Bouzouki History Talks about the History of the Bouzouki The unlimited staccato sound of the Bouzouki fascinates audiences that fall under the spell of its strings. The Bouzouki is the descendent of ancient greek and eastern instruments. The Bouzouki was known to many pre-Hellenic cultures like Egypt, Assyria, and China. The instrument is closely related to the Laouto. In recent discoveries of ancient wall paintings and sculptures, the Bouzouki did exist during the Byzantine era. During the Byzantine period, the Bouzouki was known as Thampoura or the Tampoura. The Bouzouki was reintroduced and brought to Greece by immigrants from Asia Minor and Turkey in the early 1900's. The Trichordo Bouzouki has three pairs of strings, each pair tuned the same. It is tuned to "re", "la", "re", (d,a,d,) The (re) string is the basis for the melody, while the A and second D strings are used for playing chords. The first bottom (D) string is known as Kantini.

The sound of the top (D) string is known as Bourgana. In the olden days, the Bouzouki was tuned to accompany the different modes (styles of songs) being played. This type of tuning is called Ntouzeni (Du-zeni), and is essential to preparation to playing. The bouzouki is played with a pick, but in the past it was played with a feather or a piece of wood carved from a cherry tree. This helps to create the distinctive sound of Bouzouki playing. In the early part of the 20th century the "Rebetes" played the Bouzouki and the (baglama), later they added the guitar for chords. The (baglama) is a smaller version of the Bouzouki. The baglama is tuned (re,la,re) exactly like the (trichordo) Bouzouki. The baglama was an easy instrument to carry because of its small size. Today the baglama is used to add color and to give a precise, distinct, vibrato sound to the composition. In the 1950's the bouzouki with four pairs of strings was introduced.

The three strings limited the musician to playing the "Rebetika" songs only. The four strings gave a new dimension to the capabilities of the instrument. The new Bouzouki that was developed in the fifties is named (tetrachordo) and has four pairs of strings that are tuned (c,f,a,d). The chords played on the Bouzouki are the same as a guitar. A distinct characteristic of the Bouzouki is the taxim. TAXIM : Many rebetika songs start with a taxim. The taxim differs from strokes of the pick, the rhythm, and the essential value of the song. The taxim demands that the player be versatile. The player has to also know how to apply himself to this type of improvisation. In order to improvise and to play the taxim correctly, the Bouzouki player has to become familiar with the different (dromous). Knowing the tones minor and major is not enough to play a taxim correctly. For instance, if we want to play a taxim in the minor tone we have to know the (dromo).

If the (dromo) is niavende it would still be in the minor tone with a different characteristic in the playing. Ousak is another minor tone with different characteristics in the playing. If we are playing in the major tone the appropriate (dromo) has to be applied. (Hejazz, Hejazzsiar Houzam) and many more. A good way to become familiar with the taxim is to listen to songs that have improvisations to recognize the (dromo) and the characteristic of the playing of the taxim. In 1960 Greek music was rapidly gaining world-wide recognition. Never on Sunday served to highlight the fact that the Greeks had something new and fresh to offer to those of us who had been nourished on French, Italian and Spanish popular music. The dynamic Greek sound---The Bouzouki and the colorful, vigorous and unusual rhythms of Greece soon captured the ear and fancy of the devotees of Continental music. Although the bouzouki was and is the main lead instrument of the "Rebetika" and "laika" songs it does not stop there. With some fantasy and daring compositions unusual sounds of creativity can be produced.

Irish Bouzouki Tuning Irish Bouzouki Tuning Bouzouki (Irish or Octave): scale length around 530mm Most Irish musicians use either GDAD or ADAD(low to high). Both tunings make it quite easy to play in the key of D; the first also allows for some easy chords in G, the second works better for A, but will give you a less full sound when playing in G. A mandolin-like tuning, GDAE, but one octave lower, is also used, but requires long stretches for some chords, so it is most useful for either a short-scale instrument or a player with big hands. Most of these short-scale bouzoukis, especially if they use this mandolin-like tuning, are said to be octave-mandolas. Most well-known bouzouki players, like Donal Lunny and Andy Irvine, use the GDAD tuning. The 3-course Greek bouzouki, not common in Irish music, is used by Alec Finn of De Dannan fame. He uses the traditional Greek tuning for this instrument, which works well for Irish music - DAD. All chords given for GDAD tuning work for this tuning also.

Tuning: There are many methods for tuning Irish bouzoukis, depending on what the player is intending to do with it. I shall extend the range of string choices, as I try them out, but it really depends how you tune it, so you may be involved in buying individual strings. *GDad is ideal for tunes in the key of G (E, B and C with capo) Typically the tuning used by Donal Lunny and Andy Irvine, the disadvantage is fingering changes from the mandolin on the top string. *GDAE like mandolin, but long stretch for some chords if you are going to use it as a rhythm accompaniment. I play one tuned like this, with octave pairs, for tunes and simple chords. ADad is good for tunes in D and A (E, F and F# with capo) Again, you need to learn a whole new set of fingerings if you are a mandolin/violin player. GDgd open tuning, simpler fingering for chords.

FCgd F tuning, used with capo 2 as octave mandola ADad Plus the Greek practice of using octave pairs on the lower two courses is possible, but this will cause problem for chords higher up the neck as they will sound out of tune. If octave pairs ARE used, for mandolin style playing, then the lower octave string traditionally goes on the low side of the pair, the opposite of the 12 string guitar octave strings, which are on the high side of the pair. (Note: Roundback Greek bouzoukis have a much longer scale length, and are usually tuned to CFAD. They can't be tuned with Irish bouzouki strings or you cpould seriously damage the instrument.) Strings Manufacturer: There is a lot more info on Han's Bouzouki site on the links page . As I play Bouzouki tuned like this, here are some simple chords, courtesy of Han. Greek Bouzouki: scale length around 680mm and traditional bowl back Tuning: 4 courses of 2 strings (tetrachordo). Octave strings on the 2 lowest pairs, on the lower side of the pair.

(Having said that I have just restored a bouzouki where the nut slots clearly show thicker strings were on the lower side!?) The problem is that chords higher up the neck will sound out of tune. (See difference in scale needed by different gauge strings in FAQ ) Apparently this was not a problem for Greek players, who play mainly on the top 2 up the fingerboard, using lower strings as drones. Then there are the 6 string bouzoukis, (trichordo) closer to the original Turkish model. Again, not too many string choices here, because it really depends on the tuning you want to use, and I don't build these.... yet!

