to join the Cittern List go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cittern

http://www.celticmusic.com  Dan Beimborn

http://www.homepages.hetnet.nl/mr_3/208/hspeek/bouzouki/ Han Speek

http://www.xs4all.nl/~cittern/ Anthony De Waal

http://www.geocities.com/coyotebanjo/instruction/  and
http://www.indiana.edu/~smithcj/cjsnetwr.html   Chris Smith ( mostly not zouk specific, but very relevant celtic instruction )

A cittern has come to mean usually a 10 string instrument of this family with a short scale length, ie below 22". A bouzouki is usually a 8 string long scale instrument ie above 22" although 10 string zouks are increasingly common. An octave mandolin is any 8 string zouk/cittern tuned GDAE an octave below the mandolin, a mandola is an alto mandolin traditionally tuned CGDA the same as a viola. A mandocello is a zouk tuned CGDA like a cello.

Instruments in this family (except the mandolin) are mostly used nowdays for celtic or folk music of one sort or another.

This list is about which/both?
this list is about all members of that family except for the mandolin, which has it's own list. It is not about guitars or banjos, although some tolerance is allowed.

To choose the gauges you need visit the String Tension Calculator

it all depends what you're going to use it for

5 course bouzoukis usually have an extra low course if we define a bouzouki as a mandoid instrument with a longer than 23" scale

5 course citterns usually have an extra high course if we define them as mandoids below 23"

of course the whole concept of which course is extra has no real meaning except in our minds, because we tend to base our thoughts around a 4 course zouk tuned GDAE or GDAD.

assuming that you are planning to tune GDAE or GDAD and want to add a course then if you are set on a long (above 23")  scale then it will have to be a low course, unless you want to use some totally wierd tuning like GDADE or GDADF.

to use a cittern tuning like GDADA or GDAEB you would need a shorter scale, about 21" or 20" respectively.

the biggest advantage in my ears of a 4 course instrument is that one can play quick strummed chords fairly hard and not have to worry about hitting an extra course, many players (like Beth Patterson) play essentially four course zouk but on a 5 course instrument, using the bottom course primarily as an occaisonal drone. of course this still takes more control than just playing on a 4 course.

the big advantages of 5 course instruments are for melody playing in a wide range of registers, and on instruments with a low string particularly, the full 10string chords can be very rich, and lovely for song accompaniment.

a 5 course instrument of course has a wider neck, making it more difficult to use the thumb for fretting.

short scale instruments tend to be too bright for song accompaniment, for most songs, in most peoples ears.

I would suggest that new players start by working out what style of playing and what tuning you want and then determine scale length , body size, and woods from there.

or :http://www.homepages.hetnet.nl/mr_3/208/hspeek/bouzouki/makers.html

or: the links page on this site

Commonly used construction techniques
flattops
a flat or nearly flat thin (3mm) sheet of wood with bracing to resist the downward pressure of the strings.
arch tops
carved into an arch from a thicker piece of wood, they require less bracing to withstand the pressure since an arch is intrinsically stronger than a flat plate. a more expensive instrument usually results, since its more wood and more work. the thickness of the plate may vary considerably over its width.
induced arches steamed and forced
it is possible to make an arched top by forcing a flat plate into an arch shape, with or without the use of steam to permanently bend the wood.
bent tops
Traditional neopolitan mandolins had esentially flat tops with a bend at the the bridge point, for strength.

Backs can also be made flat, arched, induced arch, or even bent - although I've never seen a bent back on a zouk, they are normal on viols.

Woods
the most common back and side woods are mahogany (of various types) , rosewood (indian or brazilian), and maple (hard american or softer european) other excellent back and side woods are koa and black acacia (tasmanian blackwood). walnut is also reasonably common.

all sorts of other hardwoods are occaisonally used.

sitka spruce, western red cedar, englemann spruce, are the most common soundboard woods; also used are redwood, baltic pine, and occaisonally even koa, the only species I know of that appears in both lists.

none of the above woods are any better than any other, except for very specific purposes. they all sound different, they suit different construction techniques, and combine in different ways to make up the tone of the instrument.

