Bouzouki lessons, in Rotterdam and online

Songs first, theory along the way

Most people do not come to the bouzouki because they want to study scales. They come because of a song. So we start there.

From your very first lesson we work on real repertoire. Everything else, the notes on the fretboard, the scales, the rhythms, the chords, the right hand technique, comes out of the songs we play rather than out of a dry exercise book. When a song sits in 9/8, that is the moment you learn what 9/8 feels like. When a piece moves through Hijaz, that is the moment Hijaz stops being a word and becomes a sound you recognise. Theory arrives exactly when you need it, and because it is attached to music you care about, it stays.

What you learn, without it ever feeling like homework

• The fretboard: where the notes actually are, so you stop guessing and start seeing the instrument.
• The scales: Hijaz, Ousak, Rast, Kartsigar, Sabah, Niavent and the rest, how they are built and how they behave in real songs.
• The rhythms: zeibekiko, hasapiko, tsifteteli, karsilamas, kalamatianos, aptaliko, how to feel them, count them and hold them steady.
• Chords and accompaniment: how to back up a singer or another player, how to build a second voice, and how to hear which chord belongs where.
• Right hand technique: pick control, tremolo, dynamics, the details that separate mechanical playing from sounding nice.
• Reading: as much or as little as you want, from tablature to standard notation.

A modern, structured way of working

I studied music theory and piano at a conservatory from the age of six, and I have been teaching since 2016. What I have learned in that time is that the traditional "listen and copy me" method works, but it works far better when it is supported properly. So the lessons use modern tools:

• Written material for everything we play: tabs, notation, chord charts and fretboard diagrams, in a folder that becomes your personal method book.
• Backing tracks and play-alongs at adjustable tempo, so you practise in time and with a groove from day one.
• A clear practice plan between lessons: what to play, how long, and what "done" looks like, so you never sit down wondering where to start.
• Feedback between lessons: send me a short video of your practice and get concrete feedback.

Lessons that fit a real week

Most of my students have jobs, studies or families. Progress does not come from marathon practice sessions, it comes from short, focused, regular ones. I will help you build a routine that goes together smoothly with a busy week, with realistic goals and visible progress every month. Playing should be the good part of your day, not another item on the to do list.

Which music will you play?

Rebetiko, laiko, entehno, and modern Greek songs too. If you already have a list of songs you dream of playing, bring it to the first lesson. If you do not, I will bring plenty of suggestions and we will find out together what moves you.

Tetrachordo, trichordo, or both

I teach both bouzoukis. The four-course bouzouki (tetrachordo, four double strings, tuned C F A D) is the modern instrument you hear on most laiko recordings, and it is where most people start. The three-course bouzouki (trichordo, three double strings, tuned D A D) is the older rebetiko instrument, with its own sound, its own positions and its own way of thinking about the fretboard.

Wherever you are starting from

No bouzouki yet?

Not a problem. During the first lesson you can try my instrument and see how it feels, and I am happy to advise you on what to buy and what to avoid when you are ready. We can also start with rhythm, listening and a bit of theory, so you already have a foundation the day your bouzouki arrives.