The bouzouki, known as μπουζούκι in Greek, is both beloved and renowned in Greece. Belonging to the long-necked lute family, it features a round body with a flat top and a lengthy neck with a fretted fingerboard. It is typically strung with steel strings, and played with a plectrum, resulting in a sharp metallic resonance akin to a mandolin but with a lower pitch.
The two primary variations of the bouzouki are the trichordo, with three pairs of strings, and the tetrachordo, with four pairs of strings. Originating with Greek refugees from Anatolia in the early 1900s, the bouzouki swiftly became the cornerstone of the rebetiko genre and its musical offshoots. Today, it remains an indispensable component of contemporary Laïko pop Greek music.
