Where to Find Free Greek Folk Music

Looking for some free Greek folk music? Here are a few great places to find it!

Introduction

Greek folk music (often simply called folk music or Greek folk music) is the traditional music of the Greek people. It covers a wide range of styles from the Antiquity to the present day, but it is fundamentally based on the music of the Byzantine Empire, which itself was founded on Roman, Hellenistic and Eastern musical traditions. This article will introduce you to some of the best sources for free Greek folk music.

The first and most obvious place to start your search for free Greek folk music is on YouTube. There are literally thousands of videos of Greek folk songs and dances uploaded by both professional and amateur musicians from Greece and around the world. You can find everything from traditional Greek lullabies to modern renditions of classic Greek folk tunes. Simply searching for “Greek folk music” will yield a wealth of results, but you can also try more specific searches such as “Greek wedding music” or “Greek island music.”

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive selection of free Greek folk music, your best bet is to visit one of the many websites that offer streaming audio or downloads. A quick Google search will help you find plenty of options, but some good places to start include Last.fm, Jamendo and Free Music Archive. These sites all offer a wide variety of Greek folk songs, both traditional and modern, and in many cases you can even download tracks for offline listening.

Finally, don’t forget that there are many radio stations that specialize in playing only Greek music, bothfolk and contemporary. If you have access to a streaming radio service such as Pandora or Spotify, you can simply search for “Greek radio” to find stations like Radio Hortearnedes (based in Thessaly) or Ellinika Tragoudia (based in Athens). Alternatively, if you have a satellite radio subscription, you may be able to find a station like Mad Radio 106.2 which offers 24-hour coverage of all things Greece!

Traditional Greek Folk Music

Traditional Greek Folk music (νεοχορδισμός neochoródismós, “new choralism”, also “neo-nomism”) is a form of Folk music that developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the Greek-speaking world. In its early years, it was closely related to the local music of southern Greece (especially the music of Crete and the Dodecanese), but it soon incorporated elements of Western music and developed into a distinctive style.

Rebetiko

Rebetiko, sometimes spelled Rebetica, is a subgenre of Greek music that originated in the urban port cities of Asia Minor, Smyrna (Izmir) and Constantinople (Istanbul), in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The music was influenced by the music of the Ottoman Empire and Balkans, as well as traditional Byzantine music and classical music.

Rebetiko quickly spread throughout Greece after World War I, when musicians from Asia Minor settled in large numbers in Piraeus and other port cities. The style became widely popular among Greeks of all social classes, including the working class youth who gravitated to it as a form of musical expression.

The most important rebetiko instrument is the bouzouki, a long-necked lute-like instrument that is strummed with a pick. Other instruments used in rebetiko include the violin, guitar, oud (a Middle Eastern lute), clarinet, and santouri (a hammered dulcimer).

The best place to find free Greek folk music is on YouTube. There are many channels dedicated to rebetiko and other Greek folk music genres. You can also find free Greek folk music on websites like Last.fm and Soundcloud.

Laika

Laïká (Greek: λαϊκά [laika] plural λαϊκά, laiká, literally “people’s music”) is a Greek word referring to popular music.[1][2] It is a catch-all term that includes various genres of music from the times when it was unrecorded and performed mostly in villages and small towns, before the rise of stars who would bring laïká to the Greek city after World War II. Laïká has also come to mean popular song, as opposed to classical music.

The main characteristic of laïká is its diversity, as it encompasses a wide range of styles that have been maturing side by side for centuries. Therefore, despite its folkloric character,[3] there are few genuine folk songs in the strict sense of the word. Instead, most laïka songs can be traced back to commercial traditions dating back to the beginning of recorded music in Greece. This makes tracing the evolution of laïká very difficult and largely reliant on conjecture.

Sousta

Sousta (Greek: σουστά) is a traditional Greek folk dance of the Aegean Islands, Crete, and Dodecanese. It is usually danced to music with an up-tempo 4/4 or 6/8 meter. The dance is danced in couples holding hands, in a large circle, with the dancers making fluid movement and changes of direction.

Contemporary Greek Folk Music

Skyladika

Skyladika is a type of contemporary Greek folk music that is characterized by its use of the bouzouki (a six-stringed instrument), as well as elements of Western pop music. Skyladika is popular among both young and old Greeks, and can be heard in clubs and bars throughout Greece.

Pote Tin Kyriaki

Pote tin kyriaki is a Greek folk song that is often performed at weddings and other special occasions. The name of the song translates to “Sunday Morning”, and it is typically played on the bouzouki, a traditional Greek instrument.

If you are interested in finding free Greek folk music, there are a few resources that you can use. One option is to search forGreek folk music on YouTube. You can also find numerous websites that offer free downloads of Greek folk songs. Finally, there are a number of radio stations that broadcast Greek folk music, both in Greece and internationally.

Where to Find Free Greek Folk Music

Greek folk music is a genre of music that is typically characterized by a strong melody and simple but poetic lyrics. It is often upbeat and lively, and can be a great way to get acquainted with Greek culture. If you’re interested in finding some free Greek folk music, there are a few places you can look.

Online

There are many great sources for free Greek folk music online. You can find stations that specialize in this genre, as well as websites and blogs that feature streaming music.

Some of the best places to find free Greek folk music online include:

-Folk radio stations: There are a number of radio stations that specialize in folk music from Greece. You can usually find these stations streaming live online. Some examples include Radio Epirus and Radio Komponisto.

-Websites and blogs: There are also many websites and blogs that feature streaming Greek folk music. These can be a great way to discover new artists and find new music to enjoy. Some examples include The OFreek Music Blog and Greek Folk Radio.

-YouTube: YouTube can also be a great source for free Greek folk music. There are many channels that feature this type of music, and you can usually find full albums or compilations being streamed for free. Some examples include Folklorica Greece and Greek Folk Music TV.

Offline

If you want to download some Greek folk music to your computer or mobile device, there are a few ways to do it. One is to buy tracks or albums from online music stores like iTunes or Amazon. You can also find free music on websites like Last.fm and Free Music Archive.

Another option is to rip CDs that you already own, or ones that you borrow from friends or family. To do this, you’ll need a computer with a CD player and software that can rip audio files (also called “ripping”). Once you have the files on your computer, you can transfer them to your device using iTunes or another music management program.

If you don’t mind streaming rather than downloading, there are several internet radio stations that play Greek folk music, like Radio Paranoid and Radio Hellenic Wave. You can also find streaming Greek folk music on Pandora and Spotify.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if you want to find free Greek folk music, there are many sources available online. You can find websites that offer streaming music, downloads, and even radio stations that play traditional Greek music. With a little bit of searching, you should be able to find the perfect place to enjoy this unique and interesting genre of music.