The balalaika is a three-stringed Russian folk instrument with a distinctive triangular wooden body.
Its body is generally built from several triangular sections, with a long neck and a small soundboard. Traditional forms exist in several sizes, ranging from the high-pitched piccolo balalaika to the deep contrabass balalaika.
The instrument became strongly associated with Russian national culture during the nineteenth century. Vasily Andreyev helped standardize concert versions and organized ensembles that brought the balalaika into formal performance settings.
The balalaika is sometimes confused with the domra, another Russian plucked instrument, but the domra normally has a rounded body. The balalaika’s triangular outline is its most immediately recognizable physical feature.