DAD traditional Greek bouzouki 3 course tuning (many of these can be found with 8 tuners for the simple reason, mandolin tuners were easy to get hold of, so 2 tuners were often not used.) CFAD traditional Greek bouzouki 4 course tuning DGBE modern Greek bouzouki 4 course tuning (in fact guitar tuning) Arabic Musical Instruments Arabic Musical Instruments ï¿½ Plucked string instrument Related instruments ï¿½ Cittern ï¿½ Tar (lute) The bouzouki (gr. το μπουζούκι; pl. τα μπουζούκια) (plural sometimes transliterated as bouzoukia) is the mainstay of modern Greek music. It is a stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body and a very long neck. The bouzouki is a member of the 'long neck lute' family and is similar to a mandolin. The front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound.

Many musicians such as Manolis Chiotis and Giorgos Zampetas began using specially designed pickups to achieve a slightly thicker humbucker-like sound in the mid-1960s. These pickups are widely used by several Greek artists today and came in active and (usually) passive versions. Bouzouki pickup manufacturers include EMG, Lace Actodyne and Seymour Duncan. There are two main types of bouzouki: ï¿½ Three-course, having three pairs of strings (courses). ï¿½ Four-course, having four pairs of strings. Contents ï¿½ 2 The three-course bouzouki (trichordo) ï¿½ 3 The four-course bouzouki (tetrachordo) ï¿½ 4 Notable players of the Greek bouzouki ï¿½ 7 References ï¿½ 8 Further reading History In Greece, this instrument was known as the pandura or pandourion, also called the "trichordo" because it had three strings; it was the first fretted instrument known, forerunner of the various families of lutes worldwide.

The source of our knowledge about this instrument is the Mantineia marble (4th century BC, now exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens), depicting the mythical contest between Apollo and Marsyas, where a pandouris is being played by a muse seated on a rock. From Byzantine times it was called the tambouras. The modern Turkish Tanbur is practically identical to the ancient Greek pandouris. On display in the National Historical Museum of Greece is the tambouras of a hero of the Greek revolution of 1821, General Makriyiannis. This tambouras bears the main morphological characteristics of the bouzouki used by the Rebetes. The Turkish Saz belongs to the same family of instruments as the bouzouki. A middle-sized kind of saz is called a "bozouk saz". Bozouk in Turkish means "broken, not functioning, modified". Here it is used in order to specify the size of the instrument. It is concluded, therefore, that the bouzouki has been named after the jargon of the Turkish saz.

An alternative popular etymology maintains that the word "Bozouk" was used because different tunings (the Turkish 'dï¿½zen') are required for the instrument to play in different musical scales (known as Dromoi in Greek, Maqam (pl. Maqamat) in Arabic). A tuning known as the "bozouk dï¿½zeni" (broken tuning) still exists in Greek folk music. The early bouzoukia were mostly Three-string (Trichordo), with three courses (six strings in three pairs) and were tuned in different ways, as to the scale one wanted to play. After the late '50s, four-course (Tetrachordo) bouzoukia started to appear. The four-course Bouzouki was made popular by Manolis Chiotis. Chiotis also used a tuning akin to standard guitar tuning, which made it easier for guitarists to play bouzouki, even as it angered purists. The Irish bouzouki, with four courses, a flatter back, and differently tuned from the Greek bouzouki, is a more recent development, dating back to the 1960s.

The three-course bouzouki (trichordo) This is the classical type of bouzouki. It has fixed frets and it has 6 strings in three pairs, in modern times tuned Dd-aa-dd. This tuning was called the European tuning by Markos Vamvakaris, who described several other tunings, or douzenia, in his autobiography. This is the type of bouzouki that was used for rebetiko. The illustrated bouzouki is a replica of a trichordo bouzouki used by Markos Vamvakaris. It has tuners for eight strings, but has only six strings. The luthiers of the time often used sets of four tuners on trichordo instruments, as these were more easily available, since they were used on mandolins. The four-course bouzouki (tetrachordo) This type of bouzouki has 8 metal strings which are arranged in 4 pairs, known as courses, typically tuned Cc Ff aa dd (i.e. one full note below the four high strings of a guitar).

It was established in the scene by a major Rebetis, Manolis Chiotis, during the 1960s. In the two higher-pitched (treble) courses, the two strings of the pair are tuned to the same note. In the two lower-pitched (bass) courses, the pair consists of a thick wound string and a thin string tuned an octave apart. These 'octave strings' add to the fullness of the sound and are used in chords and bass drones (continuous low notes that are played throughout the music). Notable players of the Greek bouzouki ï¿½ Giorgos Zampetas Bouzouki - Phantis Bouzouki Jump to: navigation , search Greek (tetrachordo) Bouzouki The bouzouki ( gr. το μπουζούκι; pl. τα μπουζούκια) (plural sometimes transliterated as bouzoukia) is the mainstay of modern Greek music , and is also found in Irish music. It is a stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body and a very long neck.

The bouzouki is a member of the 'long neck lute ' family and is similar to an oversized mandolin . The front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound. The best bouzouki is made of mulberry wood, which has a red hue. The bouzouki is called by other names in various parts of Greece: tsiouri, kivouri, bouzouri. In the days of rembetes, bouzouki consisted of the body (skafos) with its top, and the tachera. The tachera is divided into berdedes, and at the upper side are the striftaria with the kordatoura or telia. There are two main types of bouzouki used in Greek music: Trichordo having three pairs of strings (courses). Tetrachordo having four pairs of strings. The tetrachordo bouzouki This most popular bouzouki has 8 metal strings which are arranged in 4 pairs, known as courses.

In the two higher-pitched (treble) courses, the two strings of the pair are tuned to the same note. These are used for playing melodies, usually with the two courses played together. In the two lower-pitched (bass) courses, the pair consists of a thick string and a thin string tuned an octave apart. These 'octave strings' add to the fullness of the sound and are used in chords and bass drones (continuous low notes that are played throughout the music). The original tuning for the four-course bouzouki is C3 F3 A3 D4 (where C4 is Middle C). This makes it the same tuning pattern as the first four strings on a guitar, but pitched down a whole tone. In recent times, some players have taken to tuning their bouzoukis up in pitch to D3G3B3E4, which is the same exactly as the first four strings of the guitar, making it easier to play both instruments. History Despite being nearly synonymous with Greek music, bouzoukis have not been around in Greece all that long.

