Musical Instruments / Instrumente Muzicale

The flute/ Fluierul

The most wide spread musical instrument is the flute, being tightly connected with raising the animals, especially sheep. The sound is obtained through fully or half fully covering of the sideway holes using the fingers and in this way the air vibrates in the tube. The pipe can be of three shapes, the fabrication centers being close to the pastoral areas in the mountains. The flutes of the Apuseni Moti are made of wood, seldom with incisions appearing mostly in the shape of double twin pipes. The flutes from the Rodna and Calimani mountains are decorated with lead ornaments, especially at its head. The flutes from Vaideeni and Ursani, the most decorated, are made of plum wood and covered, sometimes on their fully length (80cm) in brass spirals, with small geometrical figures.   
    

Cel mai raspandit instrument muzical este fluierul, aflat in stransa legatura cu cresterea animalelor, in special cu pastoritul. Sunetul se obtine prin astuparea completa, aproape completa sau deschiderea orificiilor laterale cu degetele, aerul vibrand astfel in tub. Fluierul se prezinta in trei forme mai importante, centrele de fabricare aflandu-se in apropierea marilor centre pastorale din munti. Fluierele motilor din Muntii Apuseni sunt lucrate numai din lemn, foarte rar cu incizii, aparand mai ales sub forma fluierelor duble ingemanate. Fluierele din zona Muntilor Rodna si Calimani sunt ornamentate cu legaturi de plumb, in special la capete. Fluierele de Vaideeni si Ursani, cu cele mai bogate decoratii, sunt lucrate din lemn de prun si imbracate, uneori pe toata lungimea (80 cm) in spirale de alama, cu mici motive geometrice.

The bagpipe/ Cimpoiul               

The bagpipe is made of a sack of goat skin called bellows. In this the air is introduced like in a rank, through a small pipe made of shock, metal or bone on the wall opposite the pipe there are two flutes which communicate with the interior. The longest is called the basal and the shortest, casaba. The basal makes a fix sound which accompanies the uniform song of the bagpipe. During the singing, the performer holds the bellow under his arm which pushes the air to the basal and the casaba and whose holes are used with the fingers as in a normal flute. Here there appear sculpture elements. Some of the flutes of the bagpipe are made of wood, often carved in geometrical shapes or in the shape of animal heads (usually goats). The bagpipes are usually made in North West of Oltenia and in Muntenia, in the Carpathians curvature.

Cimpoiul se compune dintr-un sac de piele de capra numit burduf. In acesta se introduce aerul, ca intr-un rezervor, printr-o teava mica, confectionata din soc, metal sau os. Pe peretele opus tevii se afla doua fluiere care comunica etans cu interiorul. Cel mai lung dintre ele se numeste bazoi, iar cel mai scurt caraba. Bazoiul scoate un sunet fix, care insoteste uniform intregul cantec al cimpoiului. In timpul cantecului, cimpoierul strange sub brat burduful, care impinge aerul in bazoi si in caraba, ale carei orificii sunt manevrate cu degetele, ca la un fluier obisnuit.
La cimpoi apar si elemente de sculptura. Unele fluierele ale cimpoiului sunt facute din lemn, sculptat adesea in forme geometrice sau in forma capului de animal (de obicei de capra).
Cimpoaiele se fabrica in nord-vestul Olteniei si in Muntenia, in curbura Carpatilor.

The pan-pipe/ Naiul     
An ancient musical instrument, the pan-pipe is made through the slightly curved union of several tubes (about 20) of willow, shock or other essences, having different dimensions. These tubes are close in the inferior side through wax caps and are open in the superior side, through where the performer introduces the air, thus making the sound. The most famous pan-pipe performer from Romania is Gheorghe Zamfir    

Stravechi instrument muzical, naiul este constituit din reunirea usor curbata a mai multor tuburi (in jur de 20) de trestie, soc sau alte esente, avand diferite dimensiuni. Aceste tuburi sunt inchise la partea inferioara prin dopuri de ceara si sunt deschise in partea superioara, pe unde naistul introduce aerul, emitand astfel sunetul. Cel mai renumit cantaret la nai din Romania este Gheorghe Zamfir.

