Now he released an online course on this topic. On YouTube you can watch the introductional video which I enclose here. So if you ever wanted to build your own bouzouki this one's for you.
I cannot recommend Robin Jones' workshops highly enough. Over the past few months, he has created some fantastic workshops on mostly well-known tunes. His latest workshop covers the jig ‘The Cliffs of Moher’. He teaches the melody step by step and shows various embellishment options. But I particularly like the intro. This is also well explained. Similar intros can now be worked out with slight changes and used for other tunes. Take a look at the video. The second part is available to purchase on his website. You might also consider becoming a member, which would give you access to all the workshops produced so far.
Oh, and he has recently started offering tabs for each workshop. This means you can practise at any time without having to watch the video.
Here you can get part 2:
The second Tune he offers is the reel "The Boys of Malin". This time a different technique, a plucking technique. This leads a bit in direction of Eoin O'Neil or even Alec Finn. It gives an easy start to learn this technique. I hope there will be more workshops to come to develop this technique.
In another Video he talks about "Relative Pitch" and offers some exercises to bring chords to a scale. A very basic technique which helps a lot find good chords for accompanying tunes.
Now I'm curious what else is to come.
If you want to learn to play the bouzouki better try these lessons by Luke. At the moment there seems to be an offering for half the prize in the first month, so better try soon.
Check it out here:
On youtube you can find some short clips as introduction. For example here: https://youtube.com/shorts/IslhBtBTfSM?si=plu9T-PCU18-0ZIz
I once met Tijn at a workshop weekend in Texel, Netherlands. He's a fine bouzouki player and teacher. A few weeks ago he started posting some videos of tunes which he plays through, but without any explanation. So you have to figure out everything by yourself. This might be useful for advanced players.
Tbh I prefer instructional videos like those by Robin Jones where he teaches the tune bit by bit and then gives tips for ornamentation. But it might help to slow down the videos and watch them bit by bit to learn the tunes.
This is Calliope House
If you are a beginner to the Irish Bouzouki you might consider taking a months membership for 16$ (without VAT). That's a fair price. It's easy to unsubscribe at any time. If you exercise every day you might be able to finish the course in around 4 weeks.
I hope Luke will consider to make a more advanced course like this in the near future.
Here's the link to the course:
https://www.patreon.com/c/IrishbouzoukiwithLukeWard
Just got the information that there is a new course out there. It's 12 hours of lessons which cost 150 pounds, which sounds great to me.
There's a sample video available here which gives a little inside what to expect. He explains very well and the pace is not too fast and not too slow. Unfortunately sound and video is a little bit out of sync which might be a problem when he plays a bit faster, so it is not easy to really see what he is playing.
!If you buy this workshop please let me know what you think about it!
Here's what the homepage says:
Tutor Summary
Declan Plummer plays bouzouki, tin whistle, Irish flute, bodhrán, uilleann pipes, and DADGAD guitar. He has a BMus, MA, and a PhD in music and is an expert in online tuition. All handouts, audio files and video files, have been carefully designed and organised by him to give students the best possible experience in home learning! He can be contacted anytime through email: info@topscoremusicacademy.com
🎵 Learn the Irish Bouzouki with Our Comprehensive Online Course – From Beginner to Advanced! 🎵
Hi everyone, Welcome to the Online Irish Bouzouki Course!
My name is Declan Plummer and I’m the creator and teacher of this course, which I’ve designed to explore the unique and soulful sound of the Irish Bouzouki. Whether you're just starting out or aiming to elevate your skills, this course is the perfect guide for players of all levels! Our detailed, step-by-step lessons will take you from complete beginner to advanced level, helping you develop the skills you need to play Irish traditional music with confidence and authenticity.
What’s Included?
🎥 Over 12 Hours of High-Quality Video Lessons
Currently there are over 12 Hours of High-Quality 4K Video spread across 17 lessons. Our video lessons break down every essential technique, ensuring you have a solid foundation. Each lesson is designed to be clear and easy to follow, providing you with practical demonstrations and insightful tips. You’ll learn everything from the absolute basics to advanced techniques in a structured format that’s easy to follow and fun to practice.
🆕 Constantly Updated with New Material
The course doesn’t stop after the initial 12 hours! We regularly add fresh material to keep your learning journey going. Whether it's new tunes, tips, or techniques, you'll always have something new to dive into.
🎶 Dozens of Audio Examples
There are dozens of Audio Examples, including backing tracks with me playing tunes on the tin whistle and bodhran at different speeds, which you can download to practice offline and accompany on bouzouki. Understanding rhythm and melody is crucial in Irish music, so we've included numerous audio examples to guide your ear. These examples reinforce the techniques you learn, helping you connect theory with practice, and giving you a feel for how the Bouzouki should sound in real Irish traditional music.
📄 Downloadable Handouts and Sheet Music
Similarly there are also dozens of downloadable handouts and sheet music to help you with your practice and understanding. Each lesson is accompanied by handouts and sheet music that you can download and keep. These include chord charts, tunings, progressions, traditional tunes, understanding music theory and Irish dance types, and other valuable resources, giving you something to practice offline and use as a reference.
💬 Answers to Your Questions in Future Videos
Got questions? We’ve got answers! Submit your queries, and we’ll address them in upcoming video lessons, making sure you’re never stuck or left wondering how to master a concept.
