Traditional string instruments include the guitar and violin, while among the Kyrgyz, there are komuz and kyl kyak. A classical guitar can be purchased in almost any store, but national Kyrgyz musical instruments are almost always handmade.
They differ primarily in the method of sound production — as plucked and bowed instruments. On the komuz, the strings are set into vibration by plucking them with fingers or striking them with the palm; when playing the kyl kyak, a bow is used.
Komuz is currently the most popular and widespread plucked string instrument. In the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan, it is called "chertmek" ("chert" means "to click, to strike"). According to legend, it was first made by the ancient hunter Kambar, who became the first komuz player.
The komuz is a three-stringed instrument, unlike similar two-stringed plucked musical instruments of the peoples of Central Asia. The komuz player holds the instrument horizontally; it is most often played while sitting, less frequently while standing.
The folk (traditional) komuz has a pear-shaped body. Its body, neck, and head are made from a single piece of wood, usually from the apricot tree, juniper, and less frequently from walnut or red wood. The head has three wooden pegs on which the ends of the strings are attached. The other ends are tied to a leather string holder. The komuz's soundboard has a resonator hole, behind which, closer to the string holder, is a wooden bridge for the strings. Until the 20th century, strings were made from sheep intestines, but later it became possible to use factory-made plastic strings. Performers use two systems of ordinal naming for the strings — from the lowest to the highest and vice versa.
The size of the komuz depends on local traditions and the individual techniques of the master craftsman. For instance, the komuz of Toktogul Satylganov, a representative of the southwestern musical tradition, has a smaller body diameter.
The length of the komuz typically ranges from 85 to 90 cm. The komuz of the People's Artist of the Kyrgyz Republic, Samara Toktakunova, has the following dimensions: body — length 90 cm, maximum width 21 cm; neck — length 35 cm, maximum width 5 cm; head length — 15 cm.
Diagram of the traditional komuz:
1. — body (chara);
2. — neck (moyun);
3. — head (bashy);
4. — soundboard (kapkak);
5. — resonator hole (kezenek);
6. — pegs (kulaktary);
7. — bridge (tepke);
8. — string holder (kut-kun);
9. — first string (birinchi kyl);
10. — second string (ekinchi kyl);
11. — third string (uchunchukyl).
Many outstanding performers played on instruments they made themselves, such as Murataaly, Karamoldo, and Toktogul. Folk craftsmen also make komuz, and some are quite good komuz players. Chalagyz Imankulov, a well-known instrument maker in the 1950s and 1960s, was an excellent musician. At the same time, Kuzma Verkhoglyadov worked in the capital. In the 1970s, a master from the village of Kurshab in the Uzgen district of Osh region, Nuraly Tilebaev, became the author of high-quality komuz samples, including the concert instrument he made for Samara Toktakunova. In the 1980s, Orozbay Kenchinbaev from the village of Kozhoyar in the Issyk-Kul region was recognized as the best master of komuz and other Kyrgyz folk instruments.
In the 1980s, a workshop technology for making komuz also developed. To meet mass demand, a special workshop was created at the production plant of the Republic's Theatre Society. Here, serial production of komuz was carried out according to the established state standard. Currently, this work is done by the workshop of folk instruments of Kyrgyz State Philharmonic.
One of the unique properties of the Kyrgyz folk komuz is the variety of tuning types, which are related to the intonational, harmonic, and genre characteristics of the pieces. A. Zataevich recorded six types. In modern komuz practice, their number has been increased to eleven. Each type has its traditional name. However, the types of tuning are not equal in frequency of use. Depending on the prevalence of a particular tuning, two categories of komuz tuning have been established: main and secondary. The main types of tuning include:
The most commonly used type of tuning for the folk komuz is: first string — D in the small octave, second — A in the small octave, third string — E in the small octave. This allows for the construction of all types of chords in any key. The working range of the komuz is one and a half octaves (in the tuning "D": E-flat in the small octave — A in the first octave). Its part is notated in the treble clef, one octave higher than its actual sound.
The timbral palette of the instrument is extremely rich: from soft, refined, chamber sound to powerful, ringing, full-bodied sound. One of the main typical features of komuz music is the textural-harmonic thematics, possessing a special percussive phonics.
