Rembetiko with guitar – Quartet live show

In Rembetiko with guitar, Dimitris Mystakidis presents an anthology of the most important rembetiko songs of the 20th century, arranged exclusively for guitar. Three guitars, with alternating roles, sometimes playing intense modal melodies with complex structures, sometimes strong melodic lines influenced by manouche and sometimes simple melodies, along with Dimitris’ deep bass voice and the melodic timbre of the singer, are reciting sorrows and misfortunes, joys and ruses, while talking about love, separation, human passions and weaknesses, composing the colorful canvas of Greek spirit and Greek Urban Music of the last century.

Rembetiko guitar (Greek folk guitar)

The rembetiko guitar is present in Greek Urban Music since 19th century.

Although it was a vital instrument in all forms of folk orchestras, it had mostly an accompanying role during folk music evolution, since major solo instruments (violin, santouri, oud, bouzouki) were unable to play the rhythmic role decently.

In a very few cases, as old recordings reveal, guitar performs as the leading instrument. These recordings were made either in USA for the Greek community there, or in Greece in order to be exported to the US. It was through those first recordings that leading virtuoso players such as G. Katsaros (1895-1997) and A. Kostis (1905-1943) were established as troubadours, who were performing exclusively with rembetiko guitar, using a particular fingerstyle technique, without the use of pick and having specific tunes (open D or G). After the 1937 censorship, rembetiko guitar became the main solo instrument in more recordings and after Second World War Manolis Chiotis introduced a manouche-influenced style of performing.

Rembetiko guitar is a highly popular, easily accessible, with endless possibilities and polyphonic dynamics instrument. In the hands of folk musicians, its genuine beauty, that is not static nor limited, is shining and evolving while adapting to cultural and aesthetic movements of Greece.