. It comes in several sizes, from the soprano, alt, tenor, to large bass balalaika in big balalaika orchestres, playing (fast) folk melodies.

The balalaika is made from ribs joined together (a bit halfround) with the shape forming a triangle at the front. It has a narrow neck with a flat tuning head, with 3 tuning machines from the back. Three metal strings run over a loose wooden bridge to pins at the edge of the body. The body has a small round soundhole, and the front is either painted with some folk like decoration, or has inlayed woods in the top and lower corners.

Playing the balalaika is either with a plectrum or strumming with the fingers. Well known are the repeated mandolin-like tremelos.

The domra is another Russian instrument, which comes in many family sizes (soprano to bass), for use in balalaika or special domra orchestres. It also comes in two different types : one with 3 strings and tuned like a balalaika, or with 4 strings, tuned like a mandolin. Don't confuse the name with the dombra, which is a longneck lute from Kazakhstan (see Central Asia).

The domra is made with ribs glued together in half a football shape. The front is almost a circle. On the top half is some overlay with black painted wood like a scratch plate with white dots. The rosette has a black wood flowershape inlay. The narrow neck has metal frets.

There are two types of tuning head : an open peghead with a scroll to the front, and with either 3 or 4 tuning machines, on both sides. The other type has a flat tuning head, with a scroll to the side and with the tuning machines from behind. The 3 or 4 metal strings run over a wooden bridge to pins at the edge of the body.

Playing is with a plectrum or strumming with the fingers, like the balalaika.

The native Russian guitar of the early 19th century was a 7-string instrument with open G-major tuning (tuned DGBdgbd').

The Russian guitar was modeled on the western European guitars, but mainly on the Austrian type with the neck not glued to the body, but fixed with a bolt, which made the neck angle adjustable. All 7 strings could be fretted, so it does not count as a harp guitar. The pegs were of a special type that could be fixed to avoid slipping.

After Andreas Segovia’s 1929 visit to Russia, the Western (or “Spanish”) guitar replaced the Russian guitar in the concert halls. The unique Russian guitar tradition associated with the seven-string instrument was abandoned and virtually forgotten. Although it remained long popular with amateurs due to the relative simplicity of some basic chords.

Oleg Timofeyev has recorded probably the only CD in existence on this instrument. The amount of repertoire is vast, but not readily available.
In Brazil there is now a modern version called violão de sete cordas (see South America).

See for more information Earlyromanticguitar.com, or Russianguitar.net.

In Bulgaria they use a long neck folk lute, called tambura.

The tambura is made from a hollowed out piece of wood, with a pine front in teardrop shape. The front is slightly rounded. The neck is long and ends with a flat peghead. The fingerboard is raised and has metal frets. It has 2x4 tuning machines from the back.

The 4 double courses of metal strings run over a very wide loose bridge to a metal string holder at the edge of the body. The tuning is guitar-like, with no octave strings.
The instrument is quite heavy, and sounds loud.

The tambura is used to accompany (folk) singing, or to play solo music.

East Europe has quite a few long neck lutes; a lot of them called tambura. This one looks quite similar to the Bulgarian tambura, but is different.

The body of this tambura is carved from one piece of wood to a very thin shell. The top half of the pine front (and a small bit on the bottom) is made from dark coloured wood, with a pattern.
The long neck has two rows of metal frets - on the right side a diatonic row and on the left all the frets in between, so together a chromatic range. Only the first 5 frets are full size (in both rows).
The fingerboard is just a dark veneer. The tuning head is flat with a sideways curl. The tuning machines are of the tamburitza type (see under Croatia), with a curly metal coverplate on the front (which also have some resemblance with the Stauffer guitar - see guitars1). All 4 strings (in two double courses) are tuned the same.

Playing is with the fingers, to accompany folk singing or other stringed instruments.

In the area of Moldovia exists an old lute-like instrument, which is called kobsa in Rumania, and kobuz in Hungary.

