Kaval
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A signaling instrument that could be made from bark rolled into a conical tube or from metal.
Kakăr
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A signaling horn. It was used by shepherds and hunters. In the dictionary of N. P. Ashmarin the following example appears: “Untan, tărstan-tărstan, huçi tӳtӳtpe kăshkărtrĕ tit te, yittisem lănk-lank vĕrkelĕrĕç tit te, chupa pachĕç tit kilnelle” (Then, after standing a while, the master blew the tӳtӳt, he says, the dogs barked, he says, and they ran home).
Nakhra
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In the dictionary of N. I. Ashmarin it is described as “…a copper trumpet, tӳttӳrӳt.” The instrument could be made from copper, brass, or silver. It most likely had a military function, serving as a signaling instrument for long-distance communication and accompanying ceremonial events such as parades.
Părăh
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The name is hypothetical, based on analogy with a Mari musical instrument. It is also possible that the instrument was actually called hӳphӳ; in that case the information from Ashmarin’s dictionary applies directly to it.
Shakhlich
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The name is hypothetical, based on analogy with a Mari musical instrument. It is also possible that the instrument was actually called hӳphӳ; in that case the information from Ashmarin’s dictionary applies directly to it.
Păkăllă shakhlich
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A type of longitudinal flute. It differs from the shakhlich by having a whistle mechanism inserted into the upper end.
Çurkhi shakhlich
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A type of longitudinal flute made from linden or willow bark. In some villages this instrument is called çĕlen çăvarĕ (“snake’s mouth”). Such whistles are usually made by children in spring or early summer.
Năy
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A type of transverse flute. One end of the tube is sealed with a plug. Near the closed end a blowing hole is drilled into the tube.
Palnay
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A multi-tube flute similar to a pan flute. In different sources the name palnay is sometimes applied to a mouth organ or to a type of jaw harp. The reconstruction presented here is based on information from N. Erivanov. The structure of the palnay was explained to him by the Chuvash composer G. Khirbyu, whose informant in turn was F. Pavlov.
Tăm shakhlich
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A whistle made of fired clay in the shape of animals or birds.
S. M. Mikhailov, recalling his childhood, wrote: “Children left at home run about freely, sing songs as at weddings, and play little pipes shaped like ducks with two holes on the sides; Chuvash boys carry them tucked inside their clothes as a necessary delight. There was a time when I myself played such pipes while staying home with my brother Grigory during the busy working season.”
Shăvăç shakhlich
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A whistle made of sheet metal. Material thickness — 0.4–0.8 mm.
Shăpăr
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Shăpăr belongs to the family of bladder bagpipes. Similar instruments exist among other peoples, and their names closely resemble one another: shăpăr (Chuvash), sheypur (Persian), shofar (Hebrew), shoor (Tuvan), shuvyr (Mari), zhimbur (Buryat), indicating a shared historical origin.
Shăpăr vulli
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If the bladder of a shăpăr burst for any reason, the musician removed the instrument’s pipe from the socket, placed the reeds directly in the mouth, and continued playing the melody. In this form the instrument was called shăpăr vulli.
Sărnay (sĕren)
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The name of the instrument is directly connected to the Chuvash sĕren ritual, performed before the ancient Chuvash spring festival Mănkun — the first day of the new year.
Tüt
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It was made from a strip of alder or birch bark twisted into a spiral cone. A plug with a reed was inserted into the narrow end.
Hüp-hü
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It is a clarinet-type musical instrument with melody holes, or possibly the name refers to a mouthpiece wind instrument similar to the Mari puch.
Tam sărnay
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The name is tentative. In the 1970s, during archaeological excavations led by historian V. F. Kakhovsky at the bottom of what is now the Cheboksary bay, a fragment of a clay musical instrument with two holes was discovered; a third hole had broken off.
Çăka sărnay
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In the dictionary of N. I. Ashmarin, the structure of the çăka sărnay is described as follows: “Sărnay — a pipe made of tubes inserted one into another, taken from linden. The narrow end placed in the mouth has a reed.” It was made from linden branches cut into cylindrical sections.
Tuta kupăsĕ
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Children used it and made it themselves from dry wood, most often linden.
Sărlakkay
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This musical toy was usually made by children from hollow-stem plants such as dandelion, hogweed, pumpkin leaf stalks, rye, and similar plants.
Tӳtӳt
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This musical toy was made using an empty thread spool or a hollow wooden tube.
Kurăk tӳt
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Such whistles were usually made by children while mowing in the meadow. A blade of grass was held tightly between the thumbs, and by blowing across it with the lips pressed to the fingers, the sound was produced.
