The larchemi ( ka, ლარჭემი), or soinari ( ka, სოინარი), is an ancient
Georgian musical instrument of the
panpipe family. It is known as "larchemi" in
Samegrelo and "soinari" in
Guria
Guria ( ka, გურია) is a region (''mkhare'') in Georgia, in the western part of the country, bordered by the eastern end of the Black Sea. The region has a population of 113,000 (2016), with Ozurgeti as the regional capital.
Geography
...
, but there is no difference in the instrument;
those in Guria may be smaller. The larchemi was in the past found also in
Abkhazia
Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
,
Imereti
Imereti (Georgian: იმერეთი) is a region of Georgia situated in the central-western part of the republic along the middle and upper reaches of the Rioni River. Imereti is the most populous region in Georgia. It consists of 11 municip ...
and
Lazeti (where it was called ''ostvinoni''). By 1958, when it was studied by
Kakhi Rosebashvili, it had largely disappeared.
[
The larchemi consists of a row of six reed pipes. Two bass pipes in the middle are tuned a ]second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
apart; the other pipes are tuned in thirds from them. The instrument can be played by two performers, who take three pipes each.[
]
References
{{Flutes
Musical instruments of Georgia (country)
Early musical instruments