The laouto (Greek: λαούτο, plural: λαούτα) is a long-necked, fretted instrument in the lute family. It is found in Greece and Cyprus and looks similar to the oud. The laouto has four double-strings. It is played mostly like the oud, using a long plectrum to pluck the strings. In Cyprus, it is plucked with a feather. This instrument is known in Albania as "llautë" (indefinite form) or "llauta" (definite form), and in Romania as "lăuta."

Construction

The laouto is different from the oud and other short-necked lutes because it has steel strings and a longer neck, which create higher string tension. This makes the laouto's sound brighter than the oud. It also has movable frets that allow players to perform dromoi, which are traditional Greek musical modes. The laouto usually has one sound hole (sometimes two), while the oud family typically has three. However, the laouto and oud share many similarities in design and use.

The soundboard of the laouto is often made of spruce or cedar wood, while the body is usually made of harder woods like maple or walnut. This construction method is common among other round-backed lutes.

The laouto’s neck has 11 removable frets that can be repositioned to adjust intervals. These frets are made of nylon, similar to the gut or nylon frets found on lutes. Up to nine wooden frets are fixed on the soundboard. The spacing between the frets may be closer together than on a guitar, allowing the playing of maqams.

Traditionally, the laouto used gut strings, but modern versions often use steel or steel-wound nylon strings, similar to those on the bouzouki.

Tuning

The laouto has strings that are mostly paired and tuned an octave apart. Except for the first pair (A4A4), which are tuned in unison, the other pairs are spaced in fifths (C3C4-G3G4-D3D4-A4A4). One special tuning feature is the re-entrant tuning, where the G3G4 pair is a fourth lower than the C3C4 pair.

Two main modern versions of the laouto exist. The smaller one is common in mainland Greece and is called the steriano laouto. The larger version, with a wider body, is found on the island of Crete and is called the Cretan laouto (or lagouto in Greek). The Cretan laouto is often tuned to G2G3-D2D3-A2A3-E3E3, and its re-entrant tuning remains a key feature because the D2D3 pair is a fourth lower than the G2G3 pair. In Cyprus, the Cypriot laouto is tuned to C-G-D-A.

The laouto is primarily used to accompany other instruments in Greek traditional music. It is often played in pairs, with one laouto tuned lower than the other, alongside the Cretan lyra or violin in Cyprus.

Notable players

• Giannis Haroulis
• Evagoras Karageorgis
• Vasilis Kostas
• Thanasis Papakonstantinou
• Yiannis Xylouris , also known as Psaroyiannis
• Giorgos Xylouris
• Christos Zotos
• Thor Algren
• Maria Ploumi
• Giorgos Manolakis
• Dimitris Sideris
• Nikos Aggrlopoulos
• Apostolos Valsamas
• Dimitris Pelitaris