In order to make a recommendation I would have to know what the instrument was going to be used for, what style of construction it would
be, (arched, carved or steamed, bent or flat top and-or back) the scale length and proposed body size and the desired tone.

even then I could only pick what I know I like, no guarantee you'd agree.

my personal favourites are mahogany and koa for backs and sides, I find maple too tight sounding, and rosewood too thumpy, although; maple is nice for mandolins for clarity and brightness, and rosewood can add a richness to smaller bodied zouks.

that said the construction of the instrument will make way more difference than the woods.

look at : Bouzouki ornaments
for a start.

* piezoelectric pickups
these come in two main types:

1. Bridge/Saddle pickups
These sit under the bridge saddle. They have a clear sound and are quite resistant to feedback, however they miss much of the subtlety of the complex top vibrations, sounding rather one dimensional. They must be installed by an experienced luthier.

successful examples are:
fishman thinline
fishman matrix
highlander

2. soundboard pickups
these affix to the soundboard. they are somewhat prone to feedback and placing is critical, however thay can sound more natural than a saddle pickup if carefully placed. If misplaced they can lead to very unbalanced sound, with too much of specific strings or frequencies.They can work better by using more than one, to pick up more of the different complex soundboard vibrations.

good examples are:
Fishman SBT
Macintyre

* magnetic pickups
these sit under the strings, often in the soundhole, and sense the movement of the strings magnetically. they only work with strings that have a steel core. They are extremely resistant to feedback, and can have a well balanced tone, however if mounted in the soundhole, it will severely impact the acoustic tone of the instrument. many are removable for this reason. they also tend to sound a bit zingy and electric in the upper register.

The only good example that suits bronze on steel strung acoustic zouk that i know of is the Don Lace acoustic sensor.

* microphones
a variety of small condenser mics are sometimes installed inside the zouk. they can sound fantastic but are very prone to feedback.

better performance can be had by combining 2 pickup systems. A Don Lace Sensor and a SBT or Macyntyre is an excellent and natural sounding combination. A undersaddle pickup and a microphone is also a common combination.

The simplest most versatile single pickup, is probably an under saddle type, since it requires no setup once installed, and produces a clear focused sound resistant to feedback and good quality enough to not be the limiting factor with most real world PA systems.

All types of piezo pickups require an impedance matching preamp to plug into a regular amp or mixer. Some, such as the Matrix, come with one as part of the package.

(disclaimer: The above mentioned products have no association with the cittern list or with Celtic Music NZ, they are merely products which I know to give good results on bouzouki when the appropriate one is selected for the situation and properly installed, there are probably others which are also useful)

Some possibilities for the 10-strings would be long scales CGDAE DGDAD DGDGD DADAD short scales GDAEA GDAEB GDADA GDADG ADADA

If the question is about how to get the strings at their proper pitch, the answer could be to use an electronic tuner (you might a chromatic one, as the ones for guitar don't include all notes for all cittern/bouzouki tunings). If you have reasonably developed ears (in hearing pitch differences, not in size !), you may choose to tune one string to the tuner, or a tuning fork, and then tune the rest using intervals. pitch pipes are notoriosly inaccurate. electronic tuners when used with a pickup, are invaluable in a noisy environment, such as a pub.

When tuning double strung instruments such as cittern it is vital to mute the string of the pair that is not being tuned, otherwise it will vibrate sympathetically and confuse your ear and / or the tuner.

list of tunings used by some players in the cittern list / zoukfest community
Roger Landes  DAEAE
Stanley Greenthal GDAD
Joseph Sobol DGDGD
Beth Patterson DGDAD
Mark Fitzsimons CGDAE   GDAEB

http://www.homepages.hetnet.nl/mr_3/208/hspeek/bouzouki/

Han has chord charts for GDAD, ADAD, GDAE, ADAE and DAEA. Not all equally extensive, or even equally faultfree, but you'll find a lot of useful chords.

There is a tape available with these tunes, and it really helps you to get your money's worth out of this book.
      Waltons Manufacturing Ltd., 2-5 North Frederick Street,
      Dublin 1, Ireland
      Waltons Music Inc., P.O.Box 1505, Westfield MA 01086, USA

"Exploring the Bouzouki" by Jim Cowdery, covers playing of tunes in GDAE tuning, so it is probably more useful for those playing the octave-mandolin. But it also covers backgrounds of the instrument and useful hints on right-hand technique. This one also has a cassette with the tunes and examples. Front Hall Records FHR BP-1001 Book and Cassette.

