Bouzouki vs Guitar - which is easier ???
JOHN DONAGHY
I'm new to the session scene and would like to know from anyone out there
which of the two instruments is easier, bouzouki or guitar.
I have had a guitar for a long time but never got down to seriously learning
to
play it, I have seen some bouzouki players recently and they make
accompanying
a tune look so damn easy.
'Penn' Matt Boris
I play bozouki, and find it not overly hard. Then again, I come
from a violin background. I think it's easier to play melody-type things
on a zouk, and chordings pretty much a toss-up. I'd say it's a pretty
personal thing. Just choose the kind of sound you want, and go with
that. There's always the option of tuning your guitar DADGAD or DADAAD,
to get that more Keltikish open, droning sound.
-Penn
GSC Conference
JOHN DONAGHY (yc...@dial.pipex.com) wrote:
: I'm new to the session scene and would like to know from anyone out there
: which of the two instruments is easier, bouzouki or guitar.
:
: I have had a guitar for a long time but never got down to seriously learning
: to
: play it, I have seen some bouzouki players recently and they make
: accompanying
: a tune look so damn easy.
Usually means they've done a fair bit of practicing. I'm just
starting out on 'zouk but I've been playing guitar for over
a dozen years. The real challenge for either instrument is
to play something interesting rhythmically and harmonically
(in terms of accompanyment; it's a tad different for melodic
playing). Also, part of being a really good accompanyist is
to also learn the tunes (at least be able to hum it).
Another consideration is cost. There are very few factory
made 'zouks that I know of and even they're not cheap. So
ponder a bit before investing in a potentially expensive
dust collector.
Anyway, if you like the sound and expression of the 'zouk and
are willing to make something decent of it, then go for it.
=chow
Han Speek
In article <6lpjg0$f64$1...@soap.news.pipex.net>,
"JOHN DONAGHY" <yc...@dial.pipex.com> writes:
> I'm new to the session scene and would like to know from anyone out there
> which of the two instruments is easier, bouzouki or guitar.
>
> I have had a guitar for a long time but never got down to seriously learning
> to
> play it, I have seen some bouzouki players recently and they make
> accompanying
> a tune look so damn easy.
>
To answer your basic question, the bouzouki would be simpler to learn than
the guitar, as there are only 4 courses on a bouzouki, and 6 strings (or
courses if you get a 12-string) on a guitar. Thus the number of chord shapes
possible on a guitar is a lot bigger.
But making either instrument work for you takes time (and maybe some guidance,
especially if you want to tackle the various modally-oriented Celtic music
flavours), and I wouldn't consider switching to the bouzouki a shortcut to
getting results faster.
Han.
--
H. Speek, B.Sc. E-mail: h...@ice.el.utwente.nl,
Univ. of Twente, Dept. EL, ICE group H.S...@el.utwente.nl
The Netherlands WWW: http://www.ice.el.utwente.nl/~han/
Mike Berro
"JOHN DONAGHY" <yc...@dial.pipex.com> wrote:
>I'm new to the session scene and would like to know from anyone out there
>which of the two instruments is easier, bouzouki or guitar.
>I have had a guitar for a long time but never got down to seriously learning
>to
>play it, I have seen some bouzouki players recently and they make
>accompanying
>a tune look so damn easy.
It seems like most pro Celtic musicians make it look easy, the bums.
I'm a long time mandolin player, short time 'zouk player who bought a
guitar to learn on (I took guitar lessons when I was 7.) A guitar is
easier to "play" in the sense that it takes less pressure to hold down
one string than two, and your fingers don't have to jump as much in
the standard tunings. For fingerpicking, though, the sound of the
zouk is heaven.
However, for accompaniment, I like the sound of the guitar. Because
you have six strings tuned closer together, you can form fuller
chords. A five-course bouzouki (or cittern) might give you a richer
sound (I indeed have one), but I ain't holding down ten strings with
my wimpy hands.
Anyway, even though I love the zouk I cannot recommend it as an
"easier" instrument. If you're a performer, though, the visual
coolness may be enough of an incentive. <grin>
---Mike
Cittern & Mandolin Page
http://www.cittern.com/