The technique of playing with the right hand is diverse. The main types include:
• Plucking the strings with one finger, most often the index finger (terip chertu — pizzicato);
• Alternating plucking of the strings with each finger, starting with the index and back (another form of pizzicato);
• Striking the strings with the index finger down and the thumb up (kagyp chertu — strumming);
• Striking the strings with four fingers down and up (another form of strumming);
• Briefly pressing all strings with the palm; vibrato, performed with wrist movements pressed against the soundboard (kaltıldatıp chertu);
• Pizzicato alternately with each finger with a tap on the soundboard;
• "Flying" hand movements along the neck of the instrument with plucking (pizzicato) of the strings;
• Transferring the turned right hand to the left side of the komuz in its vertical position;
• Strumming with a two-way rotational movement of the hand; strumming with a wide amplitude of movements and rotations of the hand (kol oinotup chertu);
• Tremolo.
The most commonly used techniques for playing the komuz are the first two: pizzicato in a monophonic exposition of the theme and strumming in chordal texture of the kyuu. In the performance of strumming, to soften the unwanted harmonic dissonance of the drone string, komuz players periodically lightly touch it with the thumb of the right hand. Strikes on the soundboard of the instrument are also possible, which together with strumming create an additional sound effect.
The technique of the left hand is also diverse. Four fingers are mainly involved in the performance — the index, middle, ring, and little fingers. More experienced komuz players also use the thumb, which makes the function of the third string more effective.
The left hand can be positioned in six playing positions, during which it: presses the strings to produce a sound of a certain pitch with the right hand; lightly touches the string to produce a sound or overtone; lightly presses the string to produce a harmonic; plucks the first or second string (pizzicato); performs grace notes.
By synthesizing elements of the traditional komuz and similar Russian folk instruments — balalaikas and domras — modernized orchestral komuz were created. The modernization process occurred in two stages. Its initiators were the pioneers of the new national musical culture P. Shubin, A. Maldybaev, V. Vlasov, V. Fere, B. Feferman, A. Amanbaev, Sh. Orozov, and others.
The first stage of reconstruction based on the developments of A. Grebnev began in 1939 at the Moscow Sokolnicheskaya Musical Instrument Factory, and the second — in 1952-1953 at the experimental laboratory of the Tashkent State Conservatory for the improvement of folk instruments under the guidance of Professor A. Petrosyan and S. Didenko.
By the 1980s, a family of new orchestral komuz had been created, consisting of five varieties: komuz-prima, komuz-second, komuz-alto, komuz-bass, komuz-double bass. Based on these types, one of the leading groups of the Kyrgyz National Instruments Orchestra (KNIO) named after Karamoldo Orozov was also formed. The volume of sound of the group expanded (from E in the contrabass octave to E in the third octave), and its performance capabilities, for example, playing with a plectrum. In the early 1990s, the modernized komuz were mostly removed from the composition of the KNIO orchestra. Currently, the Kyrgyz National Conservatory orchestra has alto and bass komuz.
Orchestral (tuned) komuz have three gut, plastic, or metal strings, with a uniform quart tuning for all types. Their neck is divided into frets, which facilitate the learning system on these instruments and the process of performing tempered music recorded in sheet music.
Komuz-prima — orchestral komuz with the highest tessitura. Its part is notated in the treble clef. The actual working range is from E in the first octave to E in the third octave. The tuning of the first and second strings is E in the first octave, the third string is A in the first octave.
Komuz-second sounds a fourth lower than the komuz-prima. It is also notated in the treble clef. The working range is from A in the small octave to A in the second octave. The tuning is quart: the first and second strings are A in the small octave, the third string is D in the first octave.
Komuz-alto sounds an octave lower than the komuz-prima. It is also notated in the treble clef, transposing the part an octave down. It is tuned like the komuz-prima, but an octave lower: the first and second strings are E in the small octave, the third string is A in the small octave.
Komuz-bass — an orchestral instrument that is in tessitura between the komuz-alto and komuz-double bass. Its strings are metal. It is notated in the bass clef. The working range covers the register from E in the large octave to F-sharp in the first octave. Tuning: the first string is E in the large octave, the second string is A in the large octave, the third string is E in the small octave. The komuz-double bass is the lowest sounding instrument in the family of orchestral komuz. Its role is exclusively fundamental. The part is written in the bass clef, and the instrument transposes the text an octave lower. The working range: E in the subcontrabass octave — B in the small octave. The tuning of the komuz-double bass: the first string is E in the contrabass octave, the second string is A in the contrabass octave, the third string is D in the large octave (the strings are metal).
Kyl kyak (or kyak)
