Bouzouki Background

Bouzoukis

The Bouzouki is a long-necked Lute developed in Greece from its Turkish roots. It comes from a different branch of the lute family than the mandolas do. It was originally a 6 string instrument (DAD) but more modern Greek makers started making an 8 string bouzouki tuned CFAD, one tone below the top four of a guitar. The original Greek style bouzoukis are still very popular, both for Greek music, and accompanying traditional folk music.

The bouzouki was picked up by irish musicians travelling abroad and adapted for their use by retuning to GDAE. Modern makers then started producing them with flat backs which made them almost identical to the octave mandola. The crucial difference is the scale length, which is longer. This can affect fingering, but also affects sound because the strings are thinner. Generally the mandolas are better at tunes, bouzoukis for accompanying, but this is not a strict rule.

There is a fashion in bouzouki playing now to use slightly different tunings rather like guitar players do (see "The Irish Bouzouki"). In recent years it has been adapted for use in traditional Irish music, with a flat back construction replacing the original round back design. The 'Irish' Bouzouki has a brighter more open sound, and is easier to hold. The scale length is now generally a little shorter than Greek bouzoukis, and the distinction between Bouzouki and Octave Mandola (also known in America as Octave Mandolin) has become blurred, as the neck length is the only difference. We describe instruments with a scale longer than around 580mm as Bouzoukis. Tuning is either GDAE, or GDAD.

Note: Roundback Greek bouzoukis have a longer scale length around 670mm, and are usually tuned to CFAD. Many flat back "Irish style" bouzoukis have a shorter neck, from around 610mm upwards, though they do also come with the full 670mm neck. String gauges need to be chosen to suit the neck length and tuning.

Mandolas

Mandocello and Mandobass

Citterns

The Cittern used by today's folk-bands has its ancestors in the renaissance Citterns and the English Guitar, but it is now more closely related to the flat-back Bouzouki - the main difference being that the Cittern has 10 strings in 5 courses, a slightly shorter neck and often a rather larger body. There doesn't seem to be a standard tuning, ADADA, ADGAD, or DGDAD, are in common use.

The English Guitar or Guittar

They were more commonly used in Ireland and Scotland than in England and the leading exponents of the instrument were Scottish (James Oswald, who became court musician partly on the strength of this but was also an excellent fiddle player, and Robert Bremner). Oswald moved to London, bringing with him a craze for playing the guittar. His later published music moved away from Scottish songs, and adopted Italian style.

The English guitar and the Scottish guittar are one and the same instrument. The term 'English guitar' was invented in this century to describe it, in the 18th century the spelling 'guittar' spelling always used for this instrument - they didn't call it English, or Scottish, or Irish or anything else, just a 'guittar'. The tuning from Bremner's tutor, the leading tutor book of the era, gives A=440, tune A C# E a c# e.

Bouzouki Makers

HQ3551, HQ3351, HQ3151

Paul Hathway makes plain but strong sounding flat top instruments, and we usually have several examples of his work on display.

GR3531, GR3331, GR3131

Fylde Guitars make an excellent range of Mandolin, Octave Mandola, Bouzouki & Cittern, in the style of their well known acoustic guitars. All models have a dark cedar top, and the distinctive pear shape mahogany body. Andy Irvine often plays a Fylde Bouzouki.

GR3322, GR3321, GR3521

Musikalia and Gremlin instruments are made in Italy to our own design for an affordable instrument with a big sound. All solid wood construction with spruce top, purfled edges, mahogany neck and body.

DQ3555, DQ3155, DQ3154, DQ3153

Phil Davidson makes superb carved top Mandolins. Last year we added a flattop mandolin to the range, it's the best one we offer.