Skuduciai are found only in a few parts of northeastern Lithuania (Vabalninko, Kupiskio, and Birzu Districts, Rokiskis and Panevezys Counties). The skuduciai are made of umbelliferous plants or wood. Shorter-lived skuduciai are made from various grass-like reeds. Sturdier forms are made of ash, black alder, alder, or willow wood. The wooden rods are cut into pieces of varied length. The number of whistles varies, but a typical set has five to eight. The whistles are hollowed out either by burning or carving, leaving the bottom closed. If the entire whistle is hollow, then the bottom is closed off with a fixed or movable stopper. Zieves skuduciai (made of bark) are also closed with a stopper. For skuduciai made of umbelliferous plants, the joints of the plants close off the bottom of the whistle. The open ends of each whistle are cut on both sides at a sloping angle. A single whistle produces only one note. There are two basic means of tuning the skuduciai: (1) the length of the shortest whistle is determined by ear. To it are added the second, third, fourth etc. skuduciai, tuned at intervals of a second. (2) whistles are tuned at intervals of a second, beginning with the longest whistle (which plays the lowest note).
SVILPUKAI
Svilpukai are made in three ways:
(1) bark whistles (zieves svilpukai) are made in the spring, when willow begin to blossom, because at this time it is easy to remove the bark. The bark is twisted off of a branch to make a cylindrical tube. One end is closed off with a short stopper cut from the piece of wood which came from the tube. One side of the stopper is flattened by shaving off a splinter of wood. Next to the point at which the stopper ends, a whistle hole is cut into the tube. The other end of the whistle is either closed off with another stopper or left open. Bark whistles usually do note have holes for playing different notes;
(2) reed whistles (nendres svilpukai) are also made in springtime, but in contrast to bark whistles, both ends are left open. The whistle hole is cut near one end. While playing, the end is closed off with the tongue, which replaces the stopper. The reed whistle does not have holes for playing different notes.
(3) wooden whistles are usually in the shape of a tube or a toy figure. The tube-shaped whistles are made like bark whistles, while the toy-shaped whistles are products of an artist’s imagination. This type of whistle has holes for playing different notes. Whistles are instruments known throughout the territory of Lithuania, used in herding rituals and games.
MOLINUKAI
Molinukai are made in the shape of a tube or a toy figure. The tube-shaped whistles are made of clay mixed with sand. The clay is kneaded and rolled, and rolled around a small stick. The stick is removed, one end of the tube is squeezed shut, while the other end is flattened and the blowing hole is made with a thin splinter. A whistle hole and two to four finger holes are made in the top. Toy shapes are made in the same way as tubes, but the hollow is carved in a finished shape. The molinukai are carved and then fired in an oven. The sound of a molinukas is soft, and the tembre is delicate. Musical possibilities are determined by the number of finger holes. Melodies are improvised. At times, sutartines were played with these whistles. The molinukai were toys used by herders and children.
LAMZDELIAI
Traditional lamzdeliai (pipes) are made of either bark or wood. The bark pipe (zieves lamzdelis) is made in the springtime of a willow, aspen or pine sprout. The bark is beaten on all sides, and twisted off of the wood. The blowing end is closed off with a stopper made from the wood, with one side cut off. At the place where the stopper ends, a whistle hole is cut into the bark, and one end of the hole is bent slightly inwards. Three to six finger holes are cut in the pipe. Wooden pipes are made of ash or linden wood. The bark is removed, and the instrument is hollowed out by burning, drilling or carving. The blowing hole, whistle hole and finger holes are made in the same way as for the bark pipes. Lamzdeliai are usually tuned to a diatonic major scale. The tembre is soft and breathy, but when the instrument is blown too strongly, the sound becomes sharp and shrill. Lamzdeliai are used to play improvised herding melodies—raliavimai, ridovimai, and tirliavimai. Herders calmed their animals with these melodies, or they imitated the sounds of nature and birds. Other tunes played on the pipes were sutartines, songs, and contemporary dances (polka, waltz, mazurka, quadrille, and march). The instrument was popular during night herding, at young people’s gatherings, and weddings, and is known throughout the territory of Lithuania.
