Chords for Introductory bouzouki technique -- left hand fundamentals on the bouzouki
Tempo:
72.55 bpm
Chords used:
Bb
E
B
G
Gm
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
So here's another introductory lesson to the bouzouki.
[Gb] So for new players, there's a couple things I think that's worth paying attention to.
It's probably [E] something that you've heard.
If you're learning the bouzouki, presumably you've listened to it a lot and you recognize the sound.
And there are some very specific features of the instrument and very [Eb] specific techniques
to generating the sounds that you hear [B] in the bouzouki that make it distinctive.
But there's also a couple [Gm] fundamental differences between, many fundamental differences between
the bouzouki and the guitar.
[Bb] But there's one specific one that's worth mentioning and that's just the basic style of play.
In a guitar, [F] if you look at classical guitar, for which you could [G] argue maybe the guitar
is designed for, a lot of the play is perpendicular [Bb] to, much of the play is in this direction,
in the direction that my finger's pointing.
It's either up and down the strings in a particular position.
So on a guitar, maybe you're playing chords or maybe you're playing around a chord, but
much of the [F] play is in this form.
Your fingers are kind of moving in this direction.
You may go up and down the fretboard as well, but it's a very well designed instrument for
going [Bb] in this direction.
Even [N] though the neck is thick, it's still very well designed.
In my opinion, this is what the guitar is best at.
The bouzouki, especially the older style playing, is very much an up and down the fretboard instrument.
And in fact, the original, if you listen to the original recordings of the Rebethica players,
they're often just going up and down maybe one or two strings, and all the play is really
in this direction.
So [E] they'll go
[N] So that's
They could play much of that on the same position if they wanted to, right?
They could do this.
And in fact, the more modern four-course bouzouki players do play a little bit more like a guitar.
But the [Gm] original old school kind of players [Am] really
[C] [G] That's up and down the fretboard style.
[E] And this is a common technique.
So something to keep in mind as you're learning, because often you may read [Gm] music or you're
listening to music and you know, you can figure out what the note is, but then the question
is where should you play it?
Should [D] you play it here?
Should you play it open?
[Bb] Should you play it up here?
So where do you play the instrument?
Where do you play the note?
And I think in general, it's a good technique, if you're [Ebm] wanting to learn that kind of older
style, to be always thinking up and down the fretboard when possible.
Sometimes that's [N] not very efficient.
Often it's more efficient to go this way.
But just for a style issue, sometimes it's nice to kind of go up and down and you hear that.
One of the reasons it's nice to go up and down is because you can get this distinct
little sound from a bouzouki.
Bouzoukis are very good.
They create a nice rich sound for certain playing techniques.
[B] For example, see that little slide?
[G]
[Bb] [B] This is a technique that you [Bb] get from having strength and going up and down the fretboard,
right?
[D] Now that's just sliding, but there's another technique, which again is an up and down the
fretboard kind of technique.
And this hammer-on, [G] the kind of really prototypical sound of the bouzouki is this little hammer-on.
So [E]
that
[F] [D]
[N] hammer-on, again, it's an up and down the [Ebm] fretboard technique.
And that's really in many ways what gives the [Gm] bouzouki its sound.
Really, [G] the Greekness of the sound, it's inheriting a technique that probably comes from Turkish
music or Middle [Bb] Eastern music in general.
But this is an important part of playing the bouzouki.
And it's probably somewhat distinct from the guitar.
And the guitar people have hammer-ons, but it's not as rich sounding because you've got
a [N] single string doing that, making the sound.
In the bouzouki, it's richer because you've got these [Ebm] two, these paired strings making that.
[Gb] [E]
[B] [Am] [E]
[Bb] So [B] that's just a couple of tips, style tips for your left
[Gb] So for new players, there's a couple things I think that's worth paying attention to.
It's probably [E] something that you've heard.
If you're learning the bouzouki, presumably you've listened to it a lot and you recognize the sound.
And there are some very specific features of the instrument and very [Eb] specific techniques
to generating the sounds that you hear [B] in the bouzouki that make it distinctive.
But there's also a couple [Gm] fundamental differences between, many fundamental differences between
the bouzouki and the guitar.
[Bb] But there's one specific one that's worth mentioning and that's just the basic style of play.
In a guitar, [F] if you look at classical guitar, for which you could [G] argue maybe the guitar
is designed for, a lot of the play is perpendicular [Bb] to, much of the play is in this direction,
in the direction that my finger's pointing.
It's either up and down the strings in a particular position.
So on a guitar, maybe you're playing chords or maybe you're playing around a chord, but
much of the [F] play is in this form.
Your fingers are kind of moving in this direction.
You may go up and down the fretboard as well, but it's a very well designed instrument for
going [Bb] in this direction.
Even [N] though the neck is thick, it's still very well designed.
