The maximum number of strings that a mandolin … The first to fourth string of a banjo in G tuning are exactly an octave apart, mandolin strings are almost two octaves apart so you'll need more spread in your string gauges. Strings/Courses: 12/4 Further notes:A Mandriola is a Mandolin with tripled courses of strings for 12 in total. Tap to unmute. I'm guessing the strings come in pairs to make tremolo picking easier since a mandolin cannot hold a note very long. I don't know if anyone has done this for mandolin, but I have a fiddle with special octave strings designed to be tuned one octave below standard tuning. The strings would break.Was the G higher pitch than D? Extremely unlikely. It's tuning is, it is true, an octave below the mandolin, but that just means that it is in the modern Tenor Instrument range. I doubt it. Watch later. Could you expand a little more on what kind of strings I should be looking at and such? As long as you are tuning the strings down an octave, you won't be doing any harm to the neck. It is not octave tuned. level 2 The octave mandola (sometimes called an octave mandolin) is tuned an octave below the mandolin, GDAE. The standard mandolin tuning is the same as violin tuning: G-D-A-E, from low to high. A subreddit for the wonderful world of mandolin. I think this phase is pretty short on a steel string! Occasionally they do have the extra string tuned an octave down in all 4 courses, but it would be a stretch to call this reentrant tuning; and it certainly is not true of the vast (99+%) majority of mandolins which have 8 strings with 4 courses of unison pairs. I'm warning you now: it will sound pretty cool. It is the soprano member of a family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello and mandobass. It has four couples of strings, each couple of the same gauge. I do it every now and then, but the lower octave will rattle and usually fret out of tune. We use cookies on our websites for a number of purposes, including analytics and performance, functionality and advertising. If you tuned both G strings to the octave above, either the strings would break, or your mando would get damaged. That way you could buy heavier and lighter stings as needed, one tuned a little higher than normal, one tuned a little lower than normal. Irish Bouzouki is almost the same scale length as a banjo, and often tuned an octave below a mandolin so you might want to get an Irish Bouzouki string set. My instrument is strung up proper octave mandolin style i.e. The tension would be too low to use OM strings tuned an octave below a standard mandolin, on a standard scale mandolin. A guitar has 6 single strings, and a mandolin has 4 pairs of strings, with each pair tuned to the same pitch. Agree with Tom C. It's impossible. Notation for these instruments is all written in "real" pitch. I'm warning you now: it will sound pretty cool. I'm not an expert on the strength of the neck, but I probably still wouldn't do it even if the Internet said it was ok. that's what I wanted to do, tune the bottom string of each set down an octave and leave the top string of each set in standard mandolin tuning. The breaking of strings comes with a warning. Press J to jump to the feed. The scale length is easy enough to master when playing tunes, but equally it’s a great sound for chord backing. Here is an example. The 2nd string is A. This meant each string was doubled and tuned the same, unlike a twelve string guitar in which the lower four strings are an octave apart. The melodious sound of mandolin was produced when the strings plucked with a plectrum. GDAE: Mandolin tuning. The octave mandolin uses a combination of 4 strings which are pair together such as G, D, A, E. usually the size of octave mandolin is smaller than mandocello but immense than a mandola. You need to use thinner strings for the octave up, and I don't know if you can find strings thin enough for the E or maybe even A strings. You could include a low b and a low e, but that would then mean that the E and B strings were essentially an octave below the other strings, the B string would now be lower than the G … The octave mandolin (US and Canada), termed the octave mandola in Britain and Ireland and mandola in continental Europe, is tuned an octave below the mandolin: G 2 –D 3 –A 3 –E 4. However it is not tuned (low to high) CGDA, but GDAE, that is the same of the mandolin one octave below, so someone told me that it should be called "octave mandolin". That seems impossible to do. Usually, apart from the G string, other upper mandolin strings have high pitches, which some times struggle the guitar tuners from recognizing them perfectly. Including a 1 octave up b and e could be cool, it's just not really possible on a guitar with a normal scale length. A Few may also call these sawmill tunings. That being said, you could probably put in a high G and maybe the high D in there and get away with it. Sobell Mandola tuned