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The Irish bouzouki (colloquially, the "zouk") is a derivative of the Greek bouzouki. The bouzouki, in the newer tetraxordo (four course/eight string) Greek version, was introduced into Irish Traditional Music in the late 1960s, by Johnny Moynihan, and popularised by Andy Irvine and later Dónal Lunny. Irish bouzouki players used the instrument less for virtuoso melodic work and more for chordal and contrapuntal accompaniment for tunes played on other instruments, such as the flute or fiddle; in response, many or most players removed the octave strings in the two bass courses and changed them to unison pairs. Within a few years of the bouzouki's adoption, the round-backed, stave-built Greek bouzouki began to be replaced by a design meant specifically for Irish music, based on the flat-backed mandolins built in Portugal, America, and Ireland and having either a flat top (similar to the Martin "Army Navy model" mandolin), a bent top (as in the Portuguese mandolin) or a carved top (much like the "A-style"--with round soundhole--archtop mandolins made famous by the Gibson company). Hardly anyone uses the Greek bouzouki for Irish music today; Alec Finn is the only professional of any consequence to continue in playing one, an old-style trixordo (three course/six string) instrument. The G2D3A3D4 tuning pioneered by Johnny Moynihan and picked up by Irvine and Lunny quickly became the next thing to a "standard tuning" for the Irish bouzouki. A smaller group uses A2D3A3D4. Although some players employ mandolin tuning, pitched down an octave as G2D3A3E4, they are very much in the minority. A few players use octaves in the bass. Ironically, the Irish tunings are closer to the D3A3D4 tuning of the original Greek trichordo bouzouki than are the guitar-like tunings used on the more modern Greek tetraxordo. The Irish bouzouki has become fully integrated into the tradition over the past thirty years, usually (although not always) playing accompaniment (mostly a mix of two note chords, basslines, and bits of countermelody) rather than the melody. Amongst luthiers and musicians alike, the Irish bouzouki is today considered to be part of the mandolin family, the other instruments of which include the mandolin, tenor mandola (Europe, Ireland, and the UK--called simply "mandola" in the US and Canada), octave mandola (Europe, Ireland, and the UK--called "octave mandolin" in the US and Canada), and mandocello. The octave mandolin is usually regarded as having a shorter scale length than the Irish bouzouki, in the vicinity of 20 to 23 inches (500 and 584 mm), whilst the scale length of the Irish bouzouki most often ranges from 23 to 25 inches (584 and 635 mm), although some instruments have scales as long as 26 inches (660mm). Many players find the stretches involved in fingering the longer instruments too difficult to justify seeking the greater volume, sustain, and tonal richness which they are said to possess. The name cittern is sometimes applied to a similar instrument of five courses (ten strings), typically having a scale length between 20 and 22 inches (500mm and 550mm) but they are often called "10 string bouzoukis", particularly when having a longer scale length. The fifth course is usually either a lowest bass course tuned to D2 on a longer scaled instrument or a highest treble tuned to A4 on a shorter one. However, for some builders and players, the terms "bouzouki", "cittern", and "octave mandolin" are synonymous. Others, such as Stefan Sobell, who originated the term for his Portuguese guitarra derived instruments, apply the name of "cittern" to all shorter scaled instruments, irrespective of whether these have four or five courses, and the name of "bouzouki" to all longer scaled instruments.
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