Wednesday, April 21, 2010

What is it about the balalaika??

One of my musical neighbours plays the balalaika. (Well, it might be a pipa or something, but it sounds more like a balalaika to me.)

While, in general, having people practising music is not one of the more unpleasant neighbourly noises one might have to suffer, the sheer repetitiveness of it can start to wear down your forbearance after a while. Most of my neighbours are professional musicians who will practice the same short piece for hours at a time, day after day after day.

And there's something about the balalaika...... that makes all balalaika tunes sound like the Z Cars theme after a while.

Now, I am usually rather fond of the balalaika. And I have a nostalgic soft spot for the Z Cars theme (a favourite BBC police show from my distant childhood). But there's something about the thought of the Z Cars theme played incessantly on something like a balalaika that is eroding my sanity just at the moment....

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