Firewood: tool composition, manufacturing, playing technique

Music is part of the culture of any nation. The story describes many Russian ethnic musical instruments. Craftsmen made balalaikas, psaltery, flutes, whistles. Among the drums are a tambourine, a rattle and firewood.

The sound of firewood is similar to that of the marimba and xylophone. The instrument appeared thanks to the observation of Russian craftsmen: they noticed that if you hit a piece of wood with a stick, you get a pleasant sound. This percussion instrument is made from logs, which are fixed on a rope. The finished “folk” xylophone is very similar to a bunch of firewood tied with a canvas rope. That’s where its name came from.

It is played with two mallets made of hardwood. Each log has its own length, respectively, it sounds different. The correct sounding of a note is achieved by cutting a cavity in a piece of wood. The deeper the depression in the plate, the lower the note sounds.

Dried hardwood is usually used to make an idiophone. They make an instrument from birch, apple trees. Softwoods such as pine are not suitable. They are soft and will not produce the desired sound. Maple specimens sound best, because due to their structure they have the best acoustic parameters. After the firewood is tuned, it is varnished and then folk melodies are played on it.