Havăl sukhan tӳt
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This musical toy can be made from a fresh green onion stalk.
Pip-pip
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Children played with this toy in summer, when acacia pods ripened.
A wind instrument produces sound through a column or stream of air. Wind musical instruments (vĕrkĕchlisem) are divided into three subgroups: reed (chelĕkhlisem), flute (shăkhărtmallisem), and mouthpiece (shăkhransem).
The main element of a reed instrument is the reed itself, made from birch bark, cane, wood, goose feather, and similar materials. It can be single or double. In a single reed, the lower part is fixed while the upper tongue vibrates under the air blown by the performer. A double reed consists of two tongues separated by a gap. Air blown into this gap causes vibration and produces sound. Double reeds were most often made from cane and birch bark.
On some single reeds (especially children’s instruments), a U-shaped tongue is cut directly into the main tube, for example on sarlakkay, hămăl sărnay, and others. More commonly, inserted reeds are used, as in shăpăr, sărnay, hüphü, and sĕren. Craftsmen living in the Tetyushi district of Tatarstan and in some areas of Chuvashia installed double reeds on sărnay and shăpăr instruments.
For example, a single reed from cane is prepared by cutting dried plant segments 70–90 mm long and 6–7 mm in diameter. The inside is cleaned. To improve moisture resistance, the reed may be boiled in vegetable oil. One end of the tube is sealed with a 4 mm plug. At the same end, 4–5 mm from the edge, a short transverse cut is made and a U-shaped tongue is carved. Pitch depends on the tongue dimensions. (Before playing, the reed is usually moistened.)
In modern practice, single reeds are sometimes made from plastic or metal tubes about 50 mm long. One end is sealed with a 1–2 mm plug or soldered shut. A 20 mm slot is cut into the cylindrical surface. The area above the slot is filed flat for about 30 mm. This flat surface may run parallel to the tube axis or at an angle. The tongue must fully cover the slot and be slightly larger than it.
Tuning of reed instruments is achieved by adjusting tongue length using thread winding, moving a ring, or shifting the reed within the tube.
The tongue is attached by thread winding or a vinyl ring, leaving a gap for airflow. Sometimes craftsmen bend the tongue slightly or file the surface to adjust airflow. A thin thread may be placed under the tongue. If needed, the tongue thickness is reduced using a fine file or sandpaper.
The reed must fit tightly; thread wrapping helps secure it. Plastic or metal reeds unfortunately do not always reproduce the authentic sound of traditional Chuvash instruments.
In flute instruments, the air stream splits at the edge of an opening to create sound. These instruments were made from maple, linden, viburnum, or hollow plant stems. Material was harvested in autumn when the stems turned yellow.
Most masters built instruments for personal use and tuned them by ear. Each maker developed unique scales intuitively. Playing another person’s instrument was avoided.
Tubes were typically carved from hardwood (melody tube length 270–300 mm). If burned hollow using a heated rod, soft-core wood was selected. Today, lathe-turned wooden tubes or ready-made metal and plastic tubes may be used.
After making the whistle mechanism, the base pitch is determined. If too low, the tube is shortened; if too high, it is lengthened. Holes are drilled progressively to establish notes. Each pitch corresponds to a specific number of open holes. Enlarging a hole lowers pitch; raising it increases pitch. Holes may be oval-shaped.
Traditionally, musicians adjusted pitch by applying wax to holes or partially covering them with fingers.
If holes are misplaced, wooden plugs are inserted and redrilled. Spare tubes are recommended.
With all holes closed, the lowest pitch sounds. Opening holes shortens the air column and raises pitch accordingly.
When playing mouthpiece instruments, the performer presses lips to a cup-shaped mouthpiece leading into the instrument body. Pulsed air from the lips excites the air column, producing sound. Modern versions may use turned wooden tubes or metal/plastic equivalents.
Archaeological research in Volga Bulgaria uncovered instrument fragments. In 1962, V.S. Chernov witnessed historians identify a bone tube from the Khulash settlement as part of a bagpipe-type instrument.
Reed instruments (chelĕkhlisem) include: sarnay, sarnay vulli, shăpăr, shăpăr vulli, sĕren, kaval, tüt, hüphü, tăm sarnay, kukăr sarnay, hămăl sarnay, tuta kupăs, efi, sĕr, sarlakkay, tütüt, kurăk tüt, hăvăl suhan tüt, pip-pip;
Flute instruments (shăkhărtmallisem) include: shăkhlich, năy, palnay, tăm shăkhlich, çurhi shăkhlich, shăvăç shăkhlich, păkăllă shăkhlich;
Mouthpiece instruments (shăkhransem) include: kaval, kakăr, nahra, părăh.
