Author Topic: New Mandolin.... (Read 1061 times)

Whathefunk · « **on:** November 07, 2005, 07:40:41 pm »

So my roomate had this waiting for me when he got back to school yesterday. I wasn\'t completely sure at first, being a devout(sp?) 6 string guitar player for the past 3 years, but i\'ve decided that its an electric mandolin. It was his grandfather\'s and it looks fairly new, but anyway i just figured i would tune it with my guitar tuner cause i really had no idea where to begin with the doubled strings

so anyway heres my question(s)....

1) it sounds allright tuned like a guitar but not sure if thats really hows its done....so if anyone (lookin at you sean) wants to give me some online pointers on how to tune or play this thing a lil bit i would more than appreciate it

:biggrin:
-Mike

dawgmusic · « **Reply #1 on:** November 07, 2005, 07:57:32 pm »

Quote from: Whathefunk

So my roomate had this waiting for me when he got back to school yesterday. I wasn\'t completely sure at first, being a devout(sp?) 6 string guitar player for the past 3 years, but i\'ve decided that its an electric mandolin. It was his grandfather\'s and it looks fairly new, but anyway i just figured i would tune it with my guitar tuner cause i really had no idea where to begin with the doubled strings

so anyway heres my question(s)....

1) it sounds allright tuned like a guitar but not sure if thats really hows its done....so if anyone (lookin at you sean) wants to give me some online pointers on how to tune or play this thing a lil bit i would more than appreciate it

:biggrin:
-Mike

it\'s an electric mando. Don\'t tune it like a guitar...you need a chromatic tuner. Strings are tuned as this:

top to bottom
GG
DD
AA
EE

They aren\'t tuned in octaves, they are tuned to the same pitch. Lemme know if you need any other tips Mike.

boombox · « **Reply #2 on:** November 07, 2005, 08:06:10 pm »

You can have a lot of fun with a mandolin - giving it to a classically trained violinist is usually a worthwhile exercise. Better still, once you\'ve mastered a few chords, pick up said classically trained violinist\'s favourite Stradivarius and play Wild Thing on it!!

FrankZappa · « **Reply #3 on:** November 08, 2005, 01:17:26 pm »

for those of you who have a keen eye, you will notice that a mandolin is the same stringing as a 4 string bass - just upside down
bass - EADG
mandolin - GDAE

the only other difference is the octave discpalcment and of course the size. On a bass the E is the thickest string and the G the thinest, on a mandolin it\'s reversed. Being a bassist who was left handed and could play with strings reversed or not, I found the mandolin extremely easy to pick up. The only problem was that the chords sounded quite unique because of the octave displacement.

obsession600 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 08, 2005, 01:35:17 pm »

Quote from: boombox

You can have a lot of fun with a mandolin - giving it to a classically trained violinist is usually a worthwhile exercise. Better still, once you\'ve mastered a few chords, pick up said classically trained violinist\'s favourite Stradivarius and play Wild Thing on it!!

I always ended up playing Iron Man on the violin. :violin:

shadygroove · « **Reply #5 on:** November 08, 2005, 01:45:04 pm »

Quote

for those of you who have a keen eye, you will notice that a mandolin is the same stringing as a 4 string bass - just upside down
bass - EADG
mandolin - GDAE

the only other difference is the octave discpalcment and of course the size. On a bass the E is the thickest string and the G the thinest, on a mandolin it\'s reversed. Being a bassist who was left handed and could play with strings reversed or not, I found the mandolin extremely easy to pick up. The only problem was that the chords sounded quite unique because of the octave displacement.

This is very true, when I first picked up my mandolin I was told to picture it as a guitar only backwards. After plucking around for a few days I found it to be even more satisfying then a guitar (perhaps because I\'m left handed yet play righty).

Quote

once you\'ve mastered a few chords, pick up said classically trained violinist\'s favourite Stradivarius and play Wild Thing on it!!

Another amazing mandolin transition would include anything by Boston... quite simple to give it that bluegrassy twain.