A Century Of The Greek Bouzouki

Full release September/October 2024. Stay tuned for the full update. 

Name : Pandoura

Classification : Lute. Long Neck, Tied Frets, Plucked, Carved Bowl Back Resonating Body, Short Floating Bridge, Flat Top

Strings : 2 possibly more 

Tuning : Unknown

Scale Length : Unknown

Inception : Unknown

Origins : Roman Empire 625 BC to 476 AD

Name : Tamboura

Classification : Lute - Long Neck, Tied Frets, Plucked, Carved Bowl Back Resonating Body, Short Floating Bridge, Flat Top

Strings : Between 2 and 6 individual and paired

Tuning : Various including D A D

Inception : Unknown

Origins : Byzantine Empire 330 to 1453 AD

Name : "Trixordo" Bouzouki

Classification : Lute - Long Neck, Fretboard, Metal Frets, 6 Strings, Plucked, Staved Bowl Back Resonating Body, Wide Floating Bridge, Flat Top

Strings : 3 pairs

Tuning : Various, however D A D tuning became most popular

Inception : Between 1923 to 1927

Origins : Tamboura 

First Recording : 1929 New York by Manolis Karapiperis

Honorable Mentions : 

Name : "Tetraxordo" Bouzouki

Classification : Lute - Long Neck, Fretboard, Metal Frets, 8 Strings, Plucked, Staved Bowl Back Resonating Body, Wide Floating Bridge, Flat Top

Strings - 4 pairs

Tuning : C F A D

Inception : 1950 by Master Luthiers Giorgos & Vasilis Panagi

Concept : by Manolis Xiotis

Origins : "Trixordo" Bouzouki

First Recording : 1956 'Thessaloniki Mou' Manolis Xiotis

Honorable Mentions : Held By Rap Icon Snoop Dogg in a 2020 TV ad for 'JustEat'. Was played by a Dimitris Kyrtsos on the operating table during brain surgery.

Name : Irish Bouzouki

Classification : Lute - Long Neck, Fretboard, Metal Frets, 8 Stringed, Plucked, Truss Rod, Partially Staved 3 Piece Bowl Resonating Body, Floating Bridge, Flat Top

Tuning : G D A D

Inception : 1967 - 1971 by Luthier Peter Abnett

Concept : Donal Lunny, Johnny Moynihan, Andy Irvine & Terry Woods 

Origins : "Tetraxordo" Bouzouki

First Irish Recording With "Tetraxordo" Bouzouki : 1968 'Sweeney's Men' Album

First Irish Recording With Irish Bouzouki : 1972 'Planxty' Album

Bouzouki First's

First Pickup : 'Ideal' Made In Germany

First Amplified :

First Featured In TV Or Film :

First Used With An Orchestra :

Ntouzenia : String Tunings 

Kalamportsi : Bad or "Off" Musician

With little documentation of its origins as a Pandoura, The Greek Bouzouki has ascended to great heights since its birth in the early 1920's from the Tamboura which does in fact have roots tracing back to the Byzantine Era. and was adapted from which came after the largest and most recent forced population exchange in modern times between Greece and Turkey. It is said that approximately 1.5 million people were displaced meaning that there was about to be a great awakening and amalgamation of knowledge not exclusive to food, language or art, but everything. Prior to 1919

It is important to note that despite major advances in tooling, workmanship and knowledge, the Tamboura as we know it in Greek history is found in all parts of the world where traditions were preserved unaffected by modern life. Similar versions of the instrument with similar name, amount of strings and tuning, can be found in Turkey, India, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Iran, Egypt, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and go by the names Tanpouri, Tampur, Tambour, Tambouritza, and so many more.

The Greek Bouzouki has been accredited with receiving its modern name through the Turkish language translating to 'broken' or 'imperfect'. This historical fact has yet to be corroborated, however, the Turkish people have similar instruments in the Lute family that are not the Tambour but could very well have been developed from it and are still considered Lutes like the Oud, Bozuk and Saz.

In 1919, Musicians that were never planning to tour or travel abroad who now lived in a foreign land and many likely didn't speak the language of the region. 

*updates needed*

Internet hadn't been officially launched till 1983.

*updates needed*

This makes the Bouzouki approximately 100 years old. This is quite young in comparison to the Violin, or Acoustic Guitar, two common and widely respected instruments both dating back to the early 15th and 16th centuries yet there exist instruments older than this making instrument history a vast and deep subject.