Article by Judy Sherman from THE BDAA NEWSLETTER, The Official Journal of the Balalaika and Domra Association of America
Article by Judy Sherman from the BDAA newsletter, The official journal of the Balalaika and Domra Association of America

GREAT NEW BDAA RESOURCES:
Alex Siniavski's DVD and Bibs Ekkel's Books review by Judy Sherman

Article by Judy Sherman from THE BDAA NEWSLETTER, The Official Journal of the Balalaika and Domra Association of AmericaThis past convention made me more sentimental than ever before. I was thrilled to meet the newcomers, but, at the same time, was hopeful that they would somehow appreciate how far the BDAA has come. Many of us remember the pre-BDAA "old days", when we searched through dusty bins of Russian records in the US and elsewhere, hoping to find recordings we liked and could imitate. We'd put our tape recorders on the slowest speed, and try to painstakingly transcribe lyrics, melodies and chords. Balalaika techniques were only available to those who could travel to Russia or meet the few players who toured or lived here.

As exciting as all of that was, I was overjoyed to bring back a suitcase full of user-friendly books and recordings from the Madison convention. Paul Philips and Laurie Iudin -Nelson have created songbooks filled with jamming favorites that every beginner can use. The available selection of outstanding CDs is endless and our accessibility to virtuoso performers and teachers is amazing. In addition, if you have a DVD player, we may as well abandon the BDAA beginning balalaika class (and I can sleep in!). Alex Siniavski has made it possible for everyone to have private lessons in their own home with his wonderful "12-step program" for balalaika players, and potentially achieve intermediate (or, perhaps, virtuoso ?) level by the 2006 Akron, Ohio convention!

Has your balalaika technique become unmanageable? Alex's DVD, The Balalaika Tutorial, with its extremely useful downward camera angle... .imagine looking down from your own eyes to your right hand.. .can repair all the damage that years of playing without a virtuoso teacher have done. Using mainly Svyetit Mesyats (Bright Moon), Alex walks you through strumming, thumb pizzicato, pizzicato vibrato, double and single pizzicato, tremolo, rolls, combinations of techniques, tips for the left hand and learning tunes, and some fantastic cross-string scale and chord scale exercises. There's a charming ending to the tape, with Misha Smirnov, Alex's cohort and musician extraordinaire, playing a folk-style balalaika. Don't let the introductory demonstrations intimidate you. This DVD can be used by beginners. Remember, you can use the pause button. Alex makes it look so easy, but, of course, we all know the truth. I think this DVD should be in every player's collection. Yes, you can just watch it and enjoy Alex's magnificent playing, but, with your own balalaika in hand, it's an essential learning tool for improving your technique. Thank you, Alex and Misha, for creating this DVD! (it's available through www.barynya.com)

RUSSIAN BALALAIKA. 12 VIDEO LESSONS

Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 1. Strumming
lesson 1
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 2. THUMB PIZZICATO
lesson 2
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 3. PIZZICATO VIBRATO, THUMB VIBRATO, HARMONICS
lesson 3
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 4. DOUBLE PIZZICATO
lesson 4
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 5. SINGLE PIZZICATO
lesson 5
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 6. TREMOLO
lesson 6
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 7. Rolls
lesson 7
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 8. Country Folk Balalaika
lesson 8
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 9. Left Hand position
lesson 9
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 10. LEARNING A SONG
lesson 10
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 11. SCALES
lesson 11
Balalaika Tutorial on DVD by Alex Siniavski. Lesson 12. BASIC CHORDS
lesson 12

CONCERT QUALITY BALALAIKAS FOR SALE

bass balalaika
bass balalaika for sale
in New York
prima balalaika
prima balalaika for sale
in New York
balalaika secunda
balalaika secunda for sale
in New York

Handmade balalaika

balalayka Balalaika ("Belly Scratcher") made by craftsmen from Moscow Aleksandr Zhukovski: "I make musical instruments since 1990. Design and shape of my instruments are based on archeologycal discoveries from Velikiy Novgorod and museum samples. I started to make instruments for myself at first. After a while I started getting orders for different pieces from musicians and folk groups in Russia and overboard. I also teach classes on Russian traditional folk instrumental music. Russian folk ensembles "Kazachiy Krug", "Drevo", "Yakhont Lazorevy", "Vetka", one of groups of D. Pokrovski (theatre on Taganka) are using guslis, liras and gudoks made by me"... read more

Almost new balalaika prima made by Ershov - sold

balalaika for sale Concert quality Balalaika made by famous Russian balalaika luthier Ershov in Moscow in 1989 is available for sale in Toronto, Canada for a bargain price of 750.00 Canadian Dollars or even exchange for 4-srtinged domra. Condition: like new. Instrument is fully serviced by professional balalaika maker Andreas Gerth from Berlin, Germany in 2006 - new tuners installed. Black ebony fingerboard. Pickguard and head dark-brown palisander. Clear and deep sound... read more

