Components:
1. Round grip of the body
2. Tapering arms
3. External edges
4. Internal edges
5. Reed
6. Bend
7. Scroll
8. Rivet
A traditional Bashkir metal kubyz consists of a curve-shaped body (round grip), two slightly tapering bars or arms that serve as "sounding boards" and an elastic steel reed. The reed base is attached to the inner side of the round grip so that the reed plate is between the "sounding boards", the narrow part of the reed is bent at the right angle; the reed tip is in the shape of a "scroll". The small hole in it is often filled with tin or lead the amount of which determines the reed vibration frequency and therefore the pitch of the main (fundamental) tone.
The sounding element is the reed, and the sound is generated when the performer's finger makes the reed vibrate. The player uses his own articulation system as a resonator: mouth cavity, lips, teeth, tongue, respiratory ducts, larynx, pharynx, diaphragm, and scull. Sometimes, an additional resonator is formed with the rounded left palm in which the instrument base is placed An air stream depending on the performer's breathing and therefore on his articulation system serves to amplify the sound. Besides, the sound loudness depends on the strength with which the performer strikes the reed.
The reed vibrations produce a single main tone - the bourdon. Its pitch is determined by the size of the instrument (the smaller is the instrument, the higher is the pitch), the thickness of the reed and the reed tip. The bourdon is formed mainly in the minor octave (less often in the major octave and the first octave). When the larynx cavity is open, the tone is echoed by a sound which is an octave lower and is generated in the performer's throat when the jaw muscles are relaxed and the mouth cavity is filled with air.
In addition to the main tone, the kubyz pitch range includes overtones - the attendant higher tones, or the so called partial tones, of the main tone. They are formed by the vibration of different parts of the reed plate: halves, thirds, quarters, etc. These overtones all together form a kubyz natural scale which can be presented as:
C C G C1 E1 G1 B-flat1 C2 D2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
E2 F-sharp2 G2 A2 B-flat2 B-natural2 C3 etc.
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
The numerals for each overtone designates what part of the reed generates the sound, for instance, 1 - the vibration of the whole plate, 2 - that of its halves, 3 - that of its thirds, etc. The plate vibration produces the main frequency, which to an inexperienced ear may appear the only one but when listened to more attentively, the human ear can also recognise the attendant tones. The 4-th and the 6-th overtones forming octave intervals and fifths with the main tone can be heard especially well. Using special playing techniques one can enforce the loudness of a few other harmonics of the lower row of the overtones scale. They are the 5th, the 6th, the 7th the 8th and the 9th partial tones: E, G, B-flat of the first octave, and C and D of the second octave. The lower the kubyz is tuned, the wider is the overtones range. The loudness level of the harmonics totally depends on the performer's techniques and skills, his ability to change the volume of the mouth cavity and the intensity of the air stream while breathing.
The kubyz may have various tuning. For the beginner most convenient are instruments tuned in F-sharp, G, G-sharp, A, B, B-flat of the minor octave. It is easy to play melodies that way Experienced performers-improvisators use kubyzes tuned lower. These instruments have a wide range of attendant overtone shades: C, C-sharp, D, D-sharp, E, F, F-sharp |
