Irish Music & Instruments : How Is the Bouzouki Played?

[MrProgrock]

Isn't this an octave mandolin?

[Dhmhtrhs10]

And Where is the Bouzouki?? you see any bouzouki on this video?? oh my god!!

[MITSAKIAS]

pou to vlepeis to bouzouki re baglama?

[m1cha3l42]

Keep up the good work folks

[djmaur]

If the lower courses were strung in octaves Irish bouzouki would be more accurate. In the configuration it is in, it is more accurately called a long scale octave mandolin. The bouzouki was originally a three course instrument (DAd), the four course instrument was developed around WWII and originally tuned GDAd, then given a more guitar like tuning.  When the instrument was adopted into Irish music, they came to an octave mandolin the long way 'round. check out the Saz and Baglama also.

[Seosamh1992]

It's an IRISH BOUZOUKI. It's a slightly different instrument than the original greek bouzouki - the design and tuning were altered by Irish musicians (well, musician. Lunny.) So yeah. Not a bouzouki, but an Irish bouzouki, aka an octave mandolin.

[Mrdeandean100]

tht thing is just a 8 string guiter......

[lconole]

@Mrdeandean100 - as the elephant is a giraffe with a shorter neck, and a trunk?

[Mrdeandean100]

@lconole mhmm

[jeffmysterio100]

Bouzouki is from Greek noch from Irland !!

[gkalogero]

my friena thanks for your mind but this is not a bouzouki...and the bouzouki don't played like a guitar...

[apoel94]

this is not a buzouki! if you want to see what is bouzouki write manwlis karantinis on youtube !

[IBCHARLA]

ALL YOU CAN HEAR IS THE DRUMMER?? COULD BARELY HEAR THE STRING NOTES ON THIS VIDEO? PERHAPS, IT'S ME, OR MY PC??

[xxguitarhero48xx]

That's a mandacello, not a zouk. It's short scale.

[MrProgrock]

@xxguitarhero48xx Actually, it's not a mandocello either. It's an octave-mandolin/mandola.

[jksiazek76]

Wow. I had no idea when I recorded this for the eHow series that the video would A.) end up on YouTube and B.) create so many comments. To respond to some of these comments, I wrote out some context and other thoughts and posted them on my blog. It's lengthy and doesn't fit in 500 characters! Link is on my profile.

[marimanque]

I guess the whole bouzouki argument is kind of on Wikipedia under Irish Bouzouki. I mean its like potato potaahhto, tomato tomaahhhto .  Yes it is Greek influenced but similar instruments already existed ie the Mandocello.

[Stratomitsos]

if this is the bouzouki, i am Obama!

[marimanque]

@Stratomitsos Its just the colloquial/nick name name for it.

[ChristophVanGoch]

But in principle it's all the same I would say.

[marimanque]

I am not Greek but no this is not truly a bouzouki. Its a mandocello. But Irish Bouzouki is the colloquial nick name. So all you greeks can calm down.

[15niall]

@marimanque so a mandocello is different to a bozouki, but just commonly known as an irish bozouki? i'm thinking of getting one, but now im slightly confuse lol

[marimanque]

@15niall Yes this is from my understanding. I am not really sure about the claims that the Irish version (mandocello) is originally greek and adopted or whether a similar instrument already existed in Irish folk and that it was modified to sound more like a bouzouki or vice versa. I can tell you for sure that the names are sometimes used interchangeably.

[15niall]

@marimanque ok thanks. what would you reccomend?

[jksiazek76]

@marimanque The original instruments brought back to Ireland by Moynihan, Lunny, and the like were Greek bouzoukis. Not ruling out that they didn't have other toys they were playing with (certainly Andy Irvine did!). Peter Abnett sums up his part in the collaboration pretty well on his website.

[marimanque]

@jksiazek76 But I am sure they must have been thinking "WOW this bouzouki sounds like a bit like a mandocello or something like that. Lets take it back to Ireland and make some changes and we'lll call it an Irish Bouzouki"

[jksiazek76]

@marimanque It's hard to suppose what other instruments these players may have been exposed to, but I know of no recordings of musicians playing mandocello in Irish music prior to use of the bouzouki. Also, Abnett's dish-backed instruments are closer to the Greek construction than say a mandocello or mandolin. I'd suspect that Lunny's intention wasn't to create a "new" instrument type, but to get a custom instrument to suit his playing style.