As recently as 1920, they were relatively unknown, used exclusively in Rembetiko music - a sort of urban blues in mainland Greece. They belong to a tradition of long neck lute instruments bearing various names such as Saz, Tanbur and Bouzouk. In fact the name "Bouzouki" derives from "Bozuk" which means "broken", referring to the alteration of the tuning of this instrument from the Anatolian/ Central Asian originated Saz or Baglama in Turkish. Following the 1919-1922 war in Asia Minor and the subsequent exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey, the ethnic Greeks fled to Greece. The refugees brought with them the music known as Smyrneika , which made use of the arabic lute (al ud or 'outi' as the Greeks called it). Soon the outi was replaced by the bouzouki and the Smyrneika style fused into the Rembetika . The strings of a trichordo bouzouki are tuned like this... The early bouzoukis were Trichordo, with three courses (six strings in three pairs) and were generally tuned to D3/D4 A3 D4.

This tuning fits in well with the music of the Middle East, as an open chord is neither major nor minor, allowing great flexibility with the melody. Trichordo bouzoukis are still being made, and are very popular with aficionados of Rembetika . After the Second World War , Tetrachordo (four-course) bouzoukis started to appear. It is not known who first added the fourth course. Possibly Stefanakis or Anastasios Stathopoulos. The tetrachordo was made popular by Manolis Chiotis , who was known for his virtuosity), tuned C-A-F-C. This measures 0.70-100cm in length. One of the most famous bouzouki manufacturers was Joseph from Piraeus , who built them for Vamvakaris , Papaioannou , etc. According to Vamvakaris, Joseph was an assistant in the shop of Konstantis Delis , from Syros , who was also a famous bouzouki maker. When Delis died, Joseph took over the shop.

External links How to Tune a Greek Bouzouki (with Pictures) - wikiHow How to Tune a Greek Bouzouki The bouzouki is a stringed instrument used in traditional Greek music. It can have three or four sets of strings (called courses), but either version can be tuned by ear or with the help of a digital tuner. Steps Before You Begin: Know Your Bouzouki 1 Verify that you have a Greek bouzouki. Before you tune your instrument, make sure that it is actually a Greek-style bouzouki and not an Irish-style bouzouki. The two versions are typically tuned to different patterns, so it's important to know which version you have. The easiest difference to identify is the shape of the instrument. A Greek bouzouki has a bowl-shaped back, but the back of an Irish bouzouki is flat. Scale length is another major difference. The Greek bouzouki has a longer scale measuring to 680 mm, while the Irish bouzouki has a scale length around 530 mm. [1] 2 Count the strings.

The most traditional Greek bouzoukis have three string courses with two strings each, giving you a total of six strings. Other versions of the Greek bouzouki have four string courses with two strings each, or a total of eight strings. Six-string bouzoukis are called trichordo models. Eight-string bouzoukis are called tetrachordo models. Note that most Irish bouzoukis have eight strings, but it is also possible for an Irish version to have six strings. The modern tetrachordo version is believed to date back to the 1950s, while the trichordo version dates back to ancient times. [2] 3 Match the strings to the tuning pegs. It should be easy to determine which tuning pegs adjust which string courses, but you should check the instrument before you begin to make the process as effective as possible. Face the front of the bouzouki. On the trichordo, the 2 knobs on the lower right adjust the highest-pitched strings. The 2 knobs on the lower left adjust the lowest-pitched strings, leaving the 2 end knobs on each side to adjust the middle strings.

On the tetrachordo, the 2 knobs on the lower right adjust the highest pitched strings, the 2 knobs on the upper right adjust the next lowest strings, the 2 knobs on the upper left adjust the next lowest strings, and the 2 knobs on the lower left adjust the lowest pitched strings. Each string of a course is attached to it's own tuning peg. You will adjust both strings of a course to the same pitch (or octaves, as is often the case for the lower pitched course or courses). 4 Know the pattern. Trichordo bouzoukis are usually tuned to the pattern of D-A-D. Tetrachordo bouzoukis are traditionally tuned to the pattern of C-F-A-D. [3] Individual players may choose to use an adapted tuning for a specific tune when playing on a trichordo bouzouki, but doing so is fairly uncommon and only done by experienced players. Many contemporary players choose to follow a D-G-B-E pattern for tetrachordo bouzoukis due, in part, to the similarity between this pattern and the pattern used for tuning a guitar.

When playing Irish music on either an Irish or Greek tetrachordo bouzouki, a pattern of G-D-A-D or A-D-A-D is typically used. These tunings make the instrument easy to play in the key of D. If you have a short-scale instrument or large hands, it might be easiest to tune a tetrachordo bouzouki to a mandolin-style pattern of G-D-A-E. This tuning should be one octave lower than that used for an actual mandolin, however. Method Tune by Ear 1 Work with one course at a time. You will need to tune each string course separately. Hold the bouzouki as you would while playing it. Begin by tuning the course sitting at the bottom of the instrument, while you hold it in this manner, which are the highest pitched strings. After finishing your adjustments to the bottom course, move to the course above it. Keep moving up, one course at a time, until you reach and tune the top course, which are the lowest pitched strings . 2 Play the correct note. Play the correct source note on a pitch pipe, piano, or other stringed instrument. Listen to the way the note sounds.

The bottom course should be tuned to the appropriate note above Middle C. [4] For both trichordo and tetrachordo bouzoukis, this would be the D just above Middle C (d' or D4). The remaining courses should be adjusted accordingly to the bottom course. For instance, on the tetrachordo bouzoukis, the lowest-pitched course has one string tuned to the Middle C (c' or C4) and one string tuned to the C an octave below it (c). 3 Pluck the string. Pluck one string of the course you are presently tuning, keeping the string open as you do. Listen to the way the note sounds in relation to the source note. Keeping the string open means that the strings is free and not pressed down at any fret along the course of the instrument. After being plucked, the string should vibrate without interference. 4 Adjust the strings. Turn the corresponding tuning peg to tune the string. Test the string after each adjustment until it matches the source note, such as played on your pitch pipe. If the tone sounds flat or lower, tighten the strings by turning the tuning peg clockwise.

when the tone sounds sharp or higher, loosen the strings by twisting the tuning peg counterclockwise. You may need to play the correct note several times on your pitch pipe or tuning instrument. Keep the sound in your mind for as long as possible and replay it each time you feel uncertain of how much further to adjust the course. 5 Match the strings in a course. Each string in one course should be in harmony with each other. Adjust the other string in the course to sound either the same as, or an octave of, the string you just tuned to the source note. Strum them together to hear any differences and adjust if needed. 6 Double-check your work. After tuning all three or four courses, strum through the open strings again to check each. For best results, double-check each course one at a time. Pluck one string, while you tune it to that note on your pitch pipe, then harmonize the other string to that string. After tuning each string, and each course, strum all three or four courses together and listen to the sound. Everything should flow and mingle naturally. Once you've double-checked your work, your instrument has been properly tuned. Method Tune with a Digital Tuner 1 Set the tuner.

