Kanklės

The Kanklės (pronounced [ˈkʌŋkles]) 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 instrument is similar in construction and origin to the Latvian kokle, Russian gusli, Estonian kannel and Finnish kantele.

Construction

The body of the kanklės is constructed of one piece of hardwood, hollowed out to make a cavity. A thin sheet of softwood (usually spruce) is used to make a sounding board, which covers the body. Sound holes, which traditionally take the shape of a stylized flower or star, are cut into the sounding board, allowing sound to project outward..

At the shortest side of the body a metal bar is attached, to which the strings made of wire or gut are anchored. The opposite ends of the strings are attached to a row of tuning pegs inserted into a holes at the opposite side of the body. The tuning pegs allow for adjustment of each string's tension, and therefore its pitch.

Regional types

Within Lithuania, there are three basic regional types of kanklės, although there are variations within each type and some overlap of areas. Each type has its own playing technique:

• Kanklės of Northeastern Aukštaitija. They are the simplest and most ancient form, most frequently having five strings, and having a rounded bottom like a boat.

• Kanklės of Žemaitija and Northwestern Aukštaitija. They are somewhat larger than those of Northeastern Aukštaitija, usually having between eight and twelve strings. They have a flat bottom, and in some cases, the shortest end is carved with the stylized figure of a bird's or fish's tail.

• Kanklės of Suvalkija and Northwestern Žemaitija. They are usually the most highly decorated type, and kanklės used in concert performance are most often based on this variety. The most prominent identifying feature is the addition of a carved spiral figure to the point of the instrument's body and sometimes, the rounding of the narrow end of the body. Typically these instruments have between nine and thirteen strings.

External links

• Lithuanian stringed instrument kankles
• Anthology of Lithuanian Ethnoculture
• Video of performance by Regimantas Zitkauskas