The bouzouki is a long-necked lute with a rounded body, a fretted fingerboard and double metal strings played with a plectrum. Its bright, slightly metallic sound is unmistakable and, thanks to the film Zorba the Greek, became the sound of Greece for the whole world.
Origins
The bouzouki belongs to the family of long-necked lutes found from Central Asia to the Balkans, such as the Turkish saz and the Greek tambouras, descendant of the Byzantine pandoura. The name is probably Turkish. In the early 20th century it was an instrument of poor districts, linked to the underworld and hashish dens: so "respectable" people viewed it with suspicion.
Types of bouzouki
| Type | Strings | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Trichordo | 3 double courses (6 strings) | The traditional rebetiko bouzouki, usually tuned D-A-D |
| Tetrachordo | 4 double courses (8 strings) | Introduced in the 1950s by Manolis Chiotis, tuned C-F-A-D like the top four guitar strings; allows chords and virtuosity |
| Baglamas | 3 double courses | A small, high-pitched bouzouki, easy to hide; the prisoners' instrument |
How it is played
It rests on the thigh like a guitar and is played with a plectrum, once made from a quill or horn, now plastic. The player performs fast, ornamented melodies, often with tremolo, and opens songs with a taximi, a free improvisation that sets the mood.
Great players
- Markos Vamvakaris (1905-1972), who made the bouzouki the star of Piraeus rebetiko.
- Vassilis Tsitsanis (1915-1984), composer and virtuoso.
- Manolis Chiotis (1920-1970), who added the fourth course and took the bouzouki towards jazz and Latin music.
- Giorgos Zambetas (1925-1992), a player of dazzling technique and great charisma.
- Thanassis Polykandriotis and Christos Nikolopoulos, among later virtuosos.
The bouzoukia
From the 1960s the amplified bouzouki became the instrument of laiko and of the big music halls called bouzoukia, where people go to hear star singers, drink whisky, dance on tables and smash plates, now replaced by flower petals. The bouzouki is also used in Irish music, in an adapted flat-backed version.
Buying one
In Athens many luthiers' workshops are in the streets around Monastiraki Square and Ermou Street. A good handmade instrument costs several hundred euros; cheaper student models also exist.
See also Greek music and the sirtaki.