A critical factor when using a capo is to use one that matches the radius of the fingerboard.  Shubb make a classical guitar capo which is completely flat and very wide, most of the others are radiused to a typical radius for the intended instrument.

Other capo types that work well are the Kyser and the Dunlop "Trigger". Both are spring-loaded, the Kyser having the strongest spring, which means you have to apply them carefully to avoid having to retune a lot. They are both supposedly intended for one-hand operation, but due to the strong spring I would suggest it's safer to use both hands for the Kyser anyway. I think the "Trigger" is best able to cope with a fairly massive neck - the Kyser doesn't open as far, and neither does the Shubb.

Other useful capos are the Kyser Elite and the Paige (also owned by Kyser these days - I think they may even have discontinued their Elite model). Both are D-shaped, with the straight "back" of the D contacting the strings. There is an screw at the back that lets you adjust the pressure in the strings very accurately, but slowly.

You will find that many professional (Irish) bouzouki players still use the old-fashioned & primitive "rubber band" type of capo (made by Jim Dunlop), even though these wear out within a few months. These have the advantage that you can simply slide them up or down the neck, without opening them, and when not in use you can simply slip them over the nut. Ease of use over lasting quality, and accurate tuning, simple as that. More expensive roller capos that slide up and down the neck more easily on rollers with greater durabilty and tuning stability are also available.

The cittern list has compiled 2 CD's of members contributions. "Citterns on Ice"

for info go to:  http://www.cittern.com/coi2
you can also download mp3's from the project from here
for ordering the CD go to www.cittern.demon.nl

here is a list of CD's featuring cittern list members and others of our immediate community.

in alphabetical order by surname or band name.

Jean Banwarth    http://perso.club-internet.fr/banwarth/index.html
CEOL "The last order" EDMI 001
DJAL "Nuits blanches" scheduled for release july 2000

Robin Bullock     http://www.flatpicker.com/bullock
The Lightning Field, Azalea City ACCD-2001, scheduled for release June 2000
Travellers (with Butch Baldassari and John Reischman), SoundArt SAR-1255, 1999
Between Earth and Sky, Maggie's Music MMCD-221, 1998
Midnight Howl, Maggie's Music MMCD-213, 1995
Green Fields, Dorian DIS-80112, 1993

Bruno Dervissoglou BZH 
"emportés par la houle" (BZH-2) http://www.multimania.com/bzhmusic

Art Edelstein    http://www.sover.net/~arte/cd.htm
The Water is Wide

Mark Fitzsimons  http://greenmanhumming.com/mark
creatures of the undergrowth

Stanley Greenthal    http://www.soundsofseattle.com/archive/artists/greenthal.htm
Turning Towards You
All Roads

Roger Landes http://www.celticmusic.com/roger_landes
Dragon Reels

The Miserable Few
pjmacd1@home.com
www.miserablefew.50megs.com
CD available at: www.cdstreet.com/artists/themiserablefew
mp3s available at: www.mp3.com/themiserablefew

Beth Patterson   Beth Patterson The Poor Clares
Hybrid Vigor

Rowan - Grandfather's Horse http://www2.southwind.net/~rowan

Joseph Sobol http://www.efolkmusic.com/artists/sobol.htm
Citternalia

Telynor   http://members.aol.com/telynor
Telynor 2 (1990)
Off the Beaten Track (1992)
Sprig of Thyme (1998)

Gerald Trimble  http://www.cres.org/team/gerald.htm
First Flight

http://zoukfest.com

scale length: the length of string that is free to vibrate when the string is played unfretted. ie the distance from the bridge to the nut.

course:  2 or more strings tuned to the same pitch (or in octaves) and played together as if they were one string.

bridge: the part of the instrument (near the players picking hand) that determines the spacing of the strings, and transfers energy from the strings to the soundboard.

nut: the counterpart of the bridge at the other end of the string, it determines the spacing of the strings at the end of the neck.

saddle: the part of the bridge that actually contacts the strings, on many instruments it is a separate part, usually made of bone or synthetic substitutes.
 

email me with a question or contribution you would like to see on this page.