The body of the kobuz is made from ribs, glued together. It has a long tear drop shaped front, with inlayed square scratchplate, just above the bridge, and some star like slits as soundholes (some have an extra, small triangular soundhole). The bottom edge of the body is protected with a strip of leather.

The very short neck has no frets, and the fingerboard is flush with the front. The open pegbox joins the neck at an almost straight angle. The wooden friction tuning pegs are 4 on each side. The 4 double metal or gut strings spread out to the bridge and run over a small strip of wood to be tied to the glued-on bridge.
The tuning is usually : GG dd gg c'c' or : dd aa d'd' g'g'.

The playing is with a plectrum or strumming with the fingers. Even chords are played on the fretless neck. Although almost forgotten this lute is now popular again with groups playing traditional folk music.

There existed also a kobsa instrument in Russia, which is a kind of harp/zither, like the bandura, see here, and under miscellaneous.

The example instrument is made in the factory of Szaszrégeni.

On the Balkan (in Croatia, Servia, Slovenia) so called tamburitza orchestre are very popular. Even emigrants in USA or Austria from that area still play this type of music. Basically the tamburitza is an all stringed band. The different instruments are from the smallest to the biggest : bisernica, brac, bugarija, celo and berde. Bodyshape can be roundish (mainly only for the smallest instruments) or guitar-like for the bigger ones. Shapes and decoration can be quite different between makers.
For more information see Worldfrets.com.

The melody is played on the smallest : the bisernica (or prim).
Although the shape can be different, usually this smallest tamburitza instrument is roundish. The body is carved from a piece of wood, with a pine front. The top half of the front is of different wood, and soundholes are just lots of small holes as decoration. The fingerboard is flush with the front. The tuning head is often flat and mandolin-like, but could also have a side ways scroll (like Fender) with metal encased tuning machines. The 3 or 4 double courses of metal strings run over a loose wooden bridge to pins at the edge of the body.

Playing is with a plectrum, with very fast passages.

from left : celo, bugarija, brac, brac in front : two bisernica

The brac is the second smallest instrument in the tamburitza orchestre, playing second melody lines. The brac (or Brach or Basprim) is often guitar-shaped, but could also be roundish like the bisernica.

The body of the brac is made like a guitar, with the top half (or an area around the sound hole) in a different wood. The neck ends in a flat tuning head with a side ways scroll (like Fender). It usually has metal encased tuning machines (the metal plate is on the front, not on the back as with the Stauffer guitars).

The 4 or 5 metal strings run over a loose wooden bridge to pins at the edge of the body, with some metal tailpiece. Often the first two strings are double. The tuning is often an octave lower than the bisernica, E A d g (the lowest 4 strings of a guitar).

Playing is with a plectrum.

The bugarija is the guitar like instrument in the tamburitza orchestre, playing harmony/chords like a guitar. The bugarija (or Kontra) is always guitar shaped.

The body of the bugarija is made like a guitar, with the top half (or an area around the sound hole) in a different wood. The neck ends in a flat tuning head with a side ways scroll (like Fender). It usually has metal encased tuning machines. The 4 or 5 metal strings run over a loose wooden bridge to pins at the edge of the body, with some metal tailpiece. Often the first two strings are double. The tuning is usually : G B d gg

Playing is strumming with a plectrum.

The celo is the guitar-like bass instrument in the tamburitza orchestre, playing bass lines/counter melodies. The celo is always guitar shaped.

The body is made like a big guitar, with the top half (or an area around the sound hole) in a different wood. The neck ends in a flat tuning head with a side ways scroll (like Fender). It usually has metal encased tuning machines. The 4 metal strings run over a loose wooden bridge to pins at the edge of the body, with some metal tailpiece.

Playing is with a thick plectrum.

The berda is the string bass of the tamburitza orchestre. It is quite similar to the normal western string bass, but the berde has frets, and is played with a thick leather plectrum.