Balalaika

Balalaika, Russian stringed instrument of the lute family. It has a triangular body, basically flat, with a small round sound hole near the narrow top of the belly; a long, narrow neck; and three gut or metal strings, normally plucked with the fingers (a leather plectrum is sometimes used with metal strings). Made in six sizes, from piccolo to contrabass, it developed in the 18th century from the similar domra or dombra of Central Asia and Siberia. The representative balalaika, the treble or prima, is usually tuned e¹ e¹ a¹ (e¹ = E above middle C).