Most electronic tuners are already set to 440 Hz, but if yours is not set to a frequency yet, you will need to do so before you use it for your bouzouki. The display may either read "440 Hz" or "A = 440." Each tuner will need to be adjusted in a different manner, so read the instructions that come with yours to determine how to make an adjustment to the frequency. Usually, you will do so by pressing a "Mode" or "Frequency" button on the device. Set the frequency to 440 Hz. If you must set the frequency by instrument, choose a “bouzouki” or "guitar" setting. 2 Work with one course at a time. Each course will need to be tuned separately. Start with the bottom string course and gradually work upward. Hold the bouzouki as you would while playing it. After you tune the bottom course, tune the course directly above it. Work upward until you reach and tune the top course. 3 Set the tuner for each course.

Unless you have a "bouzouki" setting on your digital tuner, you may need to set the desired note on the digital tuner when tuning each course. The exact method for setting the note will vary based on the digital tuner you use, so you should check the manufacturer's instructions for help. Usually, however, you can change the note by pressing a "Pitch" or similarly labeled button. The bottom course will need to be tuned to the corresponding note just above Middle C, so that is the initial note you will need to set your tuner to. For both trichordo and tetrachordo bouzoukis, this would be the D above Middle C (d' or D4). The remaining courses should be adjusted accordingly to the bottom course. For instance, on the tetrachordo bouzoukis, the lowest-pitched course has one string tuned to the Middle C (c' or C4) and one string tuned to the C an octave below it (c). 4 Pluck the string. Pluck one string of the course you are presently tuning, keeping the string open as you do. Listen to the way the note sounds and watch the screen of your tuner for a reaction.

The string should be open as you pluck it. In other words, do not press the string along any fret of the instrument. The string must vibrate without interference after being plucked. 5 Watch the monitor. As you pluck the string, watch the reaction of the monitor and indicator light of your digital tuner. The device should tell you when the instrument is in tune or out of tune. [5] When the course is out of tune, a red light will usually flash. The display screen of your tuner should indicate which note you just played. Depending on the type of digital tuner you have, the display screen may also indicate if the note is flat or sharp. Once the string is in tune, a green or blue indicator light will usually flash. 6 Turn the tuning peg to tune the strings. Make adjustments to the string pitches of the present course by rotating the corresponding tuning peg. Test the string after each adjustment. Tighten the string of a flat or low note by rotating the peg clockwise. Loosen the string of a high or sharp note by rotating the peg counterclockwise. Repeat the tuning procedure for the other string in the course. Repeat the tuning procedure for each string in all the other courses. 7 Double-check your string courses.

After tuning all three or four courses, check each one again. You will need to check each course one-bye-one. Set the note on your tuner, strum the open strings, and watch for the blue or green indicator light. If the course is out of tune, check each string within that course. After tuning all of the strings and the courses, play them together and check the sound with your ear. The notes should flow together naturally. The completion of this step finishes the entire process. Community Q&A h2g2 - Playing the Greek Bouzouki Playing the Greek Bouzouki 0 Conversations [Need to finish the chord diagrams and put them up on Flickr.] The Greek bouzouki is a stringed musical instrument which is the mainstay of Greek traditional music. This Entry explains how to play notes, scales and simple chords but does not present any Greek tunes for you to play. It assumes a basic knowledge of music. The bouzouki has a tear-drop-shaped body with a round back and flat top. There is an enormously long neck, much longer than in other instruments with equivalent body sizes.

The neck is about 60cm (2 feet) as compared with a body of only 40cm (1 foot 4 inches), giving it very long strings and as a result a deep pitch. The metal strings are plucked with a plectrum 1 . There is such a thing as an Irish bouzouki. These instruments are based on the Greek bouzouki, but use many features of the mandolin and mandola. As a result they have a different sound, are used for a different style of music and are played with different techniques. They are not covered by this Entry. Types of Greek Bouzouki There are two main types of Greek bouzouki: the tetrachordo and the trichordo. The tetrachordo, literally 'four-string', has actually got eight strings, but these are grouped into four pairs, known in English as 'courses'. Each course consists of two strings close together and tuned to the same note. They are plucked together and fingered together as if they were a single string. The trichordo, literally 'three-string', has six strings grouped into three pairs or courses.

The techniques outlined in this Entry can be used on either type of instrument - the two instruments are identical in the upper two courses. The diagrams show a trichordo instrument, but they apply equally to the tetrachordo. Tetrachordo players can develop additional techniques for speed playing using the third and fourth courses as they see fit. Chords are different on the two instruments, but chords do not form a huge part of Greek bouzouki playing, so this Entry will present just a few chord patterns for each instrument. Tetrachordo The tetrachordo, with four courses, is the most common sort of Greek bouzouki. Normally, the higher two courses each consist of a pair of identical strings, each string in the pair tuned to exactly the same note. The lower two courses each have a thick bass string and a thin string which is tuned to the same note but an octave higher. The tetrachordo is the bouzouki favoured by the players of the 'tourist traditional' music played in tavernas all over Greece for the tourists. It allows very fast playing without much movement of the left hand up and down the neck of the instrument. It also allows chords to be played.

The courses are tuned 2 to the pattern of C3 F3 A3 D4, the same pattern as the four highest strings on the guitar, although pitched a tone lower. This means that guitar or ukulele chord shapes can be used. Trichordo The trichordo is the instrument favoured by traditionalists who are interested in the music rather than the tourists, although it's not really clear why. It has three courses (pairs of strings) 3 . Because of this, the neck is narrower, making the instrument lighter. The normal tuning for a trichordo is in the pattern D3 A3 D4. The lowest course normally features a thick string tuned to D3 and a thin octave string tuned to D4. This leads to the interesting oddity that three of the six strings on the instrument are tuned to the same note. The two highest pitched courses are used to play tunes - this involves a lot of shifting and jumping up and down the neck. The third, lowest course is usually only used for simple chords but occasionally for the lowest notes of tunes. Parts of the Bouzouki This table gives the names for the different parts of a bouzouki, where possible in both English and Greek.

Part string Course A pair of strings which are played together as if they were one string. Greek bouzoukis have three or four courses. Spot An inlaid mark on the fingerboard between certain frets to mark significant notes. Normally, the spots mark frets 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12, and this pattern is repeated for the second octave, at frets 15, 17, 19, 22 and 24. Some Terminology When talking about the neck of the instrument, 'up' means towards the body of the instrument and the bridge, rather than towards the head. This seems the wrong way round, but fingering a note closer to the bridge raises the pitch. Since the pitch goes up as our hand moves towards the body, players consider this to be 'going up the neck'. When talking about higher and lower strings, the terms refer to their pitch: the highest string is the thinnest one, with the highest pitch.

