Balalaika

The balalaika might be considered as a Russian guitar or lute. It differs with respect to the shape of the soundbox, which is triangular in shape. The number of strings range from 2 to 6, and they come in different sizes from the smallest piccolo balalaika to the largest contrabass balalaika.

Its unique sound is due to the shape of the soundbox and the materials used, and thus create different harmonics. String relations as well as playing technique also affect the resulting sound texture.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balalaika

Sound-video clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_mtUfiTbso