The Russian guitar (sometimes referred to as a "Gypsy guitar") is an acoustic seven-string guitar that arrived in Russia toward the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, most probably as an evolution of the cittern, kobza, and torban. It is known in Russian as the semistrunnaya gitara (семиструнная гитара), or affectionately as the semistrunka (семиструнка), which translates to "seven-stringer", but with the feminine gender. These guitars are typically tuned to an Open G chord as follows: DGBdgbd'. An alternative, the so-called Gypsy tuning, is DGBgdcd'. The latter is sometimes said to be typical of the Ukrainian kobza in the preceding century.
Read more about Russian Guitar: History, Composers, Popularity, Tuning, Six String Adaptations
Famous quotes containing the words russian and/or guitar:
“...I never drink wine ... I keep my hands soft and supple ... I sleep in a soft bed and never over-tire my body. It is because when my hour strikes I must be a perfect instrument. My eyes must be steady, my brain clear, my nerves calm, my aim true. I must be prepared to do my work, successfully if God wills. But if I perish, I perish.”
—Lisa, Russian terrorist (anonymous)
“Swiftly in the nights,
In the porches of Key West,
Behind the bougainvilleas
After the guitar is asleep,
Lasciviously as the wind,
You come tormenting.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)