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The three-stringed lyra is typical of Crete, although the instrument is also found in mainland Greece. It is similar in shape to a violin, but has a far more rounded, pear-shaped body and the neck is stouter. The lyra player props the instrument on one knee and plays it with a small bow, producing melodies and harmonies that may be merry, martial or melancholy.

The laouta is the Cretan version of the mandolin and is one of the most important instruments for Cretan musicians and composers. It is usually used to provide a backing rhythm for the lyra , and like the lyra is an essential member of any Cretan ensemble. However, the laouta is sometimes also heard as a solo instrument.

The eight-stringed bouzouki is an eastern relative of the guitar and its origins are probably in Asia Minor. Bouzouki music gained popularity in mainland Greece after the exchange of Greek and Turkish populations in the 1920s, but the bouzouki has always been in use in Crete.

The hammer dulcimer or santouri is another import from Asia Minor into Greece, where it was not widely played until the 1920s, though Alexis Zorbas, hero of Zorba the Greek , claimed playing the santouri among his many talents.

Cretan lyra players sometimes attach tiny copper or silver hawk bells to the horsehair bows with which the lyra is played. These little bells, as well as having an ornamental purpose, can be made to provide an occasional lively and rhythmic jingling accompaniment.

The diouli is a small hand drum of wood and goatskin which in a traditional Greek music ensemble represents the entire percussion section.

The voulgari , a Cretan version of the long-necked lute known in Turkey as the saz , was a popular solo instrument in Cretan village music but is rarely heard now.

The askomandoura , or Greek bagpipe, was once a popular instrument around the southern Aegean islands. Like some other seldom heard instruments, it is undergoing a minor revival as a new wave of younger musicians rediscover their musical roots.

The guitar, whether acoustic or (more often) electric, has sadly ousted many of the older instruments and, even at village festivals, weddings and saints days, has become a standard member of the Cretan ensemble.

Not unique to Crete, this stringed instrument was the poor man’s makeshift bouzouki , home-made with a dried gourd or sometimes a tortoiseshell for a sound box and wire strings.