In my opinion, this is what the guitar is best at.
The bouzouki, especially the older style playing, is very much an up and down the fretboard instrument.
And in fact, the original, if you listen to the original recordings of the Rebethica players,
they're often just going up and down maybe one or two strings, and all the play is really
in this direction.
So [E] they'll go
[N] So that's
They could play much of that on the same position if they wanted to, right?
They could do this.
And in fact, the more modern four-course bouzouki players do play a little bit more like a guitar.
But the [Gm] original old school kind of players [Am] really
[C] [G] That's up and down the fretboard style.
[E] And this is a common technique.
So something to keep in mind as you're learning, because often you may read [Gm] music or you're
listening to music and you know, you can figure out what the note is, but then the question
is where should you play it?
Should [D] you play it here?
Should you play it open?
[Bb] Should you play it up here?
So where do you play the instrument?
Where do you play the note?
And I think in general, it's a good technique, if you're [Ebm] wanting to learn that kind of older
style, to be always thinking up and down the fretboard when possible.
Sometimes that's [N] not very efficient.
Often it's more efficient to go this way.
But just for a style issue, sometimes it's nice to kind of go up and down and you hear that.
One of the reasons it's nice to go up and down is because you can get this distinct
little sound from a bouzouki.
Bouzoukis are very good.
They create a nice rich sound for certain playing techniques.
[B] For example, see that little slide?
[G]
[Bb] [B] This is a technique that you [Bb] get from having strength and going up and down the fretboard,
right?
[D] Now that's just sliding, but there's another technique, which again is an up and down the
fretboard kind of technique.
And this hammer-on, [G] the kind of really prototypical sound of the bouzouki is this little hammer-on.
So [E]
that
[F] [D]
[N] hammer-on, again, it's an up and down the [Ebm] fretboard technique.
And that's really in many ways what gives the [Gm] bouzouki its sound.
Really, [G] the Greekness of the sound, it's inheriting a technique that probably comes from Turkish
music or Middle [Bb] Eastern music in general.
But this is an important part of playing the bouzouki.
And it's probably somewhat distinct from the guitar.
And the guitar people have hammer-ons, but it's not as rich sounding because you've got
a [N] single string doing that, making the sound.
In the bouzouki, it's richer because you've got these [Ebm] two, these paired strings making that.
[Gb] [E]
[B] [Am] [E]
[Bb] So [B] that's just a couple of tips, style tips for your left
Key:
Bb
E
B
G
Gm
Bb
E
B
_ So here's another introductory lesson to the bouzouki.
[Gb] So for new players, there's a couple things I think that's worth paying attention to.
It's probably [E] something that you've heard.
If you're learning the bouzouki, presumably you've listened to it a lot and you recognize the sound.
And there are some very specific features of the instrument and very [Eb] specific techniques
to generating the sounds that you hear [B] in the bouzouki that make it distinctive.
But there's also a couple [Gm] fundamental differences between, many fundamental differences between
the bouzouki and the guitar.
[Bb] But there's one specific one that's worth mentioning and that's just the basic style of play.
In a guitar, [F] if you look at classical guitar, for which you could [G] argue maybe the guitar
is designed for, a lot of the play is perpendicular [Bb] to, much of the play is in this direction,
in the direction that my finger's pointing.
It's either up and down the strings in a particular position.
So on a guitar, maybe you're playing chords or maybe you're playing around a chord, but
much of the [F] play is in this form.
Your fingers are kind of moving in this direction.
You may go up and down the fretboard as well, but it's a very well designed instrument for
going [Bb] in this direction.
Even [N] though the neck is thick, it's still very well designed.
In my opinion, this is what the guitar is best at.
The bouzouki, especially the older style playing, is very much an up and down the fretboard instrument.
And in fact, the original, if you listen to the original recordings of the Rebethica players,
they're often just going up and down maybe one or two strings, and all the play is really
in this direction.
So [E] they'll go_
_ _ [N] So that's_
They could play much of that on the same position if they wanted to, right?
They could do this.
And in fact, the more modern four-course bouzouki players do play a little bit more like a guitar.
But the [Gm] original old school kind of players [Am] really_
_ _ [C] _ _ [G] That's up and down the fretboard style.
[E] And this is a common technique.
So something to keep in mind as you're learning, because often you may read [Gm] music or you're
listening to music and you know, you can figure out what the note is, but then the question
is where should you play it?
Should [D] you play it here?
Should you play it open?
[Bb] Should you play it up here?
_ _ So where do you play the instrument?
Where do you play the note?
And I think in general, it's a good technique, if you're [Ebm] wanting to learn that kind of older
style, to be always thinking up and down the fretboard when possible.
Sometimes that's [N] not very efficient.
Often it's more efficient to go this way.
But just for a style issue, sometimes it's nice to kind of go up and down and you hear that.
