# Music by Genre > Celtic, U.K., Nordic, Quebecois, European Folk >  cretan mandolin

## billkilpatrick

thanks to margriet greydanus, this appeared on my FB page - lovely, exhuberent playing:

----------

BJ O'Day, 

Bruce Clausen, 

clachanmusic, 

DavidKOS, 

JCook, 

Jim Garber, 

JimY, 

John Bertotti, 

Kalasinar, 

Simon DS, 

whistler

----------


## DavidKOS

That's lovely - I really like his sense of phrasing.

----------


## BJ O'Day

Very beautiful playing. It's amazing how versatile a mandolin can be.

BJ

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Dagger Gordon

He's a great player (and also a good singer).

Stelios Petrakis has a newish quartet which features mandolin.
(The mandolin starts to feature at 11.45)

----------

billkilpatrick, 

John Bertotti

----------


## Kalasinar

Thank you for sharing this wonderful video! Beautiful piece and masterfully played.

----------


## Jim Garber

Very nice! I love that bass lyra. I have never seen one of those.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Some good mandolin here.

----------

Jim Garber, 

John Bertotti, 

whistler

----------


## Nick Gellie

Absolutely uplifting to the spirits!

----------


## bbcee

I was in Crete last June and my mind was blown by the music and the place. We're going back this year!

Michalis Kontaxakis is also famous for blazing new trails in Cretan music and sometimes teaches at this *very* interesting school in Heraklion:

http://labyrinthmusic.gr/en/seminari...lin-kontaxakis (nice L&H, Michalis!)

One from his YT channel:

----------

DavidKOS, 

John Bertotti, 

mandocrucian, 

Simon DS

----------


## Dagger Gordon

This is a nice atmospheric video of what looks like Michael Kontaxakis playing at Semeli Cafe across the road from the Labyrinth Music Workshop in Houdetsi, Crete. Really good sound on the mandolin.

----------


## Simon DS

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayuyfc...ient=mv-google

----------

Dagger Gordon, 

DavidKOS, 

Harley Marty, 

John Bertotti

----------


## Simon DS

> This is a nice atmospheric video of what looks like Michael Kontaxakis playing at Semeli Cafe across the road from the Labyrinth Music Workshop in Houdetsi, Crete. Really good sound on the mandolin.


Hey David, have you been to the music school? 
What’s it like, and the island?
I just looked at the offseason flight prices and it seems possible to actually maybe go there...

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> Hey David, have you been to the music school? 
> What’s it like, and the island?
> I just looked at the offseason flight prices and it seems possible to actually maybe go there...


Yes I went there in March, to a Group Workshop led by Spanish musician Efren Lopez, of whom I am a huge fan. There were only 5 of us along with Efren.
Efren has just done another one last week as part of the summer programme, with far more participants. (Check his Facebook page).

It was really great and I got a lot out of it, but I didn't find it easy. It helps if your sight reading is pretty good, as some of the rhythms are very different from what I'm used to.

A Cretan mandolin-specific seminar might be easier, maybe.

I didn't have time to see much of the island. There are classes every day with quite a long lunch break, so I just decided to stay where I was, although we did manage to visit some nearby villages.

Crete is not as easy to get to in winter as you might think, by the way. I couldn't find a direct flight to Heraklion in mid-March. Had to fly to Athens then get a small local flight. There were very few people on either of the Athens -Heraklion flights.

----------

Simon DS

----------


## Simon DS

Thanks David, sounds good, Ill have a look.

----------

Beanzy, 

DavidKOS, 

John Bertotti

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Michael Kontaxakis again

----------

John Bertotti

----------


## Simon DS

Cookin!

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Dagger Gordon



----------


## Simon DS

> Cookin!



Heres the TAB at least for the scale going up the neck. 
Its a bit of a work out on the octave mandolin, but a lot of fun.

Im not sure what it would be like on the mandolin, nor what the fingering would be...
probably spectacular though.
Enjoy!

----------


## Dagger Gordon

This is what Cretan music sounds like. Lyra and lauto. Magic.

----------

Beanzy, 

DavidKOS, 

Jim Garber, 

Simon DS, 

Steve 2E

----------


## Simon DS

Thanks Dagger, that’s impressive to see the determination in the finger movements. Who are these guys?

