Bouzouki

bouzouki is a musical instrument of the family of , cousin of (image of right-hand side) or . It has a length narrow handle provided with hoops, and a case whose bottom is curvature. The bouzouki traditional account 3 double granted cords D, D. IT is played with one .

According to Greek sources', the genesis of the bouzouki with 4 cords differs.

The first version reports that he was invented about 1900 by certain Stathopoulos, which was the founder of the Epiphone firm.

The other version advances that after the 2e world war, a player of banjo of the name of Stefanakis had the idea to add an even 4e cords.

All the sources agree however to affirm that the first user of the bouzouki with 4 cords names himself Manolis Chiotis.

At all events, the agreement is as follows: C, F, D - i.e. a tone below the 4 acute cords of the guitar. Generally, the 2 double most serious cords are "cords with the octave", i.e. one of the 2 cords sounds with the higher octave.

Without entering a gréco-Greek polemic, let us announce that there exists, in Greece of course, one "movement for the detetracordisation" (in other words, for the suppression of the 4e cord) of the bouzouki...

The Irish bouzouki

The Greek bouzouki was introduced at the beginning of the years in Ireland following an error! Alec Finn asked a friend who was going to Greece to bring back a lute to him, but the friend brought back a bouzouki to him. Finn was satisfied some during some time, but required of the violin maker Peter Abnett to manufacture an evolution of the Greek bouzouki to him comprising the following characteristics: form tear and melts flat, 4 ch?urs, cords and agreement different. Thus was born the Irish bouzouki (image of left). Three other musicians used the bouzouki as of the years 1970: the famous ones Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny, like Johnny Moynihan. Since then, almost each group of Irish traditional music comprises a player of bouzouki. The most current agreements are, from serious towards the acute one: ground-D-the-D and the-D-the-D. One also finds - between other ground-D-the-semi, i.e. the agreement of the mandoline (an octave below).

Still let us mention that for a few years, various hybrid instruments have been born, as the bouzouki with the body of guitar which Andy Irvine uses. One of the principal Irish violin makers (bouzoukis, mandolines, mandoles, cistres...) names Joe Foley.

External French bond on the bouzouki: HTTP://banwarth.free.Fr

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