http://home.hccnet.nl/h.speek/bouzouki/
This is a good site also, helped me alot.
And by the way Kieron, that's a brilliant site, i am a big Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny fan as well; Planxty is what got me into trad music.
Im not very familiar with the mechanics of a bouzouki and the initial post has got me wondering (as i was thinking of trying to play the bouzouki).
I play banjo and have easily switched tunes onto mandolin, but how different is it to transfer onto bouzouki. Are the note scale patterns completely different from the banjo? And is it dadg or can gdae be used as normal
copo24 - "And is it dadg or can gdae be used as normal"
I guess what you are asking is, does the bouzouki have to be tuned (low to high) GDAD or can you use fiddle/mandolin/banjo GDAE tuning. The answer is very simple. A bouzouki has eight strings. All of them can be tuned any way you wish. However if you wanted to know whether anyone uses GDAE on bouzouki, then the answer is yes, there are players who use GDAE on bouzouki, although usually (I'm certainly not trying to say that this is set in stone) GDAE would be a melody bouzouki player, whereas GDAD or ADAD would be an accompaniment player.
nice link kjay...
Chris, I had that problem too, but it lets you get familiar with the instrument. I dont really play that many tunes on the bouzouki, but you realise certain tricks by originally tuning this way.
Put our finger on the 7 fret on the g sting....leave the d open, and put a finger on the 5 fret on the a string - thats a d chord - but it doesnt ring through that powerful on the mando does it!!??
Good luck.
also check out Kierons site - lots of great stuff
If you're concerned about strain due to stretching you should either switch to a shorter scale instrument or tune your strings down and play with a capo. The octave mandolin is essentially a short scale bozouki usually a 21 inch scale compared to 25 inch for a bozouki. If you want to continue using the instrument you've got you tune all your strings down a whole tone { D comes down to C etc.] and then play with a capo on the 2nd fret. This also allows you to play with someone playing a flat set of pipes or a C flute without retuning. You just take off your capo.
Hey, stefanpaz, strum that all the way across and you've got a D9th - are you trying to go all celtic mystical on us, or did you mean to say fret A and E strings at the fifth ?
This address is for the Celtic Music discussion section at the Mandolin Cafe.
There is a lot more there, so look around and have some fun.
I've enjoyed learning open and modal chords on the zouk and OM and leaving the big, 4-finger closed chords of mandolin to the mandolin. One can do a lot of different things on a long mandolin than on the short ones! <GG>
To avoid excessive stretches when playing melody on the bouzouki, I finger it like a guitar and use several positions that I work among, depending on the tune. I have read that some players use mandolin fingering (two frets per finger), and I imagine that would be very difficult to do on such a long scale length. I have my zouk tuned GDAD so that I can alternate between the chord forms I like and melody work. If you spend a little time working out a fingering strategy, you can move around very quickly on a zouk. A capo at the second fret can really be helpful on some tunes, esp those in Em.
I have a short scale zouk that is fine with tunes, its just a matter of putting your hand in a slightly different position along it's neck,this may feel weird for a while but you will get used to it.
It's tuned GDAE, and this is best for tunes in my view, also, ADAD, GDAD or ADAE are good for accompaniement and even easier if you have a Quickdraw capo, that you can slide along the neck depending what key you are in,my lower 2 strings are tuned in octaves, and this produces a beautiful sound (even though the bridge and nut are made for unison strings) but is hell with a capo, you have to retune it constantly. I recommend Paul Hathway zouks(like mine) and try to get a "second ", if they are broken he repairs them all himself and then halves the price, fantastic!
Irish bouzouki links?
Irish bouzouki links?
Hi. Just picked up an Irish bouzouki last night. Man, trying to transpose my mandolin stuff onto this thing is n0t easy.
Anybody got any good links on the instrument?
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by Deaf Frets
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
Or any good tips?
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by Deaf Frets
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
See groups.yahoo.com/group/cittern: discussions, links, attached reference files, etc.
Also www.zoukfest.com
More material at coyotebanjo.com/music.html
chris smith
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by coyotebanjo
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
Irish bouzouki played by the master, video clips, audio clips, instruments etc
http://www.chinatogalway.com/contents%20page.htm
sprinkle on a bit of eye candy too
http://www.chinatogalway.com/Toys.htm
Ks
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by KS
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
http://home.hccnet.nl/h.speek/bouzouki/
This is a good site also, helped me alot.
And by the way Kieron, that's a brilliant site, i am a big Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny fan as well; Planxty is what got me into trad music.
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by ecidralla
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
Hi Chris.
I got into the bouzouki through the mandolin, and play it as much as the that now.
What way are you tuning it?
I found it helped to tune the same way as the mando first....
