@ΓιωργοςΦ Your thought is very appealing, and the temptation you’ve fallen into is entirely understandable. In my view, buying a second instrument is not excessive, provided it does not end up as a decorative object on the wall, but remains a living means of expression.
I know quite a few musicians who maintain a collection of instruments, and the reason is not quantity, but the different personality each one offers. In your case, the trichordo and the tetrachordo do not compete with each other; they complement one another.
The trichordo has that authentic, Dorian and dry sound identified with traditional rebetiko. The tetrachordo, on the other hand, offers the harmonic flexibility, speed and rich sound required by post-war and more recent laïko repertoire (from Hiotis and Zabetas through to later laïko ensembles).
Moving from one instrument to the other forces you to think about music differently.
The trichordo’s tuning (D-A-D) favours a modal approach to music (the dromoi) and a drone. Your ear is trained to hear the melodic line in depth: the microtones, the inflections and the ornaments above the fundamental note of D (if we leave aside the douzenia tunings). The tetrachordo (C-F-A-D) introduces a fourth course and, with it, chordal harmony, giving you a much more complete picture. Your ear learns to perceive chord changes, transitions and the rich harmonic sequences of mainly Western music. As a result, you develop a comprehensive ear that can perceive both the melodic Dorian character (with the trichordo) and the harmonic complexity (with the tetrachordo) of a piece. In the left hand, the trichordo, because it has fewer courses, forces you to move “along” the fretboard, developing speed over large position shifts, whereas on the tetrachordo the additional course provides breadth, requiring economy of movement, different finger stretches and the use of closed chord shapes. With the right hand, the trichordo requires a sharp, deep pick attack, with emphasis on rhythm and snap. The tetrachordo calls for lighter, faster picking to serve the quick passages and accompaniments. When you play only one instrument for years, your fingers move mechanically through muscle memory. You play “patterns” your hand has learnt, without necessarily thinking about the notes at that moment. Switching from D-A-D to C-F-A-D takes you off autopilot. When you move from one to the other, the same melodies appear in different places and at different frets. You cannot rely on ready-made “fingerings”. You are forced to think actively about the note and the melody, freeing yourself from technical shortcuts. Essentially, this alternation transforms you from a performer who relies on finger memory into a conscious musician who understands the geometry of the fretboard and the essence of each melody.
If you feel that your creativity is expressed better by playing rebetika on the trichordo and laïko songs on the tetrachordo, then the new instrument will open up paths that the trichordo simply cannot cover.
So, if you have the means and, above all, the desire to devote study time to both, do not hesitate at all. Searching for a luthier and waiting for the instrument to be delivered are, in themselves, part of the magic.
I hope you make the decision happily, and happy picking!