[prwtoTrapezi]

jesus! this is NOT a bouzouki!

[rojash]

This is all talk, no play. Perhaps it should be retitled "How Is the Bouzouki talked about?".

[demertzisapostolos]

Sorry my friend but this is not buzuki...! Search in youtube "karadinis" or "manolis hiotis"... Thank you. :-)

[ShiftingStampy]

Shutup and play

[theofilosch]

My friend this is not a bouzouki, first of all bouzouki is the follower of the ancient greek Lauto, Outi.... irish music, cultur got no relation to this . I lived in Irland 2 years never sow this! But seach for Ross Daly if you want to listen to traditional Greek, Asian & Irish music compine!

[monkeyfistboy]

The Bouzouki is Greek proud...

It hurts to see this...!

[npoulis]

@monkeyfistboy Why is that? Music is not owned by nations. People own the music and are owned by it.

[pikasaur90]

THIS IRISH BOUZOUKI IS GAY!!!!!

I PLAY GREEK BOUZOUKI COZ IM GREEK!!

AND GREEK BOUZOUKI IS AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[martcarey]

@pikasaur90 instruments do not have sexual preferences.Just be glad that the Irish tradition adopted this fine instrument...flatbacks rule !

[Frakfayt]

Great, but please: play the bloody thing!

[Medium0Rare]

... i don't understand why you would tune down your top string.... I'm all for alternate tunings on guitar, but when you've only got 4 strings (8 yeah i know) you need all the variety you can get.

[LacrymosaPrincess]

Interesting... The Irish bouzouki sounds differently than the Greek one though. And the Greek one is more decorated. It's very nice Greek musical culture lent something to another culture. Irish music is beautiful

[Legertymusic]

@2310bobos, Dude, he is not saying the Greek bouzouki was invented in the 50s, he was explaining when the Irish style bouzouki was adapted from the Greek instrument. Did none of you posters even read the video description?

[1991widowmaker]

irish bouzouki???????bouzouki is greek

[Legertymusic]

@1991widowmaker,

Except for the Irish bouzouki, which is Irish. Hence, the name. Read the video description!

[62cyp]

if only it was that easy.... if you want to see a real player see: Alec Finn Mary Bergin 2.

Note , Alec is playing an Greek six string bouzouki.... and is one of the first players to push this instrument in Irish music.

[mcutler71]

It strikes me that a large mandolin-like instrument tuned an octave below a mandolin is an octave mandolin rather than bouzouki.

[edelahaye]

@mcutler71 Yes, it can be tuned in GDAE, hence it's also called an octave mandolin (it's the way I use it). But most people in Ireland use the GDAD tuning that is very close to the original traditional Greek bouzouki (trichordo) tuned in DAD (like the one used by Alec Finnà)

[Uuuurk]

@edelahaye Octave mandolin and irish bouzouki is not the same instrument.

[edelahaye]

@Uuuurk And what might be the difference ? The length of the strings ? Big deal !

[Uuuurk]

@edelahaye If u play the irish bouzouki tuned gdae u call it a irish bouzouki. I play a irish bouzouki whit that tuning, and its a popular tuning for the zouk.

octave mandolin do not have the same sound as a the irish zouk, even though they are closely related. just search youtube if u whant to hear how a octave mandolin sounds like.

[edelahaye]

@Uuuurk Every instrument have a different sound. What makes the big diference is the length of the string. The shorter the string is, the closer is the sound to a mandola.

[Uuuurk]

@edelahaye as i understand u call a octave mandola for octave mandolin as well as u call a zouk/octave mandola hybrid octave mandolin. none of them are really a zouk.

[edelahaye]

@Uuuurk I call my instrument an Irish bouzouki for two good reasons

- It is written like that on the label sicked inside by the maker Peter Abnett from whom I have got the instrument in 1993 (my third one ...)

- The length of the string (bridge to nut) is 63 cm and it really sounds like a bouzouki. (not a mandola).

That said, some people (not me) call it an octave mandolin, and there is nothing I can do against it. Got it?

[Uuuurk]

@edelahaye Since ppl most of the time call octave mandolas(not tenor mandola=mandola) for octave mandolin I thought it was worth pointing out so no who just goten into zoukes would go out and buy a octave mandola instead of zouk. Got that?

[wcd47]

Stop talking and play something....Sorry