Volynka

The volynka (Ukrainian: волинка, коза, Russian: волынка, Crimean Tatar: tulup zurna – see also duda, and koza) is a bagpipe. Its etymology comes from the region Volyn, Ukraine, where it was borrowed from Romania.^[1]

The volynka is constructed around a goat skin air reservoir into which air is blown through a pipe with a valve to stop air escaping. (Modern concert instruments often have a reservoir made from a basketball bladder}. A number of playing pipes [two to four] extend from the reservoir holding the air. The main playing pipe on which the melody is played has five to seven, sometimes eight finger holes. The other pipes produce a drone. This is usually either a single tonic note or a perfect fifth. Each of these playing pipes has a double reed usually made from a goose quill. In the 20th century this instrument has lost the popularity it had previously, and is rarely used today in an authentic context.

Modern usage[edit]

The instrument has gained popularity in stage performance. It has been used in a number of songs by Russian rock bands DDT, Aquarium, and Aria. It also appears more in Ukrainian folk music and Russian folk music ensembles.

See also[edit]

• List of bagpipes
• Pilai, a Finnish bagpipe described as similar to the volynka

Sources[edit]

• Humeniuk, A. - Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty - Kyiv: Naukova dumka, 1967
• Mizynec, V. - Ukrainian Folk Instruments - Melbourne: Bayda books, 1984
• Cherkaskyi, L. - Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty // Tekhnika, Kyiv, Ukraine, 2003 - 262 pages. ISBN 966-575-111-5

References[edit]