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Rhythm instruments
Drums were not used in early rembetika. Rhythm was supplied by the tapping of a foot, or by glasses (such as the small, thick glasses used for ouzo) held two in a hand, clinked together by the movement of opening and closing the hand. Komboloi (worry beads) could also be used as a rhythm instrument: they could be attached to a button on a shirt, then "strummed" with the top of a glass (a unique sound, which can be heard in several songs recorded by Yiovan Tsaous), or the glass could simply be struck with the komboloi. Another option was to tap out the rhythm on the soundboard of another bouzouki or baglama.
Cafe Aman/Smyneika
The Greek, Armenian and Jewish urban musicians who migrated from Asia Minor were more often than not professionals who had performed in the cafes aman or cafes chantants of Smyrna and Constantinople (today Izmir and Istanbul). Some of their instruments, such as the santouri and outi, though known outside of Asia Minor were not really in much use on mainland Greece. When these musicians arrived in Greece, their instruments and musical customs came with them.
Santouri
The santouri is a form of hammered dulcimer. It is an isosceles trapezoid constructed of several types of wood. Its metal strings, which are either doubled, tripled or quadrupled in unison, run lengthwise from right (from the tuning pegs) to left (attached to small nails). These strings encompass a range of over three octaves. (Think about it - a three octave instrument with strings quadrupled means...almost 100 strings! That's a lot of tuning!) It is played by striking the strings with two dampened hammers. A santouri player (santourieris) plays with the instrument on his lap, on a table or suspended by straps from the shoulders.
Tsimbalom
The tsimbalom is similar to the santouri, but it rests on four legs, is a bit larger and generally has a range of over four octaves. It also has a pedal with which the player can control resonance and dynamics.
Kanonaki (Kanun)
The kanonaki is also known as the psaltiri. It has a trapezoidal shape, with a large base approximately three times the size of the top. The right side is perpendicular to the large base, while the left side is at a sharp angle due to the extreme difference in size of the base and top. The soundboard is constructed of wood except for a small portion on the right side of the instrument which is often made of tanned skin; often there is a large soundhole on the wooden side of the soundboard. The strings, which are gut or plastic, stretch from the tuning pegs on the left, across a bridge on the right. Like the santouri, it has a range of a few notes over three octaves. The strings are tuned to the mode needed for a particular song. The kanonaki is a plucked instrument; it is played by plectrums (formerly of tortoise-shell or ox-horn, but today usually of plastic), attached to one or more fingers on each hand by thimble- or ring-like holders. The left hand plays the lower notes while the right hand plays the upper. The sound produced is quieter and less sustained than that of the santouri.
Outi (Ud)
The outi is a form of short-necked lute possibly dating back to the 7th century A.D. and known throughout the Middle East, including Turkey. The instrument was known in Greece, but before the influx of the Asia Minor refugees, its cousin the laouto was more popular. The modern outi has a large bowl approximately 20 inches long, 15 inches across and 8 inches deep. It's neck is about 8 inches long and fretless, and the peg box, which is at a sharp angle to the neck, is about 9 inches in length. The modern Turkish oud (the version used in