Kantele with 10 coupled strings. This instrument imbibed features of kantele, kokle and kankles at the same time. In addition to this it has coupled strings (late gusli tradition of zither origin). There are 5 pairs of strings. Gusli with coupled strings are known in tradition of various countries in XIX-XX centuries. The sound of this instrument is very folklore, very ethnographic. It is rather impossible that so little instrument can jingle and buzz so loud. Listen please to its remarkable sound.

Body is made from spruce. Pins is made from oak. It has steel strings with no winding.

7-stringed gusli with the wing. This instrument was made with the elements of tradition of Viciebsk Region (based on E.Romanov's collection). In Latgalia tradition the wind of such form rarely could be found through the plenty variants of other wings and the main variant that we used to.

Body is made from spruce. Pins is made from oak. It has steel strings with no winding.

Tuning: c¹, d¹, e¹(eb¹), f¹, g¹, a¹(ab¹), c².

The wattled folk belt is used for playing upright. This is also the part of a tradition.

9-stringed lyre type gusli (gusli with the playing window). There is one more instrument Novgorodian archeological finds based. This shape dated back to the XIII century.

The number and position of resonator holes is my hypothetic contribution to the instruments reconstruction. This variant of holes is chosen based on known not so early traditional folklore analogues. But I should pay your attention that resonator board was not found so possibly that it had no resonator holes at all. As an experiment, I made 3 equal gusli that has different number and position of resonator holes: 1) without holes, 2) with one hole 4 millimetres in diameter, 3) with one central hole (6 millimetres) and 8 equidistant holes (4 millimetres) - this instrument.

As a result of an operation I claim that this instrument (the 3rd variant) is the loudest. It has the most notable timbre. You may listen to its sound. It may well be that contrary to prevailing opinion lyre type gusli had resonator holes nevertheless.

13-stringed kantele. The chances of this type of gusli being in Belarus described in books of N.Privalov. These gusli have no wing element. It is the main difference from wing-like gusli (gusli with the wing). This the most widespread shape of an instrument in Baltic Region with various numbers of strings.

As an experiment I made this instrument from birch. The obtained kantele is rather heavy and massive... with interesting timbre. The only problem is how to tune it. Too many strings for me... I decided to make 4 drones. Listen to it.

Contact e-mail: edellin@mail.ru
You could learn some more facts about music of Belarusian Medieval
while visiting the web-site of Belarusian band
"Stary Olsa": staryolsa.com.