Topics Covered
🎸 How to String and Tune an Irish Bouzouki
To start with the basics—our pre-lesson videos cover everything you need to know about setting up your Bouzouki for the perfect sound. You’ll learn how to tune, and how to string your instrument to ensure it's always pitch-perfect, and you’ll learn the technical names of the different parts of the bouzouki.
🎵 Playing Chords, Popular Progressions & Understanding Dance Types
In Part I of the course our first six lessons demonstrate how to play chords. Chords are the foundation of Irish music accompaniment. We’ll teach you the essential chords and show you how to play the most popular chord progressions for different dance types, particularly for the fast-paced jigs and reels that are so recognisable in Irish traditional music. By the end, you’ll be able to accompany traditional Irish tunes like a seasoned player.
🎶 Playing Polyphonically with Flat-Picking Countermelodies
In Part 2 of the course, we cover playing polyphonically with flat-picking countermelodies. This part of the course is for more intermediate and advanced players. We delve into flat-picking techniques that will allow you to play countermelodies alongside traditional tunes. This technique adds depth to your playing and gives you the ability to perform polyphonically-perfect for making your Bouzouki sound full and rich during a session.
📖 Playing Tunes and Reading Music 🎼
In Part 3 (the final part of the course), you will learn how to read Irish Traditional Music in standard notation (and bouzouki tab), and turn these basic symbols into in real living music. Learning how to play real Irish dance tunes like this will foster independent learning, allowing you explore more music you want to learn. We’ll take notated tunes and show you how to turn them into authentic-sounding Irish music, complete with ornamentation, phrasing, and feel. You'll also learn techniques to make these tunes your own. This is key to playing authentically and developing a true Irish sound.
Why Choose Our Irish Bouzouki Course?
- Learn at Your Own Pace: With lifetime access to all materials, you can practice whenever it suits you, anytime and anywhere!
- One-Time Purchase for Only £150: No subscriptions, no hidden fees—just a single payment for lifetime access. That’s less than £9 a lesson – and all of these lessons will always be recorded and waiting for you when you are ready to practice!
- Regular Updates: Keep learning with new lessons, tunes, and tips added frequently. If you have questions or need help, you will get expert personal feedback and answers from me, and it may even be a good topic to cover in a future video!
🌍 Embrace the Spirit of Irish Music! 🌍
Start your journey today and become part of a rich tradition. With this course, you’ll be able to play at sessions, join in with other musicians, and develop your own voice on the Bouzouki.
🛒 Get Started Now – Enrol for Only £150!
Don’t wait to explore the magic of the Irish Bouzouki. Sign up today and unlock over 12 hours of video lessons, dozens of audio examples, downloadable handouts, and more!
Robin is extremely busy at the moment. Here's his latest video lesson in which he shows how to play the Shaskeen Jig. This is part 1, you can buy part 2 from his website.
Robin is very busy producing Bouzouki lessons. They are well made and so useful. I love his way of teaching. Cannont recommend it enough. Check it out and buy part 2.
Here's the link to his youtube channel where you'll find more fantastic lessons.
Here's the tab I made:
Robin Jones released a new tutorial video on youtube. Part 1 is free, you can buy part 2 for just 10 pounds which it is really worth. You get lots of tips and exercises which help you to play and accompany jigs. Even if you know how to play jigs I think you can learn a lot from these videos. Here's the link where you can buy part 2.
It seems that Robin is very busy doing tutorials at the moment. Here he shows his approach to the well known song Wild Mountain Thyme. The crosspicking pattern he shows can be used to accompany lots of more songs in 3/4 time. Even Daoiri Farrell uses it a lot, e.g. in his song Creggan White Hare.
This is part 1 of the tutorial. If you want to go further you can get it here.
Edit: I bought part 2 yesterday. I think, it's really worth it. You get 11 videos in which Robin shows and explains the arrangement line by line. Some of them are really short, where he plays one line, others are longer where he gives some tips for playing. In the last video he shows how to play this arrangement to a metronome, which is important to play in time. So I'd really would like to encourage you to buy this tutorial if you are interested in accompanying songs.
Lindsay has started her patreon page a few weeks ago. Now she released her first video on that platform. Her beautiful version of the well known song Wild Mountain Thyme. A lovely accompaniment with nice minor chords. On her patreon site you can download an audio version and a chordsheet. She also made a tab as far as I know. But you have to be a paid member. As far as I know this is her first content of bouzouki playing. Hope there will be lots more in the near future. But she also is a fantastic guitar player, so you might check her albums.
Lindsay on patreon:
You can listen to and buy her two albums on bandcamp:
And here is her website:
This is lesson No. 2 how to play Pat Rainey by Brent Matusik. Great way to learn song accompaniment.
Here's a link to my page with chords and lyrics from 3 years ago:https://irish-bouzouki.blogspot.com/2020/04/daoiri-farrell-pat-rainey-chords.html
And here a link to my tab for the Intro:
https://irish-bouzouki.blogspot.com/2019/07/daoiri-farrell-pat-rainey-intro.html
Eamon Coughlan posted a video how to accompany a reel in D. As example he uses the Merry Blacksmith. First you can learn the melody, he implemented a tab for the tune.
After that he shows examples for accompaniment.
Here are some bouzouki tutorials in Russian by Роман Стансков. Maybe it helps if you turn on translation. But tbh the translation into German is really shit.
Video about Arpeggios:
Video about strokes:
Left hand:
Simple chords and their reversals
Sound production:
Counterpoint and bourdons
