Hi

[ericcoleman]

I've been very quiet lately. Being happy will do that to you I suppose.

Lizzie and I are doing wonderfully. There is much laughter and music in our house.

On that, I have a new toy. I bought a bouzouki! Most of the new songs have been written on it, most I could play on guitar, but they wouldn't sound the same. Add the Cuatro and it will be Eric's Odd Instruments onstage at Duckon.

So, how is life with you? Does anyone read this anymore?

Comments

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

If it's tuned like a mandolin, but an octave low, I would argue it's an octave mandolin and not a bouzouki. So, GDAE is octave mandolin tuning. Bouzouki tuning varies (google bouzouki tuning) depending on whether you're Greek or Irish and what mood you're in. Same instrument, different tunings. I tune my cuatro the same as my cittern (doubled GDGDG) and I call it my baby cittern.

In my collection I have an octave mandolin, a 10-string cittern, and a cuatro. Other 10 stringed instruments: charango, tiple. If you get a chance, get your hands on a Martin tiple. They're cool.

[ericcoleman]

I own two cuatros, one is generally tuned ADGAD, the other BEADG.

The bouzouki is a Trinity College Irish Bouzouki. I will swap tunings around as needed. So far I am playing it in Mando tuning, but I want to use others as well. If I end up with several tunings, I may end up with two Bouzoukis. I want a Tiple, it may be next on my list of instruments I buy. I played one when I bought my 2nd cuatro and liked it a lot.

[ericcoleman]

And, in one sentence you say the tuning defines the instrument, and the next you say Same instrument, different tunings.

Confused ...

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

As far as I've been able to figure out the difference between an "Irish bouzouki" and an "octave mandolin" is what the person holding the instrument wants to call it, which usually has more to do with the musical tradition they're following than the physical instrument.

[lemmozine.livejournal.com]

Here is some more information. Apparently what defines the instruments, according to this, is the scale length. I'm not 100% sure I agree with that.

http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/cittern.html

It's sort of like, a banjo is a banjo, right? Except that there are 3 different types of 4 string banjo that are common (banjo-uke, tenor and plectrum) all with different tunings and scales, there are 2 different types of 5-string banjo (the standard and the Pete Seeger style long-neck), the 6 string guitar banjo, the 8-string banjo-mandolin which can also be strung with 2 sets of ukulele strings and played as a taropach, and a 12-string fretless banjo common in Turkey called a cumbus.

When I got my cittern, it was tuned G D G D G, and so far I've found no reason to change that.

If you want to hear some great Irish bouzouki playing, you should check out Beth Patterson. She plays instruments of 8 and 10 strings, both in Irish bouzouki tuning. Once when I offered to let her try my new guitar she said, "Thanks anyway, but I'm guitarded."