One of the reasons it's nice to go up and down is because you can get this distinct
little sound from a bouzouki.
Bouzoukis are very good.
They create a nice rich sound for certain playing techniques.
[B] For example, _ _ see that little slide?
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [B] This is a technique that you [Bb] get from having strength and going up and down the fretboard,
right? _ _ _
_ [D] Now that's just sliding, but there's another technique, which again is an up and down the
fretboard kind of technique.
And this hammer-on, [G] the kind of really prototypical sound of the bouzouki is this little hammer-on.
So [E] _
that _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ [N] hammer-on, again, it's an up and down the [Ebm] fretboard technique.
And that's really in many ways what gives the [Gm] bouzouki its sound.
Really, [G] the Greekness of the sound, it's inheriting a technique that probably comes from Turkish
music or Middle [Bb] Eastern music in general.
But this is an important part of playing the bouzouki.
And it's probably somewhat distinct from the guitar.
And the guitar people have hammer-ons, but it's not as rich sounding because you've got
a [N] single string doing that, making the sound.
In the bouzouki, it's richer because you've got these [Ebm] two, these paired strings making that.
[Gb] _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ [Am] _ _ [E] _
_ _ [Bb] So [B] that's just a couple of tips, style tips for your left
[Gb] So for new players, there's a couple things I think that's worth paying attention to.
It's probably [E] something that you've heard.
If you're learning the bouzouki, presumably you've listened to it a lot and you recognize the sound.
And there are some very specific features of the instrument and very [Eb] specific techniques
to generating the sounds that you hear [B] in the bouzouki that make it distinctive.
But there's also a couple [Gm] fundamental differences between, many fundamental differences between
the bouzouki and the guitar.
[Bb] But there's one specific one that's worth mentioning and that's just the basic style of play.
In a guitar, [F] if you look at classical guitar, for which you could [G] argue maybe the guitar
is designed for, a lot of the play is perpendicular [Bb] to, much of the play is in this direction,
in the direction that my finger's pointing.
It's either up and down the strings in a particular position.
So on a guitar, maybe you're playing chords or maybe you're playing around a chord, but
much of the [F] play is in this form.
Your fingers are kind of moving in this direction.
You may go up and down the fretboard as well, but it's a very well designed instrument for
going [Bb] in this direction.
Even [N] though the neck is thick, it's still very well designed.
In my opinion, this is what the guitar is best at.
The bouzouki, especially the older style playing, is very much an up and down the fretboard instrument.
And in fact, the original, if you listen to the original recordings of the Rebethica players,
they're often just going up and down maybe one or two strings, and all the play is really
in this direction.
So [E] they'll go_
_ _ [N] So that's_
They could play much of that on the same position if they wanted to, right?
They could do this.
And in fact, the more modern four-course bouzouki players do play a little bit more like a guitar.
But the [Gm] original old school kind of players [Am] really_
_ _ [C] _ _ [G] That's up and down the fretboard style.
[E] And this is a common technique.
So something to keep in mind as you're learning, because often you may read [Gm] music or you're
listening to music and you know, you can figure out what the note is, but then the question
is where should you play it?
Should [D] you play it here?
Should you play it open?
[Bb] Should you play it up here?
_ _ So where do you play the instrument?
Where do you play the note?
And I think in general, it's a good technique, if you're [Ebm] wanting to learn that kind of older
style, to be always thinking up and down the fretboard when possible.
Sometimes that's [N] not very efficient.
Often it's more efficient to go this way.
But just for a style issue, sometimes it's nice to kind of go up and down and you hear that.
One of the reasons it's nice to go up and down is because you can get this distinct
little sound from a bouzouki.
Bouzoukis are very good.
They create a nice rich sound for certain playing techniques.
[B] For example, _ _ see that little slide?
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ _ _ [B] This is a technique that you [Bb] get from having strength and going up and down the fretboard,
right? _ _ _
_ [D] Now that's just sliding, but there's another technique, which again is an up and down the
fretboard kind of technique.
And this hammer-on, [G] the kind of really prototypical sound of the bouzouki is this little hammer-on.
So [E] _
that _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ [N] hammer-on, again, it's an up and down the [Ebm] fretboard technique.
And that's really in many ways what gives the [Gm] bouzouki its sound.
Really, [G] the Greekness of the sound, it's inheriting a technique that probably comes from Turkish
music or Middle [Bb] Eastern music in general.
But this is an important part of playing the bouzouki.
And it's probably somewhat distinct from the guitar.
And the guitar people have hammer-ons, but it's not as rich sounding because you've got
a [N] single string doing that, making the sound.
In the bouzouki, it's richer because you've got these [Ebm] two, these paired strings making that.
[Gb] _ _ [E] _ _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ [Am] _ _ [E] _
_ _ [Bb] So [B] that's just a couple of tips, style tips for your left