RELATED LINKS

Balalaika Balalayka Балалайка
Russian folk music free MP3 download
Free Russian Balalaika Ringtones
Free Russian sheet music
Russian costumes
Russian lyrics, Russian songs translations into English
Russian folk
Russian music
DOMRA
History of Russian balalaika
Balalaika made in 1887
Balalaika handmade in Moscow, Russia
Contrabass Balalaika and Bass Balalaika
Balalaika Contrabass Buying Guide
Christmas Diary of the balalaika player
Russian American Wedding or balalaika scam
Russian music album "What a Balalaika!" by Nikita Siniy

Barynya Russian Entertainment database
Russian dance and music ensemble Barynya from New York
New York balalaika orchestra
Russian Band from New York
Russian Balalaika duo from Philadelphia, Pennsilvania
Russian Balalaika and Garmoshka Duo
Balalaika Dance Trio, Philadelphia, PA
Brooklyn Balalaikas
The Balalaika Russe
Russian music duo from Chicago, Illinois
Balalaika Stooges
Kalinka Duo: balalaika and bayan from Austin, TX
Alex Siniavski - Balalaika virtuoso from Philadelphia, PA
Lev Zabeginsky - New York balalaika virtuoso
Sasha Ressetar - balalaika player from Harrisburg, PA
Simon Lemberskiy - balalaika player from Brooklyn, New York
Contrabass Balalaika player Leonid Bruk
Sergey Vashchenko - Balalaika virtuoso from Austin, TX
Balalaika tutorial DVD by Alex Siniavski
Balalaika Virtuoso Bibs Ekkel
Russian Christmas Music Balalaika Album
Balalaika music album "Barynya Russian folk songs"

The Balalaika and Domra Association of America
BDAA 2007 Festival of Russian Music
The Balalaika and Domra Association of America 2006 photos
BDAA 2005 conference in Madison, Wisconsin video
BDAA 2005 conference in Madison, Wisconsin photos
School of playing balalaika contrabass (in Russian)
Aleksandr Nikitich Rozhkov (in Russian)
How to play tremolo on balalaika (in Russian)
Американско-Русская свадьба или как обмануть балалаечника

 

RUSSIAN SOUVENIRS, GOODS AND GIFTS

More items available for sale from Barynya website


Compact disk "Russian Christmas Music Balalaika Album"

Russian Christmas
2005 CD


Compact disk "Sergey Gusarov"

"Sergey Gusarov"
2004 CD


Compact disk "Barynya Russian folk songs"

Balalaika Music
2003 CD


Compact disk "Beyond The Don River" Russian folksongs ba Russian folk duo "Misha 
and Natasha from Russia", CD cover by artist Vladimir Nekrasov

"Misha and Natasha"
1998 CD


New York based Russian Folk Song and Dance 
Ensemble Barynya DVD, 2004 performance

Ensemble Barynya
2004 DVD


Russian dancing DVD

Ensemble Barynya
DANCING ONLY


Russian singer Nikolai Masenkoff compact disk EVENING BELLS

EVENING BELLS
Nikolai Massenkoff


Russian folk singer Nikolai Massenkoff compact disk MASSENKOFF RUSSIAN FOLK FESTIVAL ALIGN=

RUSSIAN FESTIVAL
Nikolai Massenkoff

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Barynya 2006
Russian folk music, song and dance album by ensemble Barynya

Barynya Dancers DVD
Russian, Cossack, Ukrainian and Gypsy dancing DVD by ensemble Barynya

Russian Christmas Music Balalaika Album
Russian Christmas Music Balalaika Album by Alex Siniavski and Mikhail Smirnov, ensemble Barynya members

Ensemble Barynya 1998
Russian folk music ensemble Barynya, 1998. Live performance in cabaret "Moscow", Lexington Ave/54 street, New York City

Sergey Gusarov - Russian songs and balalaika music CD
Russian folk songs and balalaika music album "Sergey Gusarov" by Russian folk dance and music ensemble Barynya from Brooklyn, New York

Russian folk dance and music DVD
Brooklyn based Russian folk dance and music ensemble BARYNYA DVD was recorded during live performance in Taylor Performing Arts Center, Joplin, Missouri on October 28, 2004

barynya album
"Barynya Russian folk songs" - compact disk recorded by ensemble Barynya musicians: balalaika virtuoso Alex Siniavski and Mikhail Smirnov (guitar)

Olga Grogan album
Two albums by Russian chanson author and singer Olga Grogan from Walsenburg, Colorado


"Misha and Natasha from Russia" compact disk "Beyond The Don River RUSSIAN FOLKSONGS"

Bibs Ekkel
Bibs Ekkel: Russian Gypsy Music Balalaika Albums

Lev Zabeginsky album
New York City based balalaika virtuoso Lev Zabeginsky "Live in St. Petersburg" album

Russian singer Nikolai Masenkoff compact disk
Russian folk singer Nikolai Massenkoff compact disk "EVENING BELLS"

Compact Disk recorded by singer Nikolai Massenkoff
Russian folk singer Nikolai Massenkoff compact disk "MASSENKOFF RUSSIAN FOLK FESTIVAL"