Playing a New Note: The Joys of Musical Discovery for Adults

Many musicians dream of being in the spotlight.  On a recent evening Victor Dyni had the full attention of his orchestra conductor.  "Play louder.  I need that F major chord," she urged him. Dyni tried again, pushing the keys and loudly strumming the many strings of his instrument, the autoharp-like Russian gusli.

Dyni is no newcomer to the world of music.  He played violin for 75 years and piano for 70.  However, playing the gusli is a new experience for him.  He started learning this instrument, which looks like a small, rectangular topless piano with just a few keys, a mere three years ago at the age of 78 after discovering its existence when he joined the Washington Balalaika Society orchestra. 

The orchestra was formed 25 years ago by a small group of musicians who were interested in learning and playing the music of Russia, Ukraine and eastern Europe on traditional instruments. The triangular balalaika and round domra are stringed instruments that come in different sizes.  Other traditional instruments in the orchestra include the bayan, similar to an accordion with buttons on both sides instead of keys on one side, and the gusli.  The group also includes flutes, clarinet, oboe, percussion and accordians.  Currently the group, which now has some 50 members, gathers for weekly rehearsals in the social hall of a church in Arlington, Virginia, to practice in preparation for performances around the Washington, DC metro area.      

The repertoire of the orchestra ranges from folk songs such as Korobeiniki (The Peddlers), to Sabre Dance, to gypsy music and versions of music from films including "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Dr. Zhivago."  Many Americans first became familiar with the balalaika and its music through that classic 1965 movie, in which the main character, Lara, carries a balalaika throughout the movie, while Russian music plays in the background. 

A distinguishing feature of the orchestra is that most members have become familiar with and learned to play their instruments as adults.  Although players don't need to know how to play a balalaika or domra to join the orchestra, some musical experience is helpful.   Balalaika player Bill Rockey started playing with the group about 15 years ago after dabbling in banjo, mandolin and ukulele.  He wanted to try balalaika after he and his wife travelled to Russia and heard folk musicians playing balalaika there.  Dyni started out playing domra, but switched to gusli when the previous gusli player moved away.  His piano background was helpful in learning this new instrument.  Domra player Tiffani Ferrantelli started playing with the orchestra six years ago after playing violin, viola and mandolin in many other orchestras and ensembles over the past 20 years. 

According to founding member Max McCullough, "the trick is to find people who have some musical background on some instrument that is tuned like or built or played like the Russian instruments."  McCullough adds, "Sometimes we get lucky and find someone from Russia who can play." In Russia, many people learn to play these instruments as children.

Adults may have different skills or self-awareness that help with learning an instrument.

"I realized that I played by ear, so I tried to pay more attention to the sounds and recordings.  It made more sense to me,"  explained domra player Teresa Allen.  She said that as an adult, at a rehearsal or at a lesson, "I pay more attention to the sounds I hear rather than just reading the music."  Her musical experience as a child was less positive.  "I started piano in first grade.  I did really badly, I didn't practice, and I couldn't make any sense of the 'dots,' the notes," said Allen.  She started playing the prima domra 10 years ago.   

"I feel much more motivated to improve my technique and sound quality on the domra since I came to it on my own,"  said domra player Ferrentelli, without pressure from parents to practice.  Ferrantelli also enjoys the camaraderie and sense of community she finds in the orchestra.  Similarly, alto domra player Marie Korn Cohen played the piano as a child. Later, she took up the guitar.  "I wanted to sing and play chords, but I didn't get good," she said.  Some members of the group have trained on other instruments including mandolin, guitar, violin and cello in addition to piano and even recorder. 

Svetlana Nikonova, originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, is  a conservatory-trained conductor who has been with the orchestra for 10 years.  She says she likes to work with adults because, compared with children, adults have more life experience, which makes them more comfortable with her comments and instructions.  "They are prepared for the difficulties of life," she said.  This may be especially important for Dyni, the gusli player.  He said he finds playing in front, close to the conductor and the audience, somewhat unsettling.  "I have to be totally responsible," he said.  "It's almost like a solo."

Musicians discover the Washington Balalaika Society orchestra in different ways, but attracting new musicians can be a challenge.  Members of the group have varied backgrounds.  Most members are not Russian, although some grew up listening to Russian balalaika music.  For others, this music was a more recent discovery.   Some people become interested in the music and the group after attending a concert. Cohen said she fell in love with the music when she heard one of the orchestra's smaller ensembles play.    Ferrantelli started playing with the Washington Balalaika Society in 2007 after hearing about it through a colleague.  Finding instruments is another hurdle, with a only a few built in this country.  Most are imported from Russia and Ukraine.

The orchestra has balalaika and domra teachers available to give lessons to new members, so they are not on their own.  Debbie Yavelak-Sieff, at only her third session with the orchestra, has always loved Russian music.  However, she had never played a stringed instrument before.  But now, with the help of a teacher, she is finally able to learn the music she has wanted to play for years.

At this rehearsal, the group was working on pieces to accompany Russian domra soloist Alexander Tsygankov in two concerts celebrating the 25th anniversary of the orchestra: May 18 at Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church in Bethesda and May 19 at Yorktown High School in Arlington.  Nikonova focused on passages with new rhythms and notes.  She practiced separate sections of the pieces, often going through them much more slowly than the music is intended to be played.

At one point Nikonova needed to remind players when to start.  The conductor extended her hands, with a baton, explaining with a hint of a smile, "When I do this I am inviting you to play." 

More information on the Washington Balalaika Society orchestra and upcoming concerts can be found on its website: balalaika.org