Except when tuning, it's normal to refer to the courses as strings - since the two strings of a course are fingered and plucked together, we just ignore the fact that there are two strings and pretend there is one string. So if we say finger the second string at the fourth fret, we mean the second pair of strings. The courses are numbered from high pitch to low pitch, so the course which is highest in pitch is the first course, usually just called the first string. The second course or string is the next one down in pitch. The third course or string is the next again. On a tetrachordo, there's also the fourth course or string. The fingers of your left hand are used for fingering notes. As in all stringed instruments, these are numbered starting at 1st for the index finger, so the 4th finger is the little finger (pinky) 4 . Tuning Your Bouzouki Before playing, you will have to tune your instrument. There are a few different ways of doing this: Get someone else to do it for you. Someone who is used to tuning stringed instruments will do this in no time, and can show you what to do. Use an electronic tuner.

There are plenty of free smartphone apps for tuning. Tune by comparing with a piano. Tune one string from a tuning fork and tune the others by ear from it. Once your instrument is in tune, you will have to retune it each time you play it, but only small adjustments will be necessary. Trichordo: tune both strings of the first course and the thin string of the third course to D4, the D above Middle C. Tune the two strings of the second course to A3, the A below middle C. Tune the remaining thick, wire-wound string of the third course to D3, the D below middle C. Tetrachordo: tune both strings of the first course to D4, the D above Middle C. Tune the next course to A3, the A below middle C. The thicker string of the next course is tuned to F3, the F below middle C. The thicker string of the fourth course is tuned to C3, the C below middle C. The thin strings of the third and fourth courses are tuned to the note an octave above their respective thick partners (F4 and C4 respectively).

When you tune one string it will affect the pitch of all the others slightly, because the bridge moves, so you may need to tune the strings a few times before you get them all sounding good together. If you find that the instrument sounds good when plucking the open (unfingered) strings but sounds out of tune when you play notes high up on the fingerboard, it may be that the bridge is badly positioned. Instructions on how to position the bridge are provided in the Entry Positioning the Bridge on a Mandolin . How to Hold the Instrument All these instructions are for a right-handed player playing a right-handed instrument. Some left-handers like to play a reversed instrument, with the strings the other way around. If you're doing this, you'll have to reverse all the instructions given here. Alternatively, since both hands have a job to do, there's no reason why a left-hander can't learn from the start in the same way on the same instrument as a right-hander. This will make things a lot easier in the long run, and when playing in a group you won't keep banging your instrument against that of the player beside you.

The bouzouki is not an easy instrument to hold, as its smooth, rounded back makes it slide around. There are a few different opinions on how the instrument should be held. The ones given here certainly work, but you're welcome to try different methods. The bouzouki should be played while sitting down. You need to keep your left foot on the ground but to raise your right foot by about 15cm (6 inches). You can either use a chair with a bar on it that you can rest your foot on, or a small footstool or footrest. Such footrests are made for playing classical guitar. You could just pile up a few thick books. Place the body of the instrument on your lap so that the neck extends to the left and upwards at an angle of about 30°. The flat top of the instrument should be tilted off the vertical so that you can see it and the fingerboard easily. Lean your body forward so that your chest presses against the back of the instrument at your lowest right rib. Bend your right arm at the elbow and place the inside of your right forearm so that it presses against the front of the instrument above the strings.

(This works best if you have a bare forearm.) The body of the instrument is thus supported at four points: your two thighs, your chest and your forearm. This should be all you need to hold the instrument steady. Your left hand should not be used to hold the bouzouki at all. It needs to be free to jump up and down the neck and to finger the notes. Now to hold the plectrum with the correct grip. Bend your right fingers so that the first two joints (counting from the tip) form 90° bends and the third joint (main knuckle) is straight. Place the plectrum against the side of your index finger so that its tip protrudes slightly at your index finger nail. Put your thumb down on the plectrum. It is now held firmly between your thumb and index finger with just a small amount sticking out to pluck the strings. Playing Your First Notes Do nothing with your left hand. Keeping your right wrist straight, pluck a string with the plectrum with a downward motion. You should aim to pluck the strings between the bridge and the sound hole. If you go further from the bridge, the sound gets more mellow but will be quieter.

Make sure to keep your wrist straight; the motion of your hand is very slight - it only has to move about 2cm (an inch) all together. A string which has not been fingered is called an 'open string'. An open 1st string will play the note D. An open 2nd string will play the note A. When plucking the strings, you should alternate downward and upward strokes, but always start on a downward stroke. Most Greek music has an even number of notes in each phrase so you can go down/up, down/up. In the rare tunes that use a triple rhythm 123, 123, 123, you should use a down/up/down, down/up/down pattern so that the first note of each group is always a down stroke. Now let's try playing a D on the second string using the second finger (the middle finger). Position your left hand so that the palm is facing you. Bend your second finger so that the tip is pointing towards your wrist. Press down the second string against the fingerboard beside the fifth fret - it should be close to the fret but not touching it, and it should be on the nut side of the fret rather than the bridge side.

(There's an inlaid spot on the fingerboard to help you find this position quickly.) This is known as playing at the fifth fret, but remember, the finger is on one side of the fret. The string is in contact with the fifth fret and the section of string from the fret to the bridge is free to vibrate. Now pluck the string and you should get a D. It should be the same note as you would get from playing an open first string. Playing a Simple Scale - the Major Scale We're going to present all the scales here starting on the note D, because this is the most common key to play Greek music. The simplest scale is known as the 'major' scale. It consists of the following notes: D E F# G A B C# D The # symbol is called 'sharp' so F# is read as 'F sharp'. The first two notes of the scale will be played on the second string, but the rest of the scale will be on the first string. We'll give a blow-by-blow description of playing the scale followed by a fingering diagram, but later scales will be just list the names of the notes with a diagram to show how they are played.

To play the first note of the scale, D, press down the 2nd string just behind the 5th fret (on the nut side of the fret), as described already. Pluck the string with a downward stroke. Finger the E with the fourth finger at the 7th fret of the same string. Pluck an upward stroke. Now change strings to the first string. Continue plucking pattern alternating with downward and upward strokes. Finger the F# at the fourth fret with your 1st finger, and the G with the 2nd finger at the 5th fret. Now jump your hand up the neck and play the A with the first finger at the 7th fret, and stretch to play the B with the second finger at the 9th fret. Finally jump up the neck again but this time by just the length of one fret, and play the C# with third finger at the 11th fret and the high D with the fourth finger at the 12th fret. This is easier to see in a diagram: Note that while the diagram shows a trichordo instrument, only the first two strings are used, and the same diagram exactly works on a tetrachordo instrument.

