The musical instruments of Crete have a special place in the Cretan tradition. In sculpture and ceramic representations found at Knossos and elsewhere, dancers are depicted dancing in circles around the lyre player. Elsewhere, flutes, conch shells and trumpets are depicted.
Even nowadays, music plays a big role in the life of the Cretans. In all social and family events, Cretans play their traditional instruments, feast and sing. Also, many Cretan artists record their music. The main instruments used in the performances and recordings are the lyre, the lute, the violin and the mandolin.
The pear-shaped lyre is the preeminent musical instrument of Crete. It is the most popular musical instrument in Crete and is a variant of the Byzantine lyre. It rests on the lyre player's lap and is played with the lyre player either sitting or standing. It usually has 3 strings, made of gut or metal, in Sol-Re-La notes and it is played with a bow that rubs against its strings. Small spherical bells, which have been hung on the bow, are transformed, when played, into a second instrument of rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment.
The lute is usually used as an accompaniment to the lyre. However, its solo capabilities are very great, so, many times, we meet it alone or in pairs. There are great Cretan artists who are masters of the lute. The lute body is circular and made of thin curved boards of cedar or pine closed by a thin plank of wood. It has 8 strings, i.e. 4 pairs corresponding to the notes Sol-Re-La-Mi. It is played with a hand-made pick and is generally difficult to tune.
The violin began to be used in Crete at the end of the 16th century. Until the 1960s it was the most popular musical instrument. Then, some radio producers considered it a classical instrument and not traditional, like the lyre, and stopped featuring it on their shows. Great lyre players began to prevail in the musical consciousness of the place and, soon, the lyre became more popular. Unfortunately, the violin was neglected and the old rhythms that had had the misfortune of being played on a violin were never recorded.
The appearance of the mandolin dates back to the 17th century, during the Venetian period. At the beginning of the 2nd century, it was used as an accompaniment to the lyre. Little by little, it solidified its position as a melody instrument, and today's performers use it more and more.
There are other traditional instruments that are especially beloved. The ascomandura is a wind, pastoral instrument and consists of a wooden pipe-like part that has 5 holes on one side and 5 holes on the other. The wooden part is followed by a pouch made of goat skin. The Cretan daouli is a small drum. The guitar is used in areas of Lasithi and it mainly accompanies the violin. The eight-like shaped viololyra, a combination of the violin and the lyre, was created for the lyre to acquire the techniqual capacity of the violin, but is no longer widely used.
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