{"id":14721,"date":"2021-10-15T16:56:22","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T16:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=14721"},"modified":"2021-10-15T16:56:22","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T16:56:22","slug":"the-russian-romance-with-the-guitar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/the-russian-romance-with-the-guitar\/","title":{"rendered":"The Russian Romance with the Guitar"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is difficult to imagine modern music without the guitar. It occupies an irreplaceable space in the modern ensemble. Its repertoire is vast, having been adapted to all genres of music. Each place it goes, it is adapted, and it was adapted for Russia as well. When the guitar first came to Russia, it had a unique sound and structure. But how did this versatile instrument make its appearance in Russia? Enter the beloved \u0441\u0435\u043c\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u043a\u0430 (<\/strong>\u0441\u0435\u043c\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u043d\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u0433\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0440\u0430)<\/strong> the seven-string guitar<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430 Kampus Production: Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

The guitar first gained popularity in the late 18th<\/sup> century. Until the October Revolution in 1917, it was virtually the only guitar known in Russia, where it was played as an accompaniment to Russian romances (a genre of Russian music popular in the 19th<\/sup> century) and folk music. After the creation of the Soviet Union, the six-string made an appearance, but its popularity was still contested by the seven-string, which was better known in folk settings. The seven-string guitar had its last hurrah in the 1960s-1980s in the era of the Soviet bards, who were poets that usually wrote and performed their own music.<\/p>\n

Now that we are thinking about guitars, we might as well explore some words associated with the instrument. What can we do with a guitar? Usually \u0431\u0440\u0435\u043d\u0447\u0430\u0301\u0442\u044c [to strum]. But maybe there is a song that you \u0438\u0433\u0440\u0430\u0301\u0442\u044c \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0431\u043e\u0301\u0440\u043e\u043c play with fingerstyle<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u0421\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0439 <\/strong><\/p>\n

This word means \u201ctuning\u201d when talking about the specific notes that an instrument is tuned to. \u0421\u0430\u0301\u043c\u044b\u0439 \u043f\u043e\u043f\u0443\u043b\u044f\u0301\u0440\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0439 \u0440\u0443\u0301\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u0441\u0435\u043c\u0438\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0443\u0301\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0433\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0301\u0440\u044b, \u043d\u0430\u0447\u0438\u043d\u0430\u0301\u044f \u0441 \u0441\u0430\u0301\u043c\u043e\u0439 \u043d\u0438\u0301\u0437\u043a\u043e\u0439 (\u0441\u0435\u0434\u044c\u043c\u043e\u0301\u0439) \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0443\u043d\u044b\u0301 \u043f\u043e \u0442\u043e\u0301\u043d\u0443: \u0440\u0435, \u0441\u0438, \u0441\u043e\u043b\u044c, \u0440\u0435, \u0441\u0438, \u0441\u043e\u043b\u044c, \u0440\u0435<\/strong>.1<\/a><\/sup>The most popular tuning of the Russian seven-string guitar, starting with the lowest (seventh) string, is DBGDBGD.<\/span> When we are talking about the process of tuning the guitar, we use the word \u043d\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0439\u043a\u0430<\/strong> (which you may have seen used as the translation for \u201csettings\u201d in your phone or on your computer). The verb is \u043d\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0438\u0442\u044c\/<\/span><\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0438\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0433\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0440\u0443<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As you may have noticed, Russians use \u0441\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0444\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u0434\u0436\u0438\u043e<\/strong> solfege<\/em> to name the \u043d\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0442\u044b<\/strong> notes<\/em>, which differs from how we are used to calling them. This is mainly due to the fact that words to describe music in Russian largely came from French. \u041b\u044f<\/strong> A,<\/em> \u0421\u0438<\/strong> B,<\/em> \u0414\u043e<\/strong> C,<\/em> \u0420\u0435<\/strong> D,<\/em> \u041c\u0438<\/strong> E,<\/em> \u0424\u0430<\/strong> F,<\/em> \u0421\u043e\u043b\u044c<\/strong> G<\/em>. \u201cSharp\u201d is expressed with the word –\u0434\u0438\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u0437<\/strong> (from the French di\u00e8se<\/em>) and flat is –\u0431\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u044c<\/strong> (\u0444\u0430-<\/strong>\u0434\u0438\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u0437<\/strong> F-sharp<\/em>, \u0440\u0435-<\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u044c<\/strong> D-flat<\/em>). A scale is known in Russian as \u0442\u043e\u043d\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong> and can be \u043c\u0430\u0436\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0440<\/strong> or \u043c\u0438\u043d\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0440<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430 Nothing Ahead: Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

\u0413\u0440\u0438\u0444<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t have the space to go through all the parts of the guitar, but I would like to tell you the most important parts when playing (or learning to play) your favorite songs. The \u0433\u0440\u0438\u0444<\/strong> is the fingerboard. Above it we have the \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u043d\u044b<\/strong> strings <\/em>(sing. \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0443\u043d\u0430<\/strong>\u0301). The \u0433\u0440\u0438\u0444<\/strong> is segmented into \u043b\u0430\u0434\u044b\u0301<\/strong> frets<\/em>. And now to actually playing:<\/p>\n

\u0410\u043a\u043a\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0440\u0434\u044b<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is, as you may have guessed, the word for \u201cchord.\u201d The most basic chord is the \u0442\u0440\u0435\u0437\u0432\u0443\u0301<\/strong>\u0447\u0438\u0435<\/strong> triad<\/em>, made from the words \u0442\u0440\u0438<\/strong> three<\/em> and \u0437\u0432\u0443\u043a<\/strong> sound<\/em>. We can play a song either with a certain \u0431\u043e\u0439<\/strong> strumming pattern<\/em>, or \u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0431\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0440<\/strong> fingerstyle<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I will leave you with one of my favorite bard songs, \u201c\u041c\u043e\u0441\u043a\u0432\u0430\u0301 \u2013 <\/strong>\u041e\u0434\u0435\u0301<\/strong>\u0441\u0441\u0430<\/strong>\u201d by the late great \u0412\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0438\u0301<\/strong>\u043c\u0438\u0440 <\/strong>\u0412\u044b\u0441\u043e\u0301<\/strong>\u0446\u043a\u0438\u0439<\/strong>, whose growling voice and witty lyrics made him one of the most recognizable Russian musical acts of all time. I like this song not only because it mentions cities all over the former Soviet Union, but because of the fast tempo and the message of trying in vain to get where you\u2019re trying to go, as reflected in the last lines of each verse \u2013 \u043d\u043e <\/strong>\u043c\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u0442\u0443\u0434\u0430\u0301 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0301<\/strong>\u0434\u043e! <\/strong>[But that\u2019s not where I need to go!]<\/p>\n