Mandolins & other stringed instruments
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Mandolins & other stringed instruments
I've been playing Guitar sometimes Bass & bit of Keyboards for years & was wondering about Mandolins & similar instruments.
Bluegrass & Celtic Mandolins sound good, how are they tuned, four pairs of strings like a 12 string guitar, what notes?
Sorry for asking but I don't know any local players so any help would be welcome about any similar instruments that a guitarist could learn?
Bluegrass & Celtic Mandolins sound good, how are they tuned, four pairs of strings like a 12 string guitar, what notes?
Sorry for asking but I don't know any local players so any help would be welcome about any similar instruments that a guitarist could learn?
Destroy DJ Rap & Synths / Robot Music!
Mandolin is tuned in fifths. G-D-A-E low to high. The pairs of strings are tuned in unison. Like guitar, not hard to learn, just difficult to master. You can test the waters pretty cheaply these days. Just go out & pick up a mandolin chord book & you're on your way.
Also check out the best mandolin resource on the Web, Mandolin Cafe: http://www.mandolincafe.com/
Good Luck,
Bill
Also check out the best mandolin resource on the Web, Mandolin Cafe: http://www.mandolincafe.com/
Good Luck,
Bill
Our local music store owner (& guitar player) found the standard tuning awkward (to his guitar playing mind) & tuned his lefty style (E A D G) so as to play the chords guitar fashion.
I've often wanted to take a swipe at playing some other instruments, mandolin & bouzouki (and it's cousins) particularly.
I've often wanted to take a swipe at playing some other instruments, mandolin & bouzouki (and it's cousins) particularly.
Plus five minus five!
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- hieronymous
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I'm terrible on a mandolin as soon as I stray from just playing chords. Every time I switch strings, I'm two frets off from where I expected to be and my brain just doesn't seem to ever make the conversion. My brother is a Mandolin player and has a stack of electrics, both four and eight string and you can get some pretty cool sounds out of an electric one. He has one Jetglo Ric (gorgeous, of course), a couple Godins (very nice), a couple Epiphone Mandobirds (very cool for about $200, but expect to have the nut replaced and pro set-up before it plays decently), the Telecaster bodied kit I built for him (not bad for the money), a solid body custom-built one from John Mann and he has a neck-through hollow-bodied one that John Mann just finished on the way that's really pretty (don't tell his wife - at least they're small and easy to hide...). The boy can make some seriously high-pitched sounds with that armada! Next time he comes up to visit we're going to try them through the JangleBox, which should be interesting.
Mann Hollow body:
Mann Hollow body:
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- melibreits
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I played violin when I was in high school, so I thought it would be easy to learn to play mandolin....and it is, if I'm just playing notes, LOL! I get totally lost trying to play chords, though. But I suppose if I ever do learn mando chords, I'll also be able to fiddle country-style!
"Once I've held and played the best, baby, I won't settle for less!"
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- philipharris
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