More Elaborate Scales While Western music tends to use only a few different scales, but adds interest by modulating into different keys, Eastern music, including Greek music, has many different scales, but tends not to modulate out of them. If a song or tune is in a particular scale, it will stay in that scale and all the melodic improvisation and interpolations around the tune will also be in the same scale. Turkish and Arabic music has more than fifty different scales; Greek music has less, but there are still about twenty of them. We'll only mention a few here. Others can be easily found in various sites on the web. The Harmonic Minor Scale This is probably the second most popular scale in Greek music. The notes of the scale are: D E F G A Bb C# D The symbol 'b' here is pronounced 'flat'. Bb is pronounced 'B flat'. It is usually represented by a special b with a sharp point at the bottom, but this is difficult to display in web browsers. The way to play this scale is given in the following diagram. Again, start on the 2nd string and work your way up, then switch to the 1st string.

Click for Harmonic Minor Scale The Hijaz Scale This is probably the third most popular scale in Greek music. It is considered a type of major scale because the third note in the scale is F#, as it is in all major scales. The name is pronounced 'hidge-az' and comes from Turkish. Because the Greek language does not have the 'j' sound, it is spelled Hitzaz in Greek, and many Greeks pronounce it like that as well. The notes of the scale are: D Eb F# G A Bb C D Again, the fingering is explained in the diagram: Click for Hijaz Scale The Ousak Scale This is another minor scale, because the third note in the scale is F (rather than F#). The notes of the scale are: D Eb F G A Bb C D The fingering diagram is: Click for Ousak Scale When to Shift On tetrachordo instruments, very fast runs of notes can be produced by switching from string to string without moving the left hand up and down the neck. The details of these are beyond the scope of this entry.

The trichordo instrument, on the other hand, plays almost everything on the first two strings, and trichordo techniques can also be used on the tetrachordo so they are discussed here. Because the low D played on the 2nd string is quite a distance from the high D played on the 1st string, you will have to move your hand at some point when playing a scale, no matter what way you play it. The diagrams given so far show possible ways of playing the scales with where to shift your hand, but it is up to you what way is comfortable. If you are playing a new tune, you should go through it a few times working out which way you are going to play it and when you will shift your hand. A general principle is that your first and second fingers are strong, while your third and fourth fingers are weak. Shifts should be done using the first and second fingers. If you are fingering a note using the first finger, it is OK to play the next note higher up the string using the first finger as well. It can move quickly up the neck with no noticeable break in the playing. The same applies to the second finger.

The third and fourth fingers are weak, so you should only use them when your hand is already in the correct position. The frets are quite widely spaced on the bouzouki, particularly near the nut. Don't try and stretch your fingers too widely to cover the frets - the second, third and fourth fingers should cover one fret each. The first finger, being slightly more agile, can cover two frets, the one beside the second finger and the one below that. If you need to have fingers in positions other than this, you will need to shift your hand. Simple Chords Greek music doesn't tend to play chords on bouzoukis, with one exception: it is normal to finish off long phrases by playing two chords. These are called the 'finals' and provide a sort of punctuation to the musical phrase. Type of Scale Finals: C Dm Some of these scales have more than one name, and the spellings are not standardised. 1 Known in America as a pick. 2 The number beside the note name indicates the octave. C3 is one octave below middle C and the lowest note of octave 3.

3 Some cheap trichordo bouzoukis still have eight tuning heads even though they have only six strings. This type of tuning mechanism is cheaper because it is more readily available, being used for both mandolins and the more popular tetrachord bouzoukis. They're not just 8-string instruments with two strings left out, however; they have a thinner neck and only room on the nut and bridge for six strings. 4 Piano players use a different system, with the thumb being 1. Bouzouki - Varsity Music Bouzouki > Bouzouki Bouzouki The bouzouki is the most distinctive Greek music instrument. It is a stringed instrument, which belongs to the family of the long-necked lutes. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound. There are two main types of bouzouki: the trichordo and tetrachordo. The trichordo has three pairs of strings, each pair tuned the same. The tetrachordo has four pairs of strings and it was introduced in the 1950s.

The three strings limited the musician to playing only one type of music, so the four strings gave a new dimension to the capabilities of the instrument. The name ‘bouzouki’ comes from the Turkish word ‘bozuk’ which means ‘broken’ or ‘modified’. The instrument is played with a pick, but in the past it was played with a feather or a piece of wood carved from a cherry tree. This music instrument has been combined with the history of Greece for many years and is part of its traditional music. Both, the music and the clubs that play it, are referred to as bouzoukia, after the primary instrument used. A more recent development is the Irish bouzouki, which has four courses, a flatter back, and is tuned differently from the Greek instrument. This instrument originated from the introduction of the Greek bouzouki into Irish music by Johnny Moynihan around 1965. Some of the most known early bouzouki players, were Markos Vamvakaris, Ioannis Papaioannou and Vasilis Tsitsanis.

It was Tsitsanis the one who added a western sound and music sensibility to the known rhythms, writing lyrics that touched the hearts of his audience. He made the instrument more recognisable and more acceptable to the Greek society. At Varsity music we provide a great range of new and used bouzoukis available to buy online. They are the best on the market and serviced by our trained musicians. Showing the single result Bouzouki Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Bouzouki The bouzouki (plural sometimes transliterated as bouzoukia) is the mainstay of modern Greek music. It is a stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body and a very long neck. The bouzouki is a member of the 'long neck lute' family and is similar to an oversized mandolin . The front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound. There are three main types of bouzouki: Trichordo having three pairs of strings (courses). Tetrachordo having four pairs of strings. Irish.

4 External links The tetrachordo bouzouki This most popular bouzouki has 8 metal strings which are arranged in 4 pairs, known as courses. In the two higher-pitched (treble) courses, the two strings of the pair are tuned to the same note. These are used for playing melodies, usually with the two courses played together. In the two lower-pitched (bass) courses, the pair consists of a thick string and a thin string tuned an octave apart. These 'octave strings' add to the fullness of the sound and are used in chords and bass drones (continuous low notes that are played throughout the music). The traditional tuning for the four-course bouzouki is C3 F3 A3 D4 (where C4 is Middle C). This makes it the same tuning pattern as the first four strings on a guitar, but pitched down a whole tone. In recent times, some players have taken to tuning their bouzoukis up in pitch to D3G3B3E4, which is the same exactly as the first four strings of the guitar, making it easier to play both instruments.

