Phrases on Bouzouki

Phrases are vital for bouzouki playing. They encapsulate the essence of the modes and the character of the players. Sharing them is like sharing a lifetime of practice and performance experience. For the first time ever, Manolis Karantinis is exposing his style and technique to the world in such a focused and detailed manner.

Level: Intermediate – advanced

Modes: Kiournti, Niavent, Hidjaz/Hidjaskiar, Houzam, Segniah, Pireotikos, Minor, Oussak, Sabah, Major/Rast.

First mode is Kiournti, an extraordinary maqam combining a Minor tetra-chord and a Hidjaz penta-chord. It has a beautifully changing colour which can be used in compositions and improvisations alongside other scales. The video demonstrates the scale, one improvisation, and fourteen amazing phrases in two speeds, standard and slow, zooming on the bouzouki fretboard.

Notes:

1. Greek bouzouki modes are named, categorized and used differently than similar modes in Turkish, Indian, Persian and jazz music.
2. Recording by Athanasios Gikas, at Mythos Studios, Athens.
3. Recording microphone AKG 414.

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