Saratov Garmonika

[velveteen rocket]

Hi all,

 

I am new to this forum, and have recently purchased a Saratov Garmonika, and have been combing the internet for information on this strange little instrument.

 

There doesn't seem to be much out there, other than that they come from the Saratov region of Russia. I was wondering if anyone here knew anything about these instruments? I am very excited to get playing, and would appreciate anything anyone can tell me!

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Here's a picture:

[Dirge]

Are those really bells on the ends?

[m3838]

Hi all,

 

I am new to this forum, and have recently purchased a Saratov Garmonika, and have been combing the internet for information on this strange little instrument.

 

There doesn't seem to be much out there, other than that they come from the Saratov region of Russia. I was wondering if anyone here knew anything about these instruments? I am very excited to get playing, and would appreciate anything anyone can tell me!

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Here's a picture:

 

Hi.

Well, Saratov Garmonika is a one row diatonic instrument, like Cajun accordion. Only it probably has 2 reeds per note, not 4, and I don't see any stops, so you can't change the timbre. I also have heard they are tuned a little different, so the two reeds produce slightly sharper, recognizable sound. Russian one rows should be tuned in the opposite manner from Vienna style accordion, with tonic on the pull, not on the push.

So the playing is very much like playing Cajun accordion, only with all notes present (Cajun accordions are played on the pull, so a C instrument is played in the key of G, with F# missing, or F sharpened, so it's missing F, or F# is avoided. So a Cajun accordion is effectively a Russian style diatonic, only stubbornly unrecognized).

Now, your Garmonika has very interesting feature - set of two bells, tuned to your tonic and dominant basses. They should be operated by the thin lever just above the tonic bass button. So every time you press bass button, the bell sounds and it makes serious calamity. Super-party instrument! The three buttons on the left are Chord/Bass and in-between them is an air button, that you MUST master before anything else. You can either use a thumb loop on the right (trebble) side, or attach shoulder belt, that you can buy on ebay and it's preferred, if you don't want your arm/hand/shoulder hurt in very short while. In rare case, when you'll travel to Saratov, Russia, and happen upon Garmonica player, who will sneer at your shoulder belt, you may politely ask him to kiss your bottom exactly three times. In case there will be some other Garmonika players around, they probably will be on your side.

Any music for Cajun accordion is adaptable for Saratov Garmonika. I'll look up some sites, but last time I did so, everything was "under construction". Lots of promises, but little action in terms of mp3 files, music scores, tablature. Let's hope it will change.

 

TV program in Russian, about rarity and disapperance of such instrument

 

Enjoy.

Do you want to play Russian music or any suitable?

[velveteen rocket]

Are those really bells on the ends?

 

 

They sure are! They're cute, but they get a little old after a while. They don't ring if I play the left hand gently

[velveteen rocket]

Hi all,

 

I am new to this forum, and have recently purchased a Saratov Garmonika, and have been combing the internet for information on this strange little instrument.

 

There doesn't seem to be much out there, other than that they come from the Saratov region of Russia. I was wondering if anyone here knew anything about these instruments? I am very excited to get playing, and would appreciate anything anyone can tell me!

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Here's a picture:

 

Hi.

Well, Saratov Garmonika is a one row diatonic instrument, like Cajun accordion. Only it probably has 2 reeds per note, not 4, and I don't see any stops, so you can't change the timbre. I also have heard they are tuned a little different, so the two reeds produce slightly sharper, recognizable sound. Russian one rows should be tuned in the opposite manner from Vienna style accordion, with tonic on the pull, not on the push.

So the playing is very much like playing Cajun accordion, only with all notes present (Cajun accordions are played on the pull, so a C instrument is played in the key of G, with F# missing, or F sharpened, so it's missing F, or F# is avoided. So a Cajun accordion is effectively a Russian style diatonic, only stubbornly unrecognized).

Now, your Garmonika has very interesting feature - set of two bells, tuned to your tonic and dominant basses. They should be operated by the thin lever just above the tonic bass button. So every time you press bass button, the bell sounds and it makes serious calamity. Super-party instrument! The three buttons on the left are Chord/Bass and in-between them is an air button, that you MUST master before anything else. You can either use a thumb loop on the right (trebble) side, or attach shoulder belt, that you can buy on ebay and it's preferred, if you don't want your arm/hand/shoulder hurt in very short while. In rare case, when you'll travel to Saratov, Russia, and happen upon Garmonica player, who will sneer at your shoulder belt, you may politely ask him to kiss your bottom exactly three times. In case there will be some other Garmonika players around, they probably will be on your side.

