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Description
Bouzouki is a genre centered on the Greek long‑necked lute called the bouzouki, whose bright, metallic timbre and rapid tremolo picking carry melodies, riffs, and improvised preludes (taximia). It emerged in urban Greece from the rebetiko milieu and later became a leading sound of laïko (Greek popular song), dance forms such as zeibekiko and hasapiko, and film and stage scores.
Stylistically it is modal rather than strictly functional-harmonic, drawing on the Ottoman/Turkish makam system (Greek dromoi such as Hitzaz/Hijaz, Ousak/Uşşâk, Rast, and Sabah). Typical grooves include asymmetric 9/8 zeibekiko (often grouped 2‑2‑2‑3), 4/4 hasapiko and tsifteteli, and lively 2/4 hasaposerviko. Instrumentally, the lead trichordo (three-course) or tetrachordo (four-course) bouzouki converses with guitar, baglamas (a smaller bouzouki), bass, hand percussion, and sometimes violin or clarinet.
Over time, bouzouki playing expanded from smoky cafés and hashish dens to concert halls and studios, modernized with the tetrachordo setup and amplified sound, and ultimately influenced Celtic folk ensembles via the Irish bouzouki adaptation.
History
The modern bouzouki descends from long‑necked lutes of the Eastern Mediterranean, entering Greece in the 19th century through Asia Minor communities. Its modal language reflects Ottoman/Turkish makam practice and Byzantine/para‑liturgical chant aesthetics. Early urban musicians paired bouzouki with the smaller baglamas for portability and punch.
In port cities like Piraeus, bouzouki became the signature voice of rebetiko—an urban, often underground song style of migrants and working classes. Players introduced the taximi (free‑tempo modal prelude), driving tremolo, drones, and glissandi. Recordings from the interwar years established core repertoire and techniques.
After WWII and the Greek Civil War, rebetiko softened and flowed into laïko (popular song). Luthiers and virtuosi standardized instruments; the tetrachordo bouzouki (four courses) enabled more chromaticism and chordal work. Amplification, studios, and film scores brought the bouzouki into mainstream culture, while dance rhythms (zeibekiko, hasapiko) defined its public image.
Folk revivalists in Ireland adopted and re‑voiced the instrument, creating the "Irish bouzouki"—typically flat‑backed, longer‑scaled, and tuned for chordal accompaniment in Celtic ensembles. This adaptation helped spread bouzouki timbres across European and North American folk scenes.
Today the bouzouki anchors laïko and entechno-laïko, appears in jazz and film music, and is a color in world/folk fusion. Players balance modal idioms (dromoi, taximi) with modern harmony and production, from unplugged rebetiko revival groups to arena‑scale pop orchestras.
