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Wing-shaped gusli [gusli with a wing element] is one of the most common types of traditional gusli in Latvia and Russia, can be found in Estonia,
and it is also the only traditional type of gusli in Belarus. Although the tradition of playing the gusli in Belarus was interrupted,
the instruments played by Belarusians can be found in museums and essays by ethnographers from early 20th century.
Body: spruce.
Spruce, alder and
pine are the most traditional materials for gusli bodies of all types and kinds. First gusli I ever held in my hands was from spruce.
Spruce gusli sounds bright and warm. Pleasant middle tones close to human voice in their sound are rised.
Spruce instruments are lightweight, with beautiful wooden texture.
Coating: wood stain and waxing.
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The wing element is decorated with a carved wild boar inscribed in a pattern, typical for Middle Age Eastern Europe including archeological gusli finds. A color and a carving on a wing make your gusli customized and unique.
Soundboard: spruce.
Spruce is the most traditional wood for soundboards.
The correct selection of musical qualities of a specific spruce soundboard
as well as an adherence to technology when glued — allows the instrument to expand timbre,
adds warmth to the sound. Also the loudness of the instrument directly depends on a good soundboard.
Pegs: maple.
Maple — is interesting as a material for the pegs, as its wood-fibres are not accentuated. The maple wood is a hard one, but at the same time its surface is soft enough for the pegs to be perfectly adjusted to the cone-shaped peg hole, to spin smoothly and to hold the pitch perfectly.
Strings: plain steel strings, light tension.
Metal strings could have been already installed on the gusli of the 11th century,
and are most satisfying for a modern musician.
The range of ticknesses of the strings is between 0.021" and 0.011". The higher tension of the strings — the louder the instrument.
The lighter tension — the more overtones in the sound of each string, the richer the sounds of the gusli. Of course, everything
has its reasonable limit: too much tensed strings are often break (or deform the instrument), and too slightly tensed are not
perfectly in tune. This variant is the optimal for this gusli type, according to its construction and playing techniques.
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