GREEK MUSIC · DIVISION 3 / 20
The askomandoura: breathe that lives in an air bag
Another sound of Crete: listening to continuity and movement.
The askomandoura shows a different side of Crete than the familiar string duo. The instrument breathes into a stock divided with arm and fingers. That simple fact changes the way you can listen to a melody.
A Cretan bagpipe
The Amargianakis archive counts the askomandoura among the bagpipe family. An air bag and a reed pipe together form a system: the player blows air into the pocket and doses the pressure to the sounding part. The archive mentions the instrument between other instruments of Crete. This immediately broadens the musical landscape. Not every opportunity or place needs to have the same occupation. The presence of an instrument in an archive tells us that it is documented; it does not in itself say how many times you will find it all over the island today.
The bag preserves movement
You often hear a voice where someone breathes. With an air bag, that direct connection becomes less easy. The supply and the musical phrase do not need to be interrupted at the same time. Try to find out in a recording where you would expect a breather and what the instrument really does there. Don't put imaginary commas solely on account of your own breath. The continuous sound can give rise to a different tension: a melodic movement is stopped while the current of sound does not seem to stop altogether.
Repeat as working force
A short motive can have a distinct physical effect on several occasions. Listen to the return and ask what really remains the same. Perhaps a small decoration, the length of a tone or the emphasis of a bet changes. Don't count all the notes immediately. First, find the recognizable gesture that connects the repetitions. That is a useful listening method, not a claim that every piece for askomandoura is built up in the same way. An instrument has possibilities; a player and a repertoire determine how these possibilities are exploited in a specific execution.
Another sound requires other words
Words like sharp, dry, humming or penetrating can help to describe your first impression. Use them carefully. They express your perception and are not a value assessment of the instrument or the people who play it. If you hear the sound on a phone, try another speaker or headphone. The difference can be big. A recording chain emphasizes some frequencies and weakens others. Anyone who evaluates an unknown instrument only via a small speaker will also hear the limitations of that device.
Place it next to other horns
The instrument list of the Samiou archive allows comparison with other regional wind instruments. Find similarities in sound duration and differences in the way phrases are delineated. Equal material names or similar silhouettes are not conclusive evidence of one historical route. Let the documentation speak for such questions. For a first comparison a more modest question is enough: what instrument seems to complete a phrase with silence, and what instrument especially with a change within the continuous sound? The answer may vary per shot.
Listen further: the shape of a current
Choose a documented fragment and divide a sheet of paper into three strips. Put on the first where the sound stops, on the second where a melodic thought ends and on the third where a new accent appears. Compare the strips. Are all boundaries coming together? If not, you have a lead to hear how continuity and change work at the same time. Then go to a lyra recording. The difference between bow and air bag becomes more interesting when you judge both by the way a player shapes musical time.
Sources & Listen inputs
- University of Crete instrument archive
Description and archive entries for the instruments of Crete; refer to performer and date when recording.
- Domna Samiou List of instruments
Instrument names and descriptions; access to the documentation of its own fieldwork and execution archive.
Sources checked for 29 October 2026. The listening questions are newly written exercises; they do not attribute a predetermined result to a recording. The external archive pages contain where available their own audio or video.