Aaron Jones bouzouki workshop 2006

[Rinty145]

Question. Is your instrument a bouzuki, a cittern, or a blarge?

[klickstarter]

@Rinty145 Aaron plays a 10 String bouzouki, often called a cittern. A blarge is a large bouzouki (blarge = bloody large) ;-)

[Rinty145]

@klickstarter Thank you so much for that information, it's more clear to me now as to what is what.

I have another question. Some bouzukis have a greater bass resenance than others. Is the choice of wood used in the construction of the instrument, or thicker gauge strings, or perhaps a little of both?

[lowellirish]

This guys' a wanker Aaron.... (trelyteo) I set his ass straight! When are you guys coming to Olympia again? We need to talk about setting you guys up at the Paramount with Andrew T. Miller (Managing him now). Contact me! Jamie (Jug of Punch) -

[chriscboland]

These 'workshop' would work a lot better if there was a fiddle or a flute player present to illustrate what the melody is supposed to sound like.

[fqat]

He looks cozy

[RovinBoozers]

I met him and jammed with the Old Blind Dogs and Molly's Revenge last weekend. He is a class act; a really great guy!

[balkanarama]

and he knows it!!! taking money of that poor fella!

[balkanarama]

what a chancer

[UniversalExpert]

Good stuff!

[jamaicanlager]

HOLY SHIT IT'S DILBERT

[ErugelaisaGimp]

Gimp

[ErugelaisaGimp]

This tune is the Punch in the Dark. the version as played by Sean on Lunasas album Kinnitty sessions,

yes they've just pinched it from the tune we all know and play in sessions...that doesn't mean it is that tune...... they evolve... something you should try and do...you ape...

Buy that CD and for the record Erugela...you are a gimp!

[windins]

thanks I found it!!!

[chuck52dog]

I'd love to learn bouzoki, this guys ace,

oh and we used to play this tune over in pubs in sydney ,....

CD

[FiddleyJohn]

No this is one tune, played in sesions my way quite a lot! DOes sound like Sean Smyth tune though! THat's a great album.

[BouzoukiKing]

no he's not, i don't the name but that's 1 tune... stop trying to be clever... and it's only lilted, and it's on basic because it's a workshop.... you **** wits

[windins]

what's this song's name?

I heard anywhere..

[cyprussunizhot]

mmm kl

[cyprussunizhot]

is that a scot bouzouiki coz my greek bouzoukia sound differant. how do they sound diferant

[upkilt]

It's actually a cittern. A bouzouki has 8 strings. This has 10. Check out Irish bouzouki on YouTube to see that instrument in action. The Irish zouk is an adaptation of the original greek instrument.

[namniekib]

How do you tune your cittern?

[electroglide]

I tune mine GDGCG but then I'm a dadgad guitarist and the chords translate really easily. As to UKHABU 's comment When i met Aaron last year he told me it was a bouzouki he played .

[electroglide]

As far as I'm concerned it's a ten string Bouzouki. The Cittern also 10 string ( i play a Fylde ) has a shorter scale and is tuned in G's rather than Ds . Martin

[UKHABU]

Electroglide - it is a Cittern - 10 strings - shorter scale than the standard Fylde Bouzouki.

I know Aaron and have played this instrument.

I have a Fylde and an Steve Owsley Smith Cittern.

How you tune it is totally irrellevant to it's name - you can tune Citterns/Bouzoukis DOZENS of ways mine happen to be GDADE, Some tune then ADADA GDADB CGCGC etc etc some really weird open tunings if you want to capo at 3, 5 or 7th fret and THEN get a more Irish/Modal tuning.

[BouzoukiKing]

Bouzouki-Smchmooki, Cittern-schmittern,

These are great modern instruments... i've decided to call them all bouzoukis because making up a whole new name for a variation on a variation of a tradtional instrument is too confusing!

The fact that you've played it makes no difference, we can see what it looks like here....and Aaron gives bouzouki workshops on this instrument anyway.....soo....

[Robertgregormcgregor]

@BouzoukiKing LOL Good idea. Just for a laugh when I'm playing sessions I say "oh -this is a long-scale flat-back mandolin bouzouki with octave stringing". I got a great new one made by Caz Davy in Cornwall. Ace!

[CokeMentoProductions]

us there a bass in front of you

[dammerl76]

Please dont get me wrong! I like the video as well. Aaron and Klickstarter are both friends of mine and I like this stuff too. I just want to let the people know that they have to see Aaron playing on stage because if you only see this clip for the 1st time it´s a sure thing thay will ask what´s going on there.

@Kevinbarrycarberry: I dont leave my comment for professionals like you sounding to be. But please remember everyone had started everywhere with all that zouk and mando stuff...

[kevinbarrycarberry]

lads wot are ye all freakin out about,as klickstarter said it's a cittern which it is.then people saying he's singing gibberish,it's called lilting a tune for gods sake!!cheers klickstarter for the vid mate,good on ya!!never mind these gombeens,i dont see any of them making vids on bouzoukis,if they had as much knowledge on bouzoukis and citterns as they let on they have they would have their own vids.all they do is put good people lik you down for making vids!!keep at it lad!!

[dammerl76]

I was on two of his workshops and enjoyed a few concert of him. For people who didnt know Aarons music this video is not the best publicity for Aaron. Thats the reason why I didnt suggest to put everything on youtube without any selection of quality and content.

In my ears Aaron Jones is one of the best cittern players in the world. So if you dont know his music dont trust what you see here on this clip. See the other clips where Aaron plays together with Claire Mann. You´ll like it! Tom

[lee1527]

ante valte kanena kanoniko mpouzouki na niosete.....eleos....

[klickstarter]

It's an irish 10 string bouzouki, officially called a cittern. What's your problem?

