Sound
In Russian, the word balalaika means to babble, jabber, or chat. Contrasting with the violin's "singing," the prima balalaika's "chattering," high-pitched sound is apparent even in a full balalaika orchestra; oftentimes, balalaika music has a "polka" feel to it and is reminiscent to that of a German Oktoberfest. The balalaika is usually a vital part of orchestras and groups performing Russian traditional folk music, and as is typical of music performance in Russia, harmony and melody are the key musical elements. A Russian Balalaika Orchestra usually has a contrabass balalaika perform the basic harmonic structure while a prima balalaika carries (chatters) out the melody in addition to an accordion helping fill in the harmony which adds another timbre to the overall sound. Also, Russian Balalaika Orchestra's rarely make use of percussive instruments aside from the occasional rattling of a tambourine. The following YouTube clip is an example of a traditional Russian Balalaika Orchestral group. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lN-iL3hz4g
Alexey Arkhipovsky is a modern-day Russian balalaika player and is perhaps the best-known player around the world having performed at Russian culture festivals in the United States, China, South Korea, Germany, France, Spain, and Bulgaria. An unrivaled technical style that has led to comparisons of Niccolo Paganini, combined with an eccentric and charismatic approach like that of Pat Metheny, Alexey Arkhipovsky's performances are as unique as the shape of the balalaika itself. The following YouTube clip is one of his best performances and sounds somewhat similar to a Mario theme song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JqeSU7lSLE
Alexey Arkhipovsky is a modern-day Russian balalaika player and is perhaps the best-known player around the world having performed at Russian culture festivals in the United States, China, South Korea, Germany, France, Spain, and Bulgaria. An unrivaled technical style that has led to comparisons of Niccolo Paganini, combined with an eccentric and charismatic approach like that of Pat Metheny, Alexey Arkhipovsky's performances are as unique as the shape of the balalaika itself. The following YouTube clip is one of his best performances and sounds somewhat similar to a Mario theme song.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JqeSU7lSLE