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Giorgis Xylouris on lauto and Zacharias Spyridakis on lyra. They seem to be in the workshop of Stelios Petrakis (who briefly appears). These guys are actually pretty big names in Cretan music.

https://www.labyrinthmusic.gr/en/sem...s-spyridakis-2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgos_Xylouris

http://www.steliospetrakis.com/?lang=en

----------

Beanzy, 

Simon DS

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Here is a short film of Zacharias Spyridakis talking about the influence of Ross Daly, with some more good music clips.
https://vimeo.com/293912713

It looks like the interview and performances were done at Labyrinth Music Workshop in Houdetsi, who have just announced their winter programme:
https://www.labyrinthmusic.gr/en/lat...rs-summer-2020

----------

DavidKOS, 

Jim Garber, 

Simon DS

----------


## Cretan

Hello to everyone! I will post some of the best mandolin players in Crete..In my opinion of course..Check them !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KT3whYdJZ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=591AEt71Yz0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6v_ES8Sc5s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSfiFUZoqLM

----------

DavidKOS, 

Simon DS

----------


## Jim Garber

Thanks, Cretan. Lovely playing. I see that *Nostos by Kostis Avissinos* is available for download on Amazon here in the US. How about the other players.

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Cretan

Because of my mistake i didn't post the legend of mandolin in Crete ! 

Stavrakakis Michalis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5d8uTqNuL4

And also another special player is Stavrakakis Antonis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehq5VNBFQAU

----------


## Cretan

https://www.amazon.com/Kriti-Mousika...=dmusic&sr=1-2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Thanks for this one Cretan.
I had not heard Giogos play mandolin before. I think he's great on the laouto, but I must say this is a pretty good mandolin workout.

----------

Brian560, 

DavidKOS, 

Simon DS

----------


## Cretan

Yes, Giorgos Manolakis is known mostly as a laouto player and secondly as a bouzouki player. But personally i like a lot his style in mandolin ! 
Check also one very well known laouto player, Giorgos Xylouris,  playing the mandolin this time !

----------

Dagger Gordon, 

DavidKOS

----------


## Cretan

Νοt cretan tunes but a cretan mandolinist, Paris Perisinakis !

----------

DavidKOS

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Haven't had time to watch this all yet, but plenty of Cretan mandolin.

----------

Cobalt, 

DavidKOS

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Michalis Kontaxakis. Sounds really great.

----------

DavidKOS, 

Jim Garber, 

Nbayrfr, 

Simon DS

----------


## Simon DS

Sweet! 
Love that tone. 
It sounds to me a bit like a mountain dulcimer, with the bubbling resonance. Is that achieved with a certain tuning, in fifths but slightly different?

----------


## Jim Garber

Thanks, Dagger! Great stuff. YouTube also brought me to this duet which reminds me of some North American fiddle tunes. I also just noticed this in the notes: Michalis is playing his "German Flat-back" mandolin built by luthier Brian Dean.

----------

Simon DS, 

ukcarrie

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> I also just noticed this in the notes: Michalis is playing his "German Flat-back" mandolin built by luthier Brian Dean.


Ah really?  Well I must say I didn't expect that. I had certainly assumed it was probably made in Crete. Thanks.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

http://www.labraid.ca/players

Sure enough, Michalis is on the list of players who play Brian Dean instruments.

----------


## Dagger Gordon

Michalis is playing with Stelios Petrakis these days. They are about to release a new CD called Spondi. You can watch them in this lengthy Youtube.

----------

DougC

----------


## Jim Garber

Dagger: I posted a question on one of Michalis’ videos on where to get his recordings. Do you know?

----------


## Dagger Gordon

> Dagger: I posted a question on one of Michalis’ videos on where to get his recordings. Do you know?


Not really. I bought one when I was in Houdetsi. Also there is a classical guitarist of the same name, which adds to the difficulty.

Here is his Facebook page, which has his email. Maybe try messaging him? When you're at it, you might tell him there is some interest in his stuff on Mandolin Cafe!

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?...20-%20mandolin.

----------


## Dagger Gordon



----------

DavidKOS, 

Nbayrfr, 

Simon DS

----------


## Minorkey

What a fantastic sounding little instrument!

----------


## Dagger Gordon

I always enjoy hearing Michalis. I love his singing.

----------

DougC

----------

