Skrabalai

Traditional skrabalai are trapezoid wooden bells. The bell itself is a small trapezoid wooden box with wooden tongue or without it. The tone of the bell depends on its size. “Lietuva” uses skrabalai made of 27 boxes (without wooden tongues) arranged in 7 rows. The bells are tuned diatonically c¹ to f¹ and the rest – chromatically to e³. The skrabalai frame is set in incisions cut into a wooden stump (drum). Skrabalai was included in the ensemble’s orchestra in 1947. The instrument is unsurpassed in performance of playful music; its tone penetrates through the entire orchestra.