Feb 2022 instrumental bouzouki ukraine blues
I have this 8 string instrument called a bouzouki- its also called an octave mandolin (basically mandolin tuning, one octave down). Although the history of the instrument is linked with Greece and Turkey, I thought it might be a vehicle to play something as a tribute to Ukraine, which was illegally invaded this past week by Russia. This is a minor-key kind of 'make it up as i go along' instrumental, recorded quick on the iPhone (with some reverb and eq added after, and also some editing to make it a little shorter).
Second song I wrote this week about Ukraine (first one is simply titled "ukraine" and is at https://fawm.org/songs/135593/ )
@kenficara Feb 2022
I remember the bouzouki! This is really good — maybe when you do more finished versions you can use this as an extended intro to “Ukraine” itself. They feel of a piece musically as well as topically. Towards the end you use the full range to almost play a duet or call-and-response with yourself which is great.
@tamsnumber4 Feb 2022
Wow that elevation at 1:30 is awesome, this was very beautiful to listen to and I have no idea how you played that fast, I am amazed, but I feel like it is a heart rhythm of the people. Wonderful! Thanks for posting it on the Ukraine Thread!
@misterdemp Feb 2022
Lovely, intense, well made for the now. Bandura vibes...love the different sound worlds and combinations of cultural ideas.
@timfatchen Feb 2022
Sadness coming through, and some anger as well.
@serene123 Feb 2022
Wow thanks for sharing this.. it's very heartfelt and and earnest. I haven't heard the bouzouki in a long time so this was a treat!
@fearlessflight2014 Feb 2022
I love the whole double stringed instrument family they have such a textured sound (though a bugger to tune!) This has a natural energy and a stoic quality that suits the subject matter. So visceral and I really like the feel changes.
@carleybaer Feb 2022
The feelings really come through here. The bouzouki (and the mandolin family in general) can really run the gamut of emotions; happy and buoyant, but just as easily heart-wrenching and powerfully sad. Love the harmonics toward the end, and the fade out.
@stephenwordsmith Feb 2022
This is a gorgeous and very sensitive tribute. It's full of chaos, conflict and defiance, while never being entirely lachrymose or violent in its own self. There's a real sense of urgency and a shifting landscape. It's fitting that this is more or less improvised, as we are living in unpredictable times, in a world where we can't even be sure that the reports we read can be trusted, and we're constantly fighting off floods of disinformation. This feels so very authentic. Well done.