KUBYZ

KUBYZ, a Bashk. idiophonic reed mus. instrument. Made of metal or wood (more rarely of animal bone), length – approx. 8 cm. Metal K. is a horseshoe with narrowing ends, the middle of which a thin steel tongue with a curved end is attached. Wooden K. — a rectangular plate of birch or maple with a reed cut in it. When playing the metal K., it should be clamped with the lips and supported with one hand, slightly closer to the opened teeth; the mouth cavity serves as a resonator. The reed should be protected with the fingers of the other hand, which leads to a vibration and a bourdon sound. The overtones are formed when the articulation changes. On the wooden K. the sound is extracted by pulling the reed with a thread attached to it. The sound is quiet, the range within the octave. Tunes and onomatopoeic melodies are mainly performed on it. Used as both a solo and an ensemble instrument. In the 1980s, the K. was perfected by R.A.Zagretdinov. Since 2007, the Interregional competition for kubyzists and performers of throat singing is held in the Mechetlinsky Raion of the RB (ref. Uzlyau).