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Cretan Handmade Instruments

George Rozakis

Cretan Laouto.

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This Mainland Laouto tuning is tuned like a mandocello. The laouto's eight strings are paired, tuned an octave apart (much like a Western steel guitar). The interval from one pair to the next is tuned in fifths (Cc-Gg-Dd-aa). The Laouto has a re-entrant tuning, Gg tuned a fourth lower than Cc.

The Cretan Laouto is tuned from bass to treble. The two primary contemporary variants of the laouto, one somewhat smaller than the other, are to be found on mainland Greece and on the island of Crete. The larger sized instrument (wider body) is played mainly on the island of Crete and tends to be tuned differently ( Gg - Dd - Aa - ee ), the re-entrant tuning is still a characteristic of the Cretan laouto, because Dd is a fourth lower than Gg.
The role of the laouto in Greek traditional music is primarily that of accompaniment. The laouto is often played in a duo with the Cretan lyra.

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