The Kyiv Academic Style of Bandura Playing is a method of playing the Ukrainian folk instrument of

bandura A bandura ( uk, банду́ра) is a Ukrainian plucked string folk instrument. It combines elements of the zither and lute and, up until the 1940s, was also often referred to by the term kobza. Early instruments (c. 1700) had 5 to 12 strings ...

. The instrument is held between the knees perpendicular to the body of the player. This means that the left hand is only able to play easily along the bass strings of the instrument. The right hand usually plays just on the treble strings known as ''prystrunky''. The manner in which the instrument is held influences the technique used by the

bandurist A banduryst ( uk, бандури́ст) is a person who plays the Ukrainian plucked string instrument known as the bandura. Types of performers There are a number of different types of bandurist who differ in their particular choice of instrumen ...

. The left hand uses only the middle three fingers in play. The position in which the bandura is held also means that the 5th finger of the right hand cannot be used effectively. The Kyiv style is based on the technique used by

kobzari A ''kobzar'' ( ua, кобзар, plural, pl. kobzari ua, кобзарі) was an itinerant Ukrainian bard who sang to his own accompaniment, played on a multistringed bandura or kobza. Tradition Kobzars were often blind and became predominantly ...

of the

Chernihiv Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...

province such as Tereshko Parkhomenko. It became known as the Kyiv style because the

Kyiv Bandurist Capella The Kyiv Bandurist Capella ( uk, Київська капeла бандуристiв, translit=Kyivs’ka kapela banduristiv) is a male vocal-instrumental ensemble that accompanies its singing with the playing of the multi-stringed Ukrainian fo ...

used it. Before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, most Kyiv banduras had diatonically tuned bass strings. Since World War II in Ukraine, chromatic bass tuning is the standard. In the West, however, groups of bandurists exist that adhere to a diatonic bass tuning. Often these bandurists will refer to their playing style as the

Chernihiv style Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within t ...

of playing the bandura.

References

* Diakowsky, M. - ''A Note on the History of the Bandura.'' The Annals of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in the U.S. - 4, 3-4 No.1419, N.Y. 1958 - С.21-22 * Diakowsky, M. J. - ''The Bandura''. The Ukrainian Trend, 1958, No.I, - С.18-36 * Diakowsky, M. – ''Anyone can make a bandura – I did.'' The Ukrainian Trend, Volume 6 * Haydamaka, L. – ''Kobza-bandura – National Ukrainian Musical Instrument''. "Guitar Review" No.33, Summer 1970 (С.13-18) * Hornjatkevyč, A. – ''The book of Kodnia and the three Bandurists''. Bandura, #11-12, 1985 * Hornjatkevyč A. J., Nichols T. R. - ''The Bandura''. Canada crafts, April–May, 1979 p. 28-29 * Mishalow, V. - A ''Brief Description of the Zinkiv Method of Bandura Playing''. Bandura, 1982, No.2/6, - С.23-26 * Mishalow, V. - ''The Kharkiv style #1''. Bandura 1982, No.6, - С.15-22 #2 – Bandura 1985, No.13-14, - С.20-23 #3 – Bandura 1988, No.23-24, - С.31-34 #4 – Bandura 1987, No.19-20, - С.31-34 #5 – Bandura 1987, No.21-22, - С.34-35 * Mishalow, V. - A ''Short History of the Bandura''. East European Meetings in Ethnomusicology 1999, Romanian Society for Ethnomusicology, Volume 6, - С.69-86 * Mizynec, V. - ''Folk Instruments of Ukraine''. Bayda Books, Melbourne, Australia, 1987 - 48с. * Cherkaskyi, L. - ''Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty''. Tekhnika, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2003 - 262 pages. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyiv Academic Style Kobzarstvo

See also

References