Quick answer. A balalaika is a Russian folk string instrument with an unmistakable triangular body and three strings. The most common type, the prima, is tuned E, E, A, with the two lower strings sharing the same pitch, which gives the instrument its bright, ringing drone and a sound that cuts cleanly through a room.
There is no mistaking a balalaika for anything else. The flat triangular body is the whole signature of the instrument, and behind that shape sits a clever, economical design that has carried Russian folk music for generations. Three strings, a simple tuning, and a playing technique built around a single strumming finger make it one of the more approachable folk strings to pick up.
A short history of the balalaika
The balalaika grew out of Russian village life, taking shape across the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with roots in an older round-bodied instrument called the domra. For a long time it belonged to the countryside and the wandering entertainer rather than the concert hall. That changed in the late nineteenth century, when Vasily Andreyev took the folk balalaika, standardized it, and built a whole family of sizes around it, from the small piccolo up to the floor-standing contrabass. He formed the first balalaika orchestra and gave the instrument a concert life it has held ever since. The triangular prima you are most likely to pick up today is the direct result of that work.
The triangle and the three strings
The body is a flat-backed triangle with a long fretted neck, and three strings run its length. On a prima, the standard and most common size, two of those strings are tuned to the same note, E, and the third to the A a fourth above. That doubled E is the heart of the sound: strum across all three and the matched pair rings like a built-in drone under the melody. Because the open strings already give you a usable shape, a beginner can produce recognizable folk rhythm quickly, then build toward the rapid tremolo strumming that fast Russian dance tunes call for. Technique centers on the index finger, with the thumb and other fingers brought in for plucking and rolls.
The models we build
Our prima balalaikas come in a few builds. The Prima Balalaika in rosewood is the straightforward entry into the instrument. The walnut prima is built with walnut and lacewood staves for a warmer, more figured body, and the Deluxe Prima Balalaika in walnut steps up to a full walnut stave body. All three are primas, the standard playing size; the differences are in wood and build rather than tuning or range. See them together on the Balalaikas collection.
Frequently asked questions
How many strings does a balalaika have?
Three. On the common prima balalaika, two are tuned to the same note and the third sits a fourth higher, which produces the instrument's ringing, drone-backed sound.
How is a balalaika tuned?
The standard prima tuning is E, E, A, low to high, with the two lower strings matched to the same E. Other sizes in the family use different tunings.
Who invented the modern balalaika?
The folk instrument is much older, but Vasily Andreyev standardized it in the late nineteenth century, built the family of orchestral sizes, and founded the first balalaika orchestra, which shaped the instrument played today.
What is a prima balalaika?
The prima is the standard, most common size of balalaika and the one most folk and solo repertoire is written for. It is the size most players mean when they say balalaika.
About the Author The Roosebeck Luthier Team at EnSoul Music Designs, Inc. has worked with mountain dulcimers, Celtic harps, bodhrans, and lutes for decades. We specialize in authentic folk instruments that deliver rich tone, easy playability, and lasting value, trusted by musicians worldwide.