Gusli / Гусли

The gusli, belonging to the zither family, is one of the oldest Russian stringed instruments. They have anywhere from eleven to thirty-six strings. The first documented gusli were recorded in Veliky Novgorod in 1170, though the instrument is most likely much older.

There are two main types of gusli, the helmet-shaped gusli (shlemovidnye gusli) and the wing-shaped gusli (krylovidnyegusli). The shlemovidnye gusli, prevalent in southern and western Kievan Rus’, is held on the knee so the strings are horizontal. The krylovidnye gusli is much smaller and are held like a guitar. Krylovidnye gusli were seen more in the north, like Novgorod and Pskov.