Hi Everyone :) Thanks for all the comments and likes - Please feel free to ask any questions about this bouzouki lesson or about Irish music in general and we'll get back to you straight away. Remember to subscribe to our channel and click the bell to get notified of our new video releases.
It isn't the instrument that is difficult or easy, it is the music that is played on it. The easier it is to make the notes, the more is expected. A piano is easy to make notes, but you have to play up to ten of them at a time. An oboe is really difficult, but it does only plays one note as a time. You can play a guitar and a bouzouki in many different ways, some are difficult and some are easy.
This is a great chanel and I enjoyed listening to you teach. You have encouraged me to learn Bouzouki.many thanks Billy I like your simple style of teaching and will follow your videos.
I've just recently bought an Ozark bouzouki, decided to switch over from tenor banjo Great instrument an love the sound! Been taking these lessons as 2 weeks! Theres alot to take in an understand but its all very well explained! I tend to write things down as I go.lol there well worth the money!!🎶🎶
Yeah it's great cause you can learn from your own home!! An for the likes of people who can't travel to get lessons!!👌if you mean as in location? I'm from county derry/Ireland. ☺
@billymagfhloinn Ah, thanks. Got it. Love the jig and slip jig rhythm. What a great sound on bouzouki. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, we have a music gathering called "Zoukfest," with classes, jamming and traditional Celtic and folk music. Haven't made it to one yet, but hope to one of these years.
I have been shopping around for an entry level instrument that doesn't sound tinny. When I find one, I'll sign up for the course. Your instrument has lovely rich tones. Can you recommend a worthy instrument that is not for professionals?
Hi Amanda, I'd look for something factory made with a truss rod on Thomand. Let me know if you find an instrument there. If you wish to buy a handmade instrument I have a few contacts so let me know. Billy's bouzouki is made by renowned Irish luthier Joe Foley.
Amanda Dowd I have a Gold Tone BZ-500 that I am very happy with. Great tone and playability. Current price for a new one is a reasonable US $650. Includes a very nice hard shell case.
i play two and i have to say, guitar seems harder to me ;) i mean, the guitar tuning is just... harder to play on ;p you can also try regular mandolin but sometimes they are even more expensive than the octave ones (bouzukis)
On the bouzouki, which is Greek, the bottom two pairs are in octave. The Irish bouzouki is in truth a modified octave mandolin, with the lower pairs tuned in octave and a longer scale. The Octave mandolin was in existence long before a couple of Irish musicians "discovered" the bouzouki in Greece, brought it back home and made their modifications. Many octave mandolins, all pairs tuned in unison, are mistakenly called Irish bouzoukis.
As a mandolin/fidddle player..i tuned to gdae just so i could transfer what i know..including chords. I havent yet seen the value of the second d except as confusion..
Henry- My Octave is GDAE, my bouzouki is GDAD and mando is obviously GDAE.... love both tunings, but on the longer scale Bouzouki, some of those chords are a big stretch... (I'm looking at you F !! )
Great lesson, well done. Unfortunately the standard for naming strings on stringed instruments is starting with "1" for the highest sounding string, and proceeding down from there. It goes by pitch, not gravity.
Hi Wolfgang, Interesting question. Unless you have a 12 string, you would have to double up the strings. Which means taking out the nut and cutting space for the new strings to sit in. Then you would have to set the instrument up again. Unless you're a trained luthier or have a very cheap guitar I wouldn't attempt this. Is there a luthier close to your home? Where do you live?
Hi Maxime, Yes, start at the start so you get the correct technique. With you guitar experience you will fly through the beginner lessons - www.oaim.ie/bouzouki/bouzouki-basics/
im playing an octave strung zouk and find when I play up the neck on different chord shapes, it goes totally out of tune. any ideas on why that happens??
Hi, Playing octave pairs is always a balancing act. It sounds great in first position chord shapes, but the higher up the neck you go, the more it will go out of tune. This is a constant with all octave pairs, and cannot be changed. The tension on the pair is different because of their varied guages, and the more you shorten the string, the greater the differential between the two. Therefore, playing up the neck will always sound out of tune. This is the very reason why most Irish bouzouki players play with twins rather than octave pairs. Unfortunately, it's a tradeoff between a more interesting sound and a more restricted chord palette. Billy
Is Irish bouzouki a matter of changing the tuning of a bouzouki to G-D-A-D or do you actually need to have a bouzouki that is specifically made for Irish bouzouki? (I've only known about this instrument for about ten minutes so I am about as new as you can get with this)
Also the Irish bouzouki body is a little bigger than the Greek one, to compensate for the loss of the round belly part. The fingerboard is exactly the same.
Hi. I'm almost 15 and I can play the acoustic guitar exceptionally well and I was thinking of getting a Bouzouki but I need to know if its as easy as the guitar or harder (possibly easier). If you can give me some clarification that would be brilliant. Thanks.
Hi Rene, it's from Joe Foley, one of the top luthiers in Ireland. I found these details online, so I've no idea if they're current or not - Joe Foley, 4 Braemor Road, Churchtown, Dublin 14, Ireland Telephone : (+353/0)1 298 2537
Im interested in learning the instrument, do you know where I can purchase one where I can try it out? I dont want to drop a huge amount of cash only to find I dont enjoy it, but i also dont a crappy instrument. Thanks!
I just visited ebay.com and found a lot of "Irish bouzouki" - ranging in price from 200 - 1800. Check that out. Let me know what you are thinking before you buy.
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