The Horn/ Buciumul (Tulnicul)

Being of Romanian origin the horn is an instrument used by the shepherds from the mountains (in Apuseni is called tulnic) for different signals. In some regions it is used for funerals and in the past was used for signaling foreign invasions. The horn is a tube opened in both sides, made of the union of long fir, ash, lime and maple staves, well dried and put together by wood or metal rings. 

De origine romana, buciumul este un instrument folosit de pastorii din munti (in Apuseni se numeste tulnic) pentru diferite semnale. In unele regiuni se canta din bucium si la inmormantari, iar in trecut era folosit si la semnalarea invaziilor straina. Buciumul este un tub deschis la ambele capete, constituit din reunirea unor doage lungi de brad, frasin, tei, alun sau paltin, bine uscat, stranse din loc in loc cu inele de lemn sau metal.



French Instruments/ Instrumente franceze

French bagpipes cover a wide range and variety of styles of bagpipes and piping, from the Celtic piping and music of Brittany to the Northern Occitan's cabreta./ Cimpoaiele frantuzesti acopera o zona larga si o varietate de stiluri de cimpoaie si tubulatura, de la cele celtice si muzica din vritania pana la nordicul cabreta.

The boha is a type of bagpipe native to the Landes and Gascony regions of southwestern France. This bagpipe is notable in that it bears a greater resemblance to Eastern European bagpipes./ Boha este un tip de cimpoi nativ din regiunile Landes and Gasconia din sudul Frantei. Acest cimpoi se face notat deoarece seamana cu cimpoaiele din Europa de Est.

The cabrette (French: literally "little goat") is a type of bagpipe which appeared in Auvergne, France in the 19th century, and rapidly spread to Haute-Auvergne and Aubrac./ Cabrette (franceza: capra mica) este un tip de cimpoi care a aparut in Auvergene, Franta is secolul 19 si s-a raspandit rapid in Haute- Auvergene si Aubrac

The épinette des Vosges is a traditional plucked-string instrument of the zither family. Instruments of this family, formerly widespread throughout Europe, are now primarily found in Norway, Hungary, as well as France. A parallel instrument, the Appalachian dulcimer is found in rural mountain areas of the Eastern United States./ Vosges epinette este un instrument traditional cu corzi din familia titerelor. Instrumente din acest grup, in trecut raspandit in Europa, sunt acum gasite in Norvegia, Ungaria, precum si in Franta. Un instrument paralel, tambalul apalas se regaseste in zonele muntoase din estul Statelor Unite.

The graïle , is a woodwind instrument of Languedoc, France, resembling a primitive oboe. It is played in Monts de Lacaune (in the department of Tarn) and surrounding areas. The instrument consists of three turned wooden parts reinforced at the joints with horn. The graïle uses a double reed, the caramèla./ Graile este un instrument de suflat din lemn din regiunea Languedoc, Franta care seamana cu un oboi primitiv. Se canta in Muntii Lacaune (in regiunea Tarn) si in zonele din jur. Instrumentul este alcatuit din 3 parti din lemn intoarse si care sunt prinse la capat de un corn. El foloseste un fluier dublu, numit caramela.

Hurdy- gurdy- Most hurdy gurdies have multiple "drone strings" which provide a constant pitch accompaniment to the melody, resulting in a sound similar to that of bagpipes. For this reason, the hurdy gurdy is often used interchangeably with or along with bagpipes, particularly in French and contemporary Hungarian folk music. Many folk music festivals in Europe feature music groups with hurdy gurdy players, but the most famous annual festival is at Saint-Chartier, in central France, during the week nearest July 14 (Bastille Day)./ Hurdy-gurdy – majoritatea lor au corzi care dau un acompaniament inalt melodiei, producand un sunet asemanator cimpoaielor. Din acestmotiv, hurdy-gurdy este folosit cu sau in locul cimpoaielor, mai ales in muzica populara contemporana franceza si ungureasca. Multe festivaluri de muzica populara din Europa includ grupuri de hurdy-gurdy dar cel mai faimos festival anual este la Saint- Chartier, in centrul Frantei, in timpul saptamanii cele mai apropiate de 14 iulie (Ziua Bastiliei)

Lithuanian Instruments

The Kanklės

The Kanklės is a Lithuanian plucked string musical instrument (chordophone), related to the zither. It is roughly in the shape of a trapezium (British) or trapezoid (American). The instrument is fitted with several wire or gut strings under tension which produce tones when plucked. It is usually rested on the player's lap and played with the fingers or a pick made of bone or quill.