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by Hugo Chavez
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
Im not very familiar with the mechanics of a bouzouki and the initial post has got me wondering (as i was thinking of trying to play the bouzouki).
I play banjo and have easily switched tunes onto mandolin, but how different is it to transfer onto bouzouki. Are the note scale patterns completely different from the banjo? And is it dadg or can gdae be used as normal
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by copo24
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
http://www.greenmanhumming.com/html/zoukornaments/
Ornamentation for bouzouki.
copo24 - "And is it dadg or can gdae be used as normal"
I guess what you are asking is, does the bouzouki have to be tuned (low to high) GDAD or can you use fiddle/mandolin/banjo GDAE tuning. The answer is very simple. A bouzouki has eight strings. All of them can be tuned any way you wish. However if you wanted to know whether anyone uses GDAE on bouzouki, then the answer is yes, there are players who use GDAE on bouzouki, although usually (I'm certainly not trying to say that this is set in stone) GDAE would be a melody bouzouki player, whereas GDAD or ADAD would be an accompaniment player.
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by kjay_bc_box
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
stefanpaz it's tuned to "gday" GDAE, like a mando.
I think my problem is that trying to play the same tunes I play on the mandolin involves stretching my fingers to a point that doesn't feel healthy.
I have had rsi before. Dun wanna risk injuring myself again, especially right now when I've got so many musical projects on the boil.
Some tips would be nice. Also, seeing some tab written by a good, experienced Irish bouzouki-ist.
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by Deaf Frets
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
nice link kjay...
Chris, I had that problem too, but it lets you get familiar with the instrument. I dont really play that many tunes on the bouzouki, but you realise certain tricks by originally tuning this way.
Put our finger on the 7 fret on the g sting....leave the d open, and put a finger on the 5 fret on the a string - thats a d chord - but it doesnt ring through that powerful on the mando does it!!??
Good luck.
also check out Kierons site - lots of great stuff
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by Hugo Chavez
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
If you're concerned about strain due to stretching you should either switch to a shorter scale instrument or tune your strings down and play with a capo. The octave mandolin is essentially a short scale bozouki usually a 21 inch scale compared to 25 inch for a bozouki. If you want to continue using the instrument you've got you tune all your strings down a whole tone { D comes down to C etc.] and then play with a capo on the 2nd fret. This also allows you to play with someone playing a flat set of pipes or a C flute without retuning. You just take off your capo.
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by christoronto
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
Hey, stefanpaz, strum that all the way across and you've got a D9th - are you trying to go all celtic mystical on us, or did you mean to say fret A and E strings at the fifth ?
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
MandolinCafe.com
http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=7a0c4f8bd8afa9f89d756d082949c74e;act=SF;f=16
The above goes to the "CBOM" (cittern, bouzouki, octave mandolin) dicussion section.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=7a0c4f8bd8afa9f89d756d082949c74e;act=SF;f=5
This address is for the Celtic Music discussion section at the Mandolin Cafe.
There is a lot more there, so look around and have some fun.
I've enjoyed learning open and modal chords on the zouk and OM and leaving the big, 4-finger closed chords of mandolin to the mandolin. One can do a lot of different things on a long mandolin than on the short ones! <GG>
stv
http://cdbaby.com/Culchies
# Posted on October 14th 2005 by stv culchie
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
To avoid excessive stretches when playing melody on the bouzouki, I finger it like a guitar and use several positions that I work among, depending on the tune. I have read that some players use mandolin fingering (two frets per finger), and I imagine that would be very difficult to do on such a long scale length. I have my zouk tuned GDAD so that I can alternate between the chord forms I like and melody work. If you spend a little time working out a fingering strategy, you can move around very quickly on a zouk. A capo at the second fret can really be helpful on some tunes, esp those in Em.
# Posted on October 15th 2005 by rob zouk
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
LOL Pete - Celtic Mystical - ye thats me all over!
U know what I meant!
# Posted on October 17th 2005 by Hugo Chavez
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
Kieron -- check your spelling: "Flyde" bouzouki?
Cheers,
Michael
# Posted on October 18th 2005 by michaelr
Re: Irish bouzouki links?
I have a short scale zouk that is fine with tunes, its just a matter of putting your hand in a slightly different position along it's neck,this may feel weird for a while but you will get used to it.
It's tuned GDAE, and this is best for tunes in my view, also, ADAD, GDAD or ADAE are good for accompaniement and even easier if you have a Quickdraw capo, that you can slide along the neck depending what key you are in,my lower 2 strings are tuned in octaves, and this produces a beautiful sound (even though the bridge and nut are made for unison strings) but is hell with a capo, you have to retune it constantly. I recommend Paul Hathway zouks(like mine) and try to get a "second ", if they are broken he repairs them all himself and then halves the price, fantastic!
# Posted on July 15th 2009 by GabrielPatrickHP