WEATHER
Anogeia
Light Showers
11°C
Wind: 15 Southwest
Rethymno
16°C
Wind: 27 West
Spili
14°C
Wind: 06 West
Fragma Potamon
17°C
Wind: 13 West
courtesy of: www.meteo.gr
Agios Konstantinos - Armeni
Length: 15 km
Estimated time: 5 hours
Suggested period: January - December
Difficulty: None - relatively difficult in winter in the river-bed of Kalonikiti
Musical instruments
Stringed instruments
The Lyre
It is an instrument with three strings that is divided in three categories: The "lyraki", the common lyre and the so called "vrontolyra". Their common characteristic is their shape, but their size and sound are different. Since 1925, the so called "viololyra" is added to these categories, which is more closely related to the violin.
The violin
The violin is known from musical tradition of the West and it is found in many areas in Greece as a folklore instrument, which is accompanied by the lyre both in the eastern and the western part of the island.
The lute
It is commonly used in many Greek regions but its Cretan version has a bigger size with four couples of strings. It is used to accompany the lyre or the violin, playing either notes of the melody or the so called "pedal". However, the lute is often used as a solo instrument as well.
The mandolin and the guitar
These are the well-know musical instruments. In Crete, the mandolin is used (with a lyre or a violin) to play the basic melody and the guitar as more rhythmic instrument.
The bulgari
This instrument belongs to the "tambour family". Nowadays, it is only rarely used in Crete. In the past, though, it was a very common melodic instrument which sometimes accompanied the lyre.
Wind instruments
In Crete, the fife is called thiaboli or fthiaboli, ftiaboli, fiaboli, pabioli, babioli, habioli, sfirohabiolo, sfirohaboulo, peirohabiolo and glossohabiolo.
It is a kind of reed or wooden flute with a side-cut part where the player blows and it is closed with a "peiros" or "souros", a kind of cover with a narrow slot for the air to pass. On the cylinder where the "peiros" ends, a usually square hole opens up and, more low, there are six holes in the front and one in the back that are used for the melody. The fife is mainly a pastoral instrument and is usually played alone. But many times, when there is a skilful player, it can be played with a lyre.
The mandoura
It is a kind of clarinet with a sole ligulate on the upper end, which is closed by the reed's knot. It has 4-6 holes and it is made in various sizes. The diplomandoura or tzobragia mandoura are other versions of this instrument and it is practically kind of two mandouras of the same tone which are tied together.
The bagpipe (askomandoura)
It is made of a leather bag, used for the storage of air, the wooden, reed or bone-made mouthpiece with a valve, in which the player blows, and the sound device comprising a tubular trough, which ends in a funnel and two pipes of a clarinet-type with one ligulate and, usually, 5 holes. This instrument was commonly used in Crete, but these days it tends to disappear.
Percussion instruments
The daoulaki (small tabor)
It is a small tabor played with two little sticks, called "daouloxila", and accompanies the lyre or the violin. It used to be well-known, especially in eastern Crete.
