Irish Bouzouki - Tuning

Tuning

By far the most common tuning for the Irish bouzouki is G₂ D₃ A₃ D₄ . This was pioneered by Johnny Moynihan (apparently in an attempt to replicate the open, droning sound of Appalachian "clawhammer" banjo) first on the mandolin and then transferred to a Greek bouzouki. It was later picked up by Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny, and quickly became the next thing to a standard tuning for the 4 course instrument.

Other tunings used, although by a minority of players, are "octave mandolin" tuning G₂ D₃ A₃ E₄ , and A₂ D₃ A₃ D₄ .

Ironically, the GDAD tuning is closer to the D₃ A₃ D₄ tuning of the Greek trichordo bouzouki than is the guitar-like tuning C₃ F₃ A₃ D₄ used on the modern Greek tetrachordo, and is particularly well suited to a modal harmonic approach to accompaniment as used in Irish traditional music.

Alec Finn, playing a Greek trichordo bouzouki, uses the traditional D₃ A₃ D₄ tuning with the octave pair on the low D course changed to unison.