[artemortis]

@trelyteo wow...go to google images and search "guitar" and "mandolin" ,see how they look like and stop posting stupid comments, ok? And its a cittren, celtic bouzoukies have 8 strings

[gmlch]

thanks !

[bluewithe]

baaa baribaaabaiiii baribaaa baaaai bariba hehe lol thats good its realy good

[vectorsync]

This guys playing is quite good but his lyrics are really bad. very repetitive and mumbling, verging on gibberish. I have heard how Irish people speak their language and it doesn't sound like that!

[edelahaye]

These are not 'lyrics' at all. What Aaron "sings" is called "lilting". It's a very traditional way of playing the tunes when you have no instruments (people can dance only with one good lilter).

It happens that I have a regular workshop of Irish music in Paris, and one day, I for different reasons, I came 'naked' to teach the workshop. I have used lilting and my students have learned a new tune with the complete set of phrasing and ornamentations. The voice can be very useful for that matter.

[UKHABU]

One thing you learn playing Cittern/Bouzouki is that there is no such thing as a standard tuning!

Your tuning isn't correct as Aaron is playing a 10 string Cittern made by Stefan Sobell (it has an extra thick soundboard to cope with the rigours of touring. I tune my Cittern GDADe but you can tune them virtually anyway and still be "correct"

[generalstoaschicken]

That's great! But she was specifically asking about a bouzouki, not what Aaron's cittern tuning is. And I never mentioned a "correct" tuning, did I?

[Graeck]

Not to impressed with his style. Part of what he's playing just sounds like funk-rock guitar technique. Not too "traditional" sounding...but maybe that's what he's going for. I'm sure he's quite good, just not my cup of tea.

[Graeck]

That could be considered an Irish Bouzouki if the scale length is long enough. A 8-string Bouzouki, afterall, is pretty much just a long scale octave mandolin and a 10-string is pretty much just a long scale cittern. Of course there's variations in tuning, etc. Looks like he's playing a Sobell Bouzouki, who considers citterns, mandolas, o. mandolins and bouzoukis all variations of the cittern.

[bobmon54]

Guys like you piss me off. Can you play the shit out of any stringed instrument? Doubtful. Nobody cares dude- YOU didn't invent it- just listen and enjoy- careless bugger- if you tuned it right call it me ass and try and play it-

[bobmon54]

Edelhaye- I don't believe I was remarking to you- I'm fed up with knobs that put such a sharp point on the matter- it's useless to try and have fun- Great that you can play- I also play a little, Banjo,mandolin organ,piano,synth, guitar, uke, tin whistle- and try to enjoy those that enjoy themselves- not just poofting on others! Good day!

[Legertymusic]

Aaron generally uses (from low to high strings) DADAD or DGDAD.

[4lime8]

Alright, thanks a lot that is a great help!! :D:D Thank you :)! And yeah like a guitar ssounds like a fab idea :) xx

[sbolovinos]

search for "tatasopoulos" so can hear how bouzouki is played...

[generalstoaschicken]

WHOA! No sense in getting testy there, sbolovinos. As we all know, this instrument *came from* your Greek instrument, but has since evolved into an entirely seperate instrument, played in a different style and a different culture.

[edelahaye]

the Greek bouzouki is the original instrument that have inspired musicians and luthiers in the 70's to design a knew instrument called the Irish bouzouki (based on the greek tetrachordo, but tuned GDAD or GDAE with courses in unison). It was not design to play Greek music, more more likely Irish and Scottish music (backup, harmonies, melodies ...)

Please stop to mix up with these instruments.

[petershelper]

Looks more like a Cittern that is being played. Given the ten strings. Still magic though.

[UKHABU]

Aaron is actually playing a modern 10 string Cittern made by Stefan Sobell.

The term Irish bouzouki and (Modern) Cittern are almost interchaageable - us players tend to class them as an Irish Bouzouki if it's a longish scale length and 8 strings and a Cittern if it's a shorter scale length and 10 strings (I have and play both types and there ARE subtle differences).

[yeoldetoade]

JONES YOU ARE THE BEST.

[4lime8]

Hello there, i have a bouzouki myself but have no idea how to play it! I know that it can be tuned in a multitude of ways, at the moment mine is tuned to the same as my mandolins and i can play it that way... If you have any advice or help it would be Much appreciated! xx thanks Rebecca

[generalstoaschicken]

Rebecca, most Irish bouzouki players tune it GDAD (low to high), but some tune it as a mandolin, only an octave lower; GDAE (low to high). As you say, there really is a multitude of tunings; ADAD, DGBE (like the top 4 strings of a guitar), CFAD (like a guitar, tuned down a whole step) and many more. But *most* players use the first one I mentioned.

[4lime8]

Alright thanks a lot, its been a great help =] and i appreciate it. xx Thank you

[gvourtsis]

Irish bouzouki. Well done! My friend McMilnor, better teachers can only be found where bouzouki has its origins, and this is Greece. If you are interested search the web for Tsitsanis videos. Best Regards to the lovely Irish friends!

[UKHABU]

Well actually the Greeks were introduced to the Bouzouki by the Middle Eastern traders. It's origins came from the Saz and that whole family of instruments.

So the "Irish" Bouzouki is just yet another continueing development of this instrument.

[capslock286]

That is actually an Irish Bouzouki :-) Sounds pretty different! Find info on Wikipedia. He's actually using it like a sitar, sounding more like a blend of acoustic guitar and Indian sitar :-)

[Ville1977]

No bouzouki there, it's got 10 strings while the Irish bouzouki has 8. This would be a cittern.

[mcmilnor64]

Aaron is such a wizzard when it comes to his bouzouki. You cannot have a better teacher for this instrument.