Irish bouzouki
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The Irish bouzouki (colloquially, zouk) is a derivative of the Greek bouzouki, adopted into and adapted for Irish music from the late 1960s onward.
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[edit] Adoption for Celtic music
The bouzouki, in the newer tetrachordo (four course/eight string, or τετράχορδο) Greek version, was introduced into Irish Traditional Music in the late 1960s, by Johnny Moynihan, of the popular folk group Sweeney’s Men, and popularized by Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny in the group Planxty. In a separate but parallel development Alec Finn, later with the Galway-based traditional group De Dannan, obtained a trichordo (three course/six string, or τρίχορδο) Greek bouzouki on his own. With a few exceptions, Irish bouzouki players tend to use the instrument less for virtuoso melodic work and more for chordal and contrapuntal accompaniment for melodies played on other instruments, such as the flute or fiddle; in response, many or most players changed the octave strings in the two bass courses to unison pairs in order to enhance the bass response of the instrument.
The Irish bouzouki has become fully integrated into the tradition over the past forty years, usually (although not always) playing accompaniment (usually a mix of two note intervals, basslines, and bits of countermelody) rather than the melody, although there are some few players who are known for using it for virtuoso melody work.
Within a few years of the bouzouki's initial introduction a design built specifically for Irish traditional music was developed. The body was widened and in most cases a flat back with straight sides replaced the round, stave-built back of the Greek bouzouki, or, in the case of English builder [1]Peter Abnett, who was the first instrument maker to build a uniquely "Irish" bouzouki - for Dónal Lunny in 1970 - a hybrid design with a 3-piece dished back and straight sides. All of the initial Irish bouzoukis had flat tops, but within a few years some builders began experimenting with carved, arched tops taking their cue from American archtop guitars and mandolins.
Hardly anyone uses the Greek bouzouki for Irish music today; Alec Finn and Mick Conneely are the only conspicuous professionals who use them. Scots mandolin player Kevin MacLeod uses a tetrachordo Greek bouzouki in octave mandolin tuning G2 D3 A3 E4 , mainly for playing melodies.
[edit] Tuning
By far the most common tuning for the Irish bouzouki is G2 D3 A3 D4 . This was pioneered by Johnny Moynihan first on the mandolin and then transferred to a Greek bouzouki. It was later picked up by Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny, and quickly became the next thing to a standard tuning for the Irish bouzouki.
Some players use "octave mandolin" tuning G2 D3 A3 E4 but they are a small minority; an even smaller group use A2 D3 A3 D4 . Very few players use octave pairing on the two bass courses.
Ironically, the Irish tunings are closer to the D3 A3 D4 tuning of the original Greek trichordo bouzouki than is the guitar-like tuning C3 F3 A3 D4 used on the modern Greek tetrachordo, and lend themselves particularly well to a modal harmonic approach for Irish traditional music.
[edit] Description
Amongst some luthiers and musicians the Irish bouzouki is considered to be part of the mandolin family, the other instruments of which include the mandolin, mandola (called "tenor mandola" in Europe), octave mandolin ("octave mandola" in Europe), and mandocello. But for others this family of instruments, modeled on and tuned like the violin, viola, tenor violin and violoncello, is really part of another tradition from which the Greek bouzouki, and its progeny the Irish bouzouki, are separate. At any rate, since the genesis of the Irish bouzouki in the late 1960s, many luthiers have incorporated aspects of mandolin construction, particularly when building archtop Irish bouzoukis, so for most it is a moot point.
The Octave Mandolin is usually regarded as having a shorter scale length than the Irish bouzouki, in the vicinity of 20 to 23 inches (50 and 58.4cm), whilst the scale length of the Irish bouzouki most often ranges from 23 to 25 inches (58.4 and 63.5cm), although some instruments have scales as long as 26 or even 27 inches (66 to 68.7cm). These longer-scaled instruments are generally acknowledged to possess greater volume, sustain, and tonal richness but some players find the stretches involved in fingering too difficult and so prefer the shorter scales.
[edit] Terminology
The name "cittern" is sometimes applied to similar instruments of five courses (ten strings), typically having a scale length between 20 and 22 inches (500mm and 550mm), but they are often called "10 string bouzoukis", particularly when having a longer scale length. The fifth course is usually either a lowest bass course tuned to C2 or D2 on an instrument with a long scale, or a highest treble course tuned to G4 or A4 on a shorter one.
However, for some builders and players, the terms "bouzouki", "cittern", and "octave mandolin" are synonymous. Others, such as Stefan Sobell, who originated the "cittern" term for his instruments derived by combining aspects of an archtop Martin guitar with the basic shape and build design of a Portuguese guitarra, apply the name of "cittern" to all shorter scaled instruments, irrespective of whether these have four or five courses, and the name of "bouzouki" to all longer scaled instruments.
[edit] Current usage
In recent years the Irish bouzouki has been found in the hands of many musicians not affiliated with Irish traditional music. Bluegrass and Roots musician Tim O'Brien has become well known for his use of the instrument in his uniquely American music, and others include Steve Earle and Patty Larkin. Roots musician Chipper Thompson uses the bouzouki in several tunings including "Open G" (G2D3G3D4) for bottleneck slide. His recording "The Janissary Stomp" with Celtic musician Roger Landes explores the possibilities for Irish bouzoukis in duet. Canadian folk-rock band Great Big Sea's Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett both play Irish bouzouki on several albums and in live performance.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Andy Irvine
- Roger Landes major exponent of the Irish bouzouki in the US.
- ZoukFest international gathering devoted to the Irish bouzouki.
- Chipper Thompson, Roots musician.
- Janissary Stomp, ground-breaking duo bouzouki recording by Roger Landes & Chipper Thompson.
- Beth Patterson, a world-renowned Irish and Celtic musician
- Morgan Morrison of Furnace Mountain in Berryville, VA
- Fernwood contemporary acoustic music.
- Herb Taylor Builder of instruments played by Roger Landes, Stanley Greenthal, among others.
[edit] Further reading
- O'Callanain, Niall (1997). The Irish Bouzouki. United States: Mel Bay Publications. ISBN 0-7866-1595-8. — An instructional guide
- Richards, Tobe A. (2005). The Irish Bouzouki Chord Bible: GDAD Irish Tuning 2,447 Chords. United Kingdom: Cabot Books. ISBN 10 0-9553944-0-6. — A comprehensive chord dictionary.
- Richards, Tobe A. (2007). The Irish Bouzouki Chord Bible: GDAE Mandolin Tuning 1,728 Chords. United Kingdom: Cabot Books. ISBN 978-1-906207-02-1. — A comprehensive chord dictionary.
- McLeod, Zan (2001). Learn to Play the Irish Bouzouki (DVD). United States: Music Sales Limited. ASIN: B00024ONEI. — A DVD instructional guide
- Loesberg, John (1989). Chords for Mandolin, Irish Banjo, Bouzouki. Rep. of Ireland: Random House. ISBN 0-946005-47-8. — A chord book featuring 20 pages of popular chords.
- ZoukFest Instructional DVDs Vols. 1 & 2 (DVD). United States: ZoukFest World Music Camp. 2001. http://www.zoukfest.com/store/. — A DVD instructional guide in two volumes with short sections by 6 master players, each on a separate topic.