History Despite being synonymous with Greek music, bouzoukis have not been around in Greece all that long. As recently as 1920, they were relatively unknown. They were common in Turkey , though, belonging to a tradition of long neck lute instruments bearing various names such as Saz, Tambour and Bouzouk. Ethnic Greeks living along the west coast of Turkey, particularly around the town of Izmir (Smyrna), absorbed the local musical culture. With the political upheavals at the end of the First World War (1918), these Greeks felt out of place in Turkey. In the 1920s, there was a mass migration from Izmar back to Greece. These people brought with them the music known as Rembetika and the bouzoukis needed to play it. The early bouzoukis were Trichordo, with three courses (six strings in three pairs) and were generally tuned to D3 A3 D4. This tuning fits in well with the music of the Middle East, as an open chord is neither major nor minor, allowing great flexibility with the melody.

After the Second World War, Tetrachordo (four-course) bouzoukis started to appear. It is not known who first added the fourth course. Possibly Stefanakis or Anastasios Stathopoulos. The tetrachordo was made popular by Manolis Chiotis. Bouzoukis in Irish Music Bouzoukis were introduced into Irish Traditional Music in the 1970s, by Johnny Moynihan and Alec Finn, and popularised by Andy Irvine and D�nal Lunny. Irish music relies less on virtuoso melodies played on double courses, and more on the bass courses, so they got rid of the octave strings which only confuse things and replaced them with pairs tuned to the same note. They used a tuning of G2D3A3D4 or A2D3A3D4, which ironically is closer to the original Greek instrument than modern Greek ones are. The bouzouki is now an important part of the Irish trad scene. External links Arabic Musical Instruments Arabic Musical Instruments ï¿½ Plucked string instrument Related instruments ï¿½ Cittern ï¿½ Tar (lute) The bouzouki (gr.

το μπουζούκι; pl. τα μπουζούκια) (plural sometimes transliterated as bouzoukia) is the mainstay of modern Greek music. It is a stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body and a very long neck. The bouzouki is a member of the 'long neck lute' family and is similar to a mandolin. The front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound. Many musicians such as Manolis Chiotis and Giorgos Zampetas began using specially designed pickups to achieve a slightly thicker humbucker-like sound in the mid-1960s. These pickups are widely used by several Greek artists today and came in active and (usually) passive versions. Bouzouki pickup manufacturers include EMG, Lace Actodyne and Seymour Duncan. There are two main types of bouzouki: ï¿½ Three-course, having three pairs of strings (courses). ï¿½ Four-course, having four pairs of strings.

Contents ï¿½ 2 The three-course bouzouki (trichordo) ï¿½ 3 The four-course bouzouki (tetrachordo) ï¿½ 4 Notable players of the Greek bouzouki ï¿½ 7 References ï¿½ 8 Further reading History In Greece, this instrument was known as the pandura or pandourion, also called the "trichordo" because it had three strings; it was the first fretted instrument known, forerunner of the various families of lutes worldwide. The source of our knowledge about this instrument is the Mantineia marble (4th century BC, now exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens), depicting the mythical contest between Apollo and Marsyas, where a pandouris is being played by a muse seated on a rock. From Byzantine times it was called the tambouras. The modern Turkish Tanbur is practically identical to the ancient Greek pandouris. On display in the National Historical Museum of Greece is the tambouras of a hero of the Greek revolution of 1821, General Makriyiannis.

This tambouras bears the main morphological characteristics of the bouzouki used by the Rebetes. The Turkish Saz belongs to the same family of instruments as the bouzouki. A middle-sized kind of saz is called a "bozouk saz". Bozouk in Turkish means "broken, not functioning, modified". Here it is used in order to specify the size of the instrument. It is concluded, therefore, that the bouzouki has been named after the jargon of the Turkish saz. An alternative popular etymology maintains that the word "Bozouk" was used because different tunings (the Turkish 'dï¿½zen') are required for the instrument to play in different musical scales (known as Dromoi in Greek, Maqam (pl. Maqamat) in Arabic). A tuning known as the "bozouk dï¿½zeni" (broken tuning) still exists in Greek folk music. The early bouzoukia were mostly Three-string (Trichordo), with three courses (six strings in three pairs) and were tuned in different ways, as to the scale one wanted to play.

After the late '50s, four-course (Tetrachordo) bouzoukia started to appear. The four-course Bouzouki was made popular by Manolis Chiotis. Chiotis also used a tuning akin to standard guitar tuning, which made it easier for guitarists to play bouzouki, even as it angered purists. The Irish bouzouki, with four courses, a flatter back, and differently tuned from the Greek bouzouki, is a more recent development, dating back to the 1960s. The three-course bouzouki (trichordo) This is the classical type of bouzouki. It has fixed frets and it has 6 strings in three pairs, in modern times tuned Dd-aa-dd. This tuning was called the European tuning by Markos Vamvakaris, who described several other tunings, or douzenia, in his autobiography. This is the type of bouzouki that was used for rebetiko. The illustrated bouzouki is a replica of a trichordo bouzouki used by Markos Vamvakaris. It has tuners for eight strings, but has only six strings.

The luthiers of the time often used sets of four tuners on trichordo instruments, as these were more easily available, since they were used on mandolins. The four-course bouzouki (tetrachordo) This type of bouzouki has 8 metal strings which are arranged in 4 pairs, known as courses, typically tuned Cc Ff aa dd (i.e. one full note below the four high strings of a guitar). It was established in the scene by a major Rebetis, Manolis Chiotis, during the 1960s. In the two higher-pitched (treble) courses, the two strings of the pair are tuned to the same note. In the two lower-pitched (bass) courses, the pair consists of a thick wound string and a thin string tuned an octave apart. These 'octave strings' add to the fullness of the sound and are used in chords and bass drones (continuous low notes that are played throughout the music).

Notable players of the Greek bouzouki ï¿½ Giorgos Zampetas Bouzouki - the famous Greek bouzouki Greek bouzouki The famous Greek bouzouki The bouzouki is by far the most recognizable and distinctive Greek music instrument. Bouzouki is written as mpouzouki (μπουζούκι) in Greek, but the true sound of the word is closer to bouzouki than mpouzouki. Bouzouki is a stringed instrument, which belongs to the family of the long-necked lutes. Instruments of a similar shape can be found in Pre-Hellenic civilizations (Egypt, Assyria, China, India). In ancient Greece, an instrument similar to bouzouki was known under the name "pandouris", and from Byzantium onwards, it became known as the "tambouras". On display in the National Archaeological Museum of Greece is the tambouras of General Makriyiannis, hero of the 1821 Greek revolution.