The bandoneón

The bandoneón is a type of concertina particularly popular in Argentina and Uruguay. It plays an essential role in the orquesta tipica, the tango orchestra. The bandoneón, called bandonion by its German inventor, Heinrich Band (1821–1860), was originally intended as an instrument for religious music and the popular music of the day, in contrast to its predecessor, the German concertina (or Konzertina), considered to be a folk instrument by some modern authors. German sailors and Italian season workers and emigrants brought the instrument with them to Argentina in the late nineteenth century, where it was incorporated into the local music, such as tango.

Italian Instruments

The Calabrian Lira

The Calabrian Lira (Italian: Lira Calabrese) is a traditional musical instrument characteristic of some areas of Calabria, region in southern Italy.

The Lira of Calabria is a bowed string instrument with three strings. Like most bowed liras, it is played upright, usually supported on the knee, held with the left hand touching the strings with the nails laterally while the right hand moves the bow. The repertory of the lira includes accompaniment songs (e.g. serenades and songs of anger) and songs suitable for dancing (tarantellas). The repertory of this traditional instrument is known only through records of older players, or people who have known them. On the other hand, in recent years an increased interest around this instrument has led to its use by music groups of traditional music and to the appearance of new manufacturers in different parts of Calabria.

The bifora

The bifora or pifara was a Sicilian double reed instrument of the oboe family, related to the ancient shawm and particularly to the piffero of the northern Italian Apennines. Much larger than the piffero, and made in one piece, it was employed together with drums in ceremonial processions, particularly in the town of San Marcoprovince of Messina. Its use seems to have died out during the twentieth century.

Portuguese Instruments

The Portuguese guitar

The Portuguese guitar or Portuguese guitarra (Portuguese: guitarra portuguesa) is a plucked string instrument with twelve steel strings, strung in six courses comprising two strings each. It has a distinctive tuning mechanism. It is most notably associated with fado.

The origin of the Portuguese guitar is a subject of debate. Throughout the 19th century the Portuguese guitar was being made in several sizes and shapes and subject to several regional aesthetic trends. A sizeable guitar making industry flourished in Coimbra by the late 19th century, propelled by the Portuguese guitar's popularity among the students of the city. Eventually the developments of the local luthiers led to the modern model, named after the city. Over the first half of the 20th century the Portuguese guitar underwent standardization into two distinct models and enjoyed several technical improvements, such as the refinement of the tuning mechanism and the revision of its dimensions, retaining throughout the process, however, its overall appearance and distinct sound.

The cavaquinho

The cavaquinho is a small string instrument of the European guitar family with four wire or gut strings. It is also called machimbo, machim, machete (in the Portuguese Atlantic islands and Brazil), manchete or marchete, braguinha or braguinho, or cavaco.

The origins of this Portuguese instrument are not easily found. Gonçalo Sampaio, who explains the survival of Minho region’s archaic and Hellenistic modes by possible Greek influences on the ancient Gallaeci of the region, stresses the link between this instrument and historical Hellenistic tetrachords. The author holds that the cavaquinho and the guitar may have been brought to Braga by the Biscayans.There are different kinds of cavaquinho. The cavaquinho minhoto, associated with the Minho region in Portugal, has the neck on the same level as the body, and the sound hole is usually in the raia format (raia is Portuguese for batoidea).

Turkish Instruments

The cümbüş

The cümbüş is a Turkish stringed instrument of relatively modern origin. Developed in the early 20th century by Zeynelabidin Cümbüş as an oud-like instrument that could be heard as part of a larger ensemble. In construction it resembles both the American banjo and the Middle Eastern oud. A fretless instrument, it has six courses of doubled-strings, and is generally tuned like an oud. In shape, though, it closely resembles the banjo with a metal resonator bowl and skin body head. It has a loud, metallic, resonant tone and is widely heard in Middle Eastern popular music.

The sipsi

The sipsi is a Turkish woodwind instrument. It is a clarinet-like, single-reed instrument with six finger holes, used mainly in folk music. Its size varies from region to region. The word "sipsi" is probably onomatopoeic, and is related to "zıpçi", meaning "whistle".
A sipsi can also be a name for the maroccan pipe, used to smoke kif - an inferior form of marihuana.
The instrument's range is greater than its six finger holes would suggest, the upper registers being attained by breath control.