Any music for Cajun accordion is adaptable for Saratov Garmonika. I'll look up some sites, but last time I did so, everything was "under construction". Lots of promises, but little action in terms of mp3 files, music scores, tablature. Let's hope it will change.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0cJARpexns

TV program in Russian, about rarity and disapperance of such instrument

 

Enjoy.

Do you want to play Russian music or any suitable?

 

 

 

Thank you so much, this is very helpful and interesting!!

I will definitely read up on Cajun accordions and hunt for some music too. I do have an affinity for Russian music, but I would like to play anything suitable. I am a music student, but I have never played an accordion before, so mostly I've just been amusing myself by playing xmas carols and traditional tunes by ear, but I would really like to learn to play this instrument more seriously

[malcolm clapp]

Thank you for the links, m3838.

 

One of the YouTube clips shows a very strange instrument indeed.

The one on the right; I think it is called a "concerbootika"; or am I mistaken???

 

Edited November 15, 2008 by malcolm clapp

[m3838]

Thank you for the links, m3838.

 

One of the YouTube clips shows a very strange instrument indeed.

The one on the right; I think it is called a "concerbootika"; or am I mistaken???

 

Hmm. If you could provide the link to the photo or youtube clip.

[Leo]

Hmm. If you could provide the link to the photo or youtube clip.

Hi M3838

 

 

Not very clear, but it's the only one I found

 

Thanks

Leo

[malcolm clapp]

Hmm. If you could provide the link to the photo or youtube clip.

Hi M3838

 

 

Not very clear, but it's the only one I found

 

Thanks

Leo

 

 

 

Here at around 56 seconds.

[SteveS]

Russian one rows should be tuned in the opposite manner from Vienna style accordion, with tonic on the pull, not on the push.

 

This is interesting - I've come across similar tunings before - I have a flutina from around 1850 that also plays with the tonic on the pull and which produces a very concertina-like tone when played (and which BTW has individual reeds like a trad-reeded concertina). I haven't really got around to playing it (it requires some restoration), but as an occasional one row melodeon player (sorry about the 'm' word!), I wasnt sure about how to play it.

 

Interesting that the Saratov Garmonika also plays this way around. Do you have fingering layout for it?

 

Steve

[michael sam wild]

I had one once. Wickipedia was very helpful. The bells reminded me of Cajun boxes. It forced you to play on the pull .

[m3838]

Russian one rows should be tuned in the opposite manner from Vienna style accordion, with tonic on the pull, not on the push.

 

This is interesting - I've come across similar tunings before - I have a flutina from around 1850 that also plays with the tonic on the pull and which produces a very concertina-like tone when played (and which BTW has individual reeds like a trad-reeded concertina). I haven't really got around to playing it (it requires some restoration), but as an occasional one row melodeon player (sorry about the 'm' word!), I wasnt sure about how to play it.

 

Interesting that the Saratov Garmonika also plays this way around. Do you have fingering layout for it?

 

Steve

 

No, I don't have any more information from what I posted. The boot concertina is interesting.

It's a little degrading, of course, kind of strengthens the cliche, equalling bellows to boots etc.

By the way, Russian way of firing off samovar is by using a boot, so boot as a substitution for bellows is quite natural.

[velveteen rocket]

Interesting that the Saratov Garmonika also plays this way around. Do you have fingering layout for it?

 

Steve

 

 

Hey SteveS, the fingering as I've figured out so far for the right hand is:

 

Pull / Push

 

1. e flat / g

2. a flat / b flat

3. c / c sharp

4. e flat / f

5. a flat / g

6. c / b flat

7. e flat / c sharp

8. a flat / f

9. c / g

10. e flat / b flat

 

I just got the garmonika in the mail yesterday, so I haven't had much time to play around with it yet. I figured most of this out with an out of tune ukulele, so I'm not 100% about it yet.

[SteveS]

Hi

 

Thanks for this. Strikes me at first as being a strange fingering layout.

 

Steve

 

BTW does anyone else on the forum have a Busson Brevete flutina? If so please PM me.

[Sebastian]

Hi Velveteen Rocket,

 

maybe you can get some more information, asking at http://forum.melodeon.net.