Polish Folk Music Instruments You Need to Know About

Did you know that there are different types of folk music instruments in Poland? In this blog post, we will introduce you to some of the most popular ones!

The fiddle

The fiddle is astring instrument that is played with a bow. It is the most important instrument in Polish folk music. The fiddle has a very powerful sound, and it can be heard above all the other instruments in a folk band.

Other instruments in a Polish folk band include the accordion, clarinet, bass, drums, and flute.

The accordion

The accordion is a vital part of Polish folk music. It is a portable, free-reed musical instrument, played by compressing or expanding the bellows while pressing buttons or keys, causing pallets to open, which allow air to flow across metal reeds. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist. The main types of accordions are:

-Button: The most common type of accordion, it has a series of black and white button on the right-hand side of the keyboard that, when pressed, activate the bellows and produce a note.
-Piano: A variation of the button accordion that uses a piano keyboard instead of buttons.
-MIDI: A type of button accordion that uses MIDI technology to produce sound.

The accordion is used in a variety of genres including folk, jazz, rock, and pop. Some well-known accordionists include Myron Floren, William Schottstaedt, and Charles Magnante.

The bagpipes

The bagpipes are a family of wind musical instruments, often with drone pipes, that are played by blowing into a tube. The player’s breath powers a set of bellows that forces air through reeds, causing them to vibrate. Bagpipes have been used in Europe since the medieval era and are closely associated with the Celtic cultures of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, as well as the Galician region of northwestern Spain.

There are many different types of bagpipes, each with its own unique design and sound. The most common type of bagpipe in Poland is the suchenda, which has a single drone pipe and is often used for solo performances. Other popular types include the dudy (a two-drone pipe), the basy (a three-drone pipe), and the cymbały (a five- or six-drone pipe).

Bagpipes are typically made from wood, although some older instruments were made from bone or other materials. The pipes are usually fitted with a reed cap to protect the player’s lips from the sharp edges of the reeds. Bagpipes are usually played with a small blowing tube called a chanter that is used to produce melodic notes. The player uses their fingers to cover holes on the chanter to change the pitch of the notes being produced.

In addition to the chanter, most bagpipes also have one or more drone pipes that play a continuous note or chord. The drones provide a constant background sound against which the melody of the chanter is played. Bagpipes are typically played outdoors, although they can also be played indoors if there is enough space for the drones to resonate properly.

Bagpipes have been an important part of Polish folk music for centuries and remain popular today. They are often heard at traditional folk festivals and celebrations such as weddings and funerals.

The zither

A zither is a string instrument that has a number of strings stretched over a resonating body. It is one of the most popular folk music instruments in Poland and it is often used in various traditional music styles such as polkas and waltzes. The zither typically has between 30 and 40 strings, although some can have up to 60. The number of strings will determine the range of notes that can be played on the instrument.

The hurdy-gurdy

The hurdy-gurdy is a stringed instrument that produces sound by a motorized wheel rubbing against the strings. The hurdy-gurdy is also known as a wheel fiddle. It is sometimes called a vielle à roue, which is French for “wheel violin.”

The hurdy-gurdy was likely invented in the Middle Ages, and it reached its height of popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was used by both peasants and nobility, and it was particularly popular among traveling minstrels. The hurdy-gurdy declined in popularity in the 19th century, but it has experienced a revival in recent years.

The hurdy-gurdy has a long neck and a rectangular body. It has between one and four melody strings and several drone strings. The melody strings are played with a keyboard, while the drone strings are tuned to produce a constant harmony note. The motorized wheel rubs against the melody strings to produce sound. The player can also change the pitch of the drone strings by turning a crank.

The hurdy-gurdy is often used for traditional folk music, but it is also sometimes used for other genres of music such as rock and jazz.

The hammered dulcimer

The hammered dulcimer is a stringed instrument that originated in the Middle East. It made its way to Europe in the 14th century, and by the 16th century, it was being used in Polish folk music. The dulcimer is played by striking the strings with small hammers. It has a trapezoidal shape, and its strings are arranged in pairs.

The cimbalom

The cimbalom is a musical instrument of the hammered dulcimer family. It ranges in size from a few inches to several feet, and can have as many as five sets of strings. The cimbalom originated in Poland and was brought to Hungary in the early 19th century. It quickly became popular in Hungarian folk music, and eventually spread to other parts of Europe and America. The cimbalom is played with the hands and fingers, and has a distinctive sound that is both mellow and complex.