This tambouras bears the main morphological characteristics of the bouzouki used by the rebetes playing rebetika songs . Greek Bouzouki The bouzouki has a pear-shaped sound-box and a fretboard of about 60-70cm in length, populated with metallic frets. It has three double metallic strings (each pair tuned in unison). Its basic tuning is D-A-Doct. There are variations such as the G-A-D or A-E-Aoct., which is not currently used. At some point in the 1960s, a fourth string was adopted into the bouzouki's configuration. Regarding the intervals, the new D-A-F-C tuning became identical to the first four strings of the traditional guitar. The bouzouki is played with a plectrum (pena or pick), which, in older times, would have been made from a bird's feather, a horn or the bark of a cherry tree. Greek bouzouki is different from the Irish bouzouki that looks like a mandolin.

Bouzouki History The history of bouzouki is actually intertwined with the rebetika songs, which is among the most distinctive Greek music sounds. The culture of rebetika songs started blooming in the hashish venues and prisons of the port towns in Asia Minor and the Aegean Sea islands at the early years of the 20th century, and reached its peak later during and between the main World Wars. In the first years the assembly would include the singer, two players of bouzouki that played simple chords at first, and of course the baglama, which is a small version of the bouzouki. Its sound and rhythm is little different than bouzouki, being more of a staccato rhythm. At first, though, it was always accompanying the bouzouki. These rebetika songs had lyrics about hookers and pimps, drugs, love, money, death and everything that could be associated with everyday life. The chords of the songs were based on a wide range of rhythms and ancient modes, and stood out due to the improvisation of their introductions known as taxims.

The bouzouki was reintroduced and brought to Greece by immigrants from Asia Minor and Turkey in the early 1900’s. In the early part of the 20th century the “Rebetes” played the Bouzouki and the baglamas, later they added the guitar for chords. The baglamas is a smaller version of the bouzouki. The baglamas is tuned (re,la,re) exactly like the (trichordo) bouzouki. The baglamas was an easy instrument to carry because of its small size. Today the baglamas is used to add color and to give a precise, distinct, vibrato sound to the composition. Influential bouzouki players Some of the most known early bouzouki players also called rebetes, were Ioannis Papaioannou and Márkos Vamvakáris. The somewhat harsh reputation of rebetika songs finally softened a few years later, allowing bouzouki to enter the mainstream Greek music. Greece had the chance to introduce its most important player, who was both a master player and a prolific composer of music, the famous Vasilis Tsitsanis.

It was Tsitsanis the one who enhanced the known rhythms with a more elaborate and modern chord progression adding a a western sound and music sensibility, writing lyrics that touched the hearts of his audience more, having a greater appeal to the Greeks compared to the heavy and roughneck lyrics and tales created by former composers and lyric writers. Tsitsanis made bouzouki more recognizable and more acceptable to the Greek society. Speaking on modern words we could say that he was the first star of the bouzouki in Greece. Later on, when he died in 1983, more than 200 thousand people went to his funerals, most of them holding baglamas and bouzoukis in the streets of the city. There were, though, many bouzouki virtuosos who took over Tsitsanis' legacy. One of them was Manolis Hiotis, who made a rather impressive addition to bouzouki: he added a 4th course of strings to the instrument, making a huge change to its sound and tuning to CFAD.

This was a more modern arrangement that allowed bouzouki to produce a different, more appealing sound, giving the composers the chance to compose in a more flexible and diverse way as well. The bouzouki has been persecuted by the authorities in the past century and part of this century as they had associated it to the criminal society of Greece, (unfairly and wrongly). It is purely a "sole" instrument and even though various qualified teachers have written many books, it may never be learned by just anyone. By this statement we mean that even though everyone may have the ability with proper training, to make music with a bouzouki, few of us posses the ability to be able to perform with it and to relay through the instrument our most inner feelings, thoughts, and emotions, which change from moment to moment. In a nutshell it is the "mirror" of our soul. A good bouzouki player must be able to produce clean notes at a higher speed than other stringed instruments. It takes years of studying and countless hours of constant practicing on a daily basis.

Once a player commits to playing the instrument he may not be able to slack off and ignore daily practice time, as this will result in a decline in his dexterity and agility. From the bouzouki with 3-strings to 4-strings The 3-chords (trichordo) bouzouki, has three pairs of strings, each pair tuned the same. It is tuned to “re”, “la”, “re”, (d,a,d,) The (re) string is the basis for the melody, while the A and second D strings are used for playing chords. The first bottom (D) string is known as "Kantini". The sound of the top (D) string is known as "Bourgana". In the olden days, the bouzouki was tuned to accompany the different modes (styles of songs) being played. This type of tuning is called "Ntouzeni" (Du-zeni), and is essential to preparation to playing. The bouzouki is played with a pick, but in the past it was played with a feather or a piece of wood carved from a cherry tree. This helps to create the distinctive sound of bouzouki music.

In the 1950’s the bouzouki with four pairs of strings was introduced. The three strings limited the musician to playing the rebetika songs only. The four strings gave a new dimension to the capabilities of the instrument. The new bouzouki that was developed in the fifties is named "tetrachordo" and has four pairs of strings that are tuned (c,f,a,d). The chords played on the bouzouki are the same as a guitar. A distinct characteristic of the bouzouki is the taxim. Bouzouki and Bouzoukia in Greece This music instrument has been combined with the history of the Balkan Peninsula, and particularly Greece, for many years and is part of its traditional music. The music and the clubs that play it, are referred to as bouzoukia (deriving from the plural of the word bouzouki – in Greek bouzoukia, μπουζούκια), after the primary instrument involved. For sure, one would wonder how come the Greeks ended up calling the clubs that play a particular type of music with an instrument's name. Accidental fact?

Bouzoukia are the main entertainment for Greeks because they represent a need impressed in the lyrics of a famous laiko song: “mia zoi tin ehoume ki an den tin glentisoume...” meaning “We have only one life, so we have to celebrate it…” This is how & why bouzoukia are born. From the need of Athenians to let themselves go, nibble, drink and dance while listening to their favorite music live from their favorite artists. This is how the most famous and distinctive Greek music instrument actually gave its name to the most common and popular way of going out at night to have fun with friends. However, since Greeks tend to combine music with all aspects of their life, you can hear people going to bouzoukia to forget - even temporarily- the loss of a big love, a divorce, anything related to love and personal feelings.

Question: A tetrachordo bouzouki has how many pairs of strings?
Answer: Four