SVILPA
Svilpa is a transverse flute type instrument. It is made of willow or aspen bark, or of ash or maple wood. A cylindrical pipe is made with a thin and a wide end. At times the pipe was made of several shorter pipes stacked together. The mouthpiece is may be similar to that of a flute, a skudutis or lamzdelis (see above). While playing, the left hand holds the svilpa, and the index finger of the right hand covers the open end. The sound of the svilpa is soft, the timbre is gentle. The svilpa is a solo instrument for free improvisation, song and dance melodies, and sutartines.
BIRBYNE (RAGELIS)
The first type of birbynes are made of a straw, a goose quill, tree bark or wood. A dry, thick wheat or rye straw is cut near a joint, so that one end is closed. The other end is further from the joint and remains open. A single reed is cut into the joint, with the tip of the reed vibrating towards the joint (characteristic in Zemaitija) or towards the finger holes (characteristic in Dzukija). Two to four finger holes are burned into the straw. A goose quill birbyne is made similarly to the straw birbyne described above. Bark birbynes are made in the springtime from alder, willow or pine bark. Three or four finger holes are burned or cut into the bark. A single reed is placed in the mouth end, which is closed off with a wooden stopper. Wooden birbynes are made of an alder, willow, mountain ash or pine branch, with the core drilled out. One end is cut at a slant and covered with a wooden stopper or left open and covered with the tongue while playing. The reed is cut into the same end. Three to six finger holes are burned or cut into the upper part of the pipe.
The second type of birbynes are made of alder bark, an animal horn, or wood. An alder stump is cut out in a spiral belt and wound into a pipe of conical shape. The cracks in the wound bark are glued together with pine or cherry resin. A piece of straw or cane with a single or double reed, or a wooden mouthpiece with a single reed is placed into the thin end of the pipe. A mouthpiece with a single reed is also placed into an animal horn. Wooden birbynes are made in the same way as above, but use a mouthpiece of goose quill or wood with a cut single reed. Six to eight finger holes are made in the pipe. An animal horn may be placed over the pipe.
The third type of birbyne is made of an ash or maple branch or stump. The body is hollowed out by drilling or burning, and six to eight finger holes are made. One end is cut at a slant, and a reed made of a seared willow or pine branch, similar to that of a clarinet, is tied to it with thin string. An animal horn is placed on its end. Improvised melodies, simple folksongs, dances, and sutartines are played on the birbynes. The birbynes were played along with other instruments at weddings and young people’s gatherings.
DAUDYTES
Daudytes are found only in northeastern Aukstaitija. They are made of a straight trunk (1250-16700 mm) of an ash, willow, maple, elm or birch tree. The tree is split in half, leaving wood intact at the thin end for a mouthpiece. The split halves are hollowed out in grooves of increasing width. The halves are closed, patching the seams with pitch or tar, and bound together with boiled birchbark. A set is made up of two daudytes, which are tuned in unison and at intervals of a second or fourth. The repertoire is that of vocal sutartines: "Gegute," "Saduto tuto," "Ligi sokeila," "Obelyt grazuolyt" and others. The daudytes went out of use along with the vocal sutartines with which they share their repertoire, at an earlier time than ragai or skuduciai.
CIMBOLAI
Cimbolai (hammered dulcimer) are mentioned in Lithuanian historical sources as early as the 16th century. The body is in a trapezoid shape, made of maple or willow with a spruce cover. Single, double or triple metal strings are stretched across the body, attached at one end with tacks and at the other end with metal pegs. They usually had struts beneath the strings. The strings were struck with two small wooden hammers. Various dance melodies were played solo or with an ensemble. The instrument has survived to the present day in regions of Suvalkija and Dzukija.
The fiddle is one of the most popular imported instruments. It is widely distributed throughout the territory of Lithuania. Fiddles were both factory made and homemade. They were often played by either a single musician or in a village band.