as Octave Mandolin - YouTube. Thanks for the help so far! now that is what a engineer can understand..thanks all. ... that way because each in each pair the strings are an octave apart. Info. Strings binding The main frustration of mandolin tuning, particularly with bluegrass instruments, is that the strings always bind in the nut and bridge slots. Copy link. You can have you mandolin tuned to concert pitch one day, to find that by the following evening the whole instrument has gone sharp or flat. G strings at the octave would combine to give you over 330lbs of tension with the other strings tuned normally. there’s only a half step between B and C, and a half step between E and F. The notes repeat after 12 frets (an octave). Modern mandolins for the most part have evolved into instuments with eight strings and double courses. It is an excellent instrument if you find a mandolin too small or want more volume. already has a Guitar (? The mandola, though now rarer, is an ancestor of the mandolin. :), New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. While most mandolins at the time were made in the Italian style, with a multi-piece bowl-shaped back and mostly flat canted top, Gibson developed mandolins that drew inspiration from violins, which feature gently arched tops and back… That is, your mandolin's A strings in standard tuning are tuned to 440 Hz. I'm pretty new to that. The octave mandolin is commonly tuned an octave below the mandolin as its name suggests so why some call it an octave mandola or tenor mandola is a bit of a mystery but very common in the UK. The 3rd string is D. The next set of strings (the 3rd course) is tuned to “D”. Share. To complement both methods, we carry phosphor bronze, 80/20 bronze, stainless steel, silk & steel and silk and bronze wound mandolin strings. It commonly has four courses of doubled metal strings tuned in unison (8 strings), although five (10 strings) and six (12 strings) course versions also exist. Do you use mandola strings when you do it? Technique, Theory, Playing Tips and Tricks. Just play each string open, you don't have to fret anything. how would I check string guages? If you read, some people coming from guitar get a bit confused as they forget that guitar is written transposed up an octave, the mando/violin instrument families are written in concert (real) pitch, apart from the bass (which is also an octave transposition). If you get the standard A=440 fork, ping it on your elbow & touch the base to your bridge, you get your A string tone at the right octave. I did this once on a cheap-o regular mandolin. No experience with it, but I'd think that if you'd tune one up an octave it would be very likely to snap. E & A in unison, G & D in octave pairs. Still handy to have a good ole tuning fork in your case. If you have a piano handy, the fourth strings (lowest pitch, thickest strings) are tuned to the first G below middle C. The gent. The most obvious difference between a guitar and a mandolin is the string configuration. I left the E strings tuned the same; I tuned the A’s up a tone to B. I swopped the courses of the octave pairs G & D creating a re-entrant tuning situation. I know that a mandolin comes in four pairs of strings. Knowing what you now know, you should be able to work your way up the mandolin neck on any string and name the note at each fret. Steel strings… I've been trying to google it, but I just keep getting results for octave mandolins. It is larger than the mandola, but smaller than the mandocello and its construction is similar to other instruments in the mandolin family. I'm trying to take one string from each set down an octave, not up. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I will set up a recording if I do get this right. The Genoese mandolin was tuned an octave higher than the guitar. the tension eight strings put on a new mandolin's top, bridge, and also neck is actually twice that will exerted by way of a fiddle's four. You might try half a set of mandolin strings and half a set of mandola strings (using mandola strings for the G', D', and A' but both mandolin strings for the EE'). Quick transition from 1 to 3 in my experience...? The term octave mandolin seems to have American origins and fits in with the mandolin, mandola, mandocello nomenclature. The mandola (US and Canada) or tenor mandola (Ireland and UK) is a fretted, stringed musical instrument.It is to the mandolin what the viola is to the violin: the four double courses of strings tuned in fifths to the same pitches as the viola (C-G-D-A low-to-high), a fifth lower than a mandolin. Cool I do have other tuners one is for a guitar. x) sorry. Post a recording if you do this. The A string on a 6-string guitar is tuned to 110 Hz, for example. I do however understand the problem, & i've often wondered why the electronic tuners don't have an in-built 'pitch pipe' sound along with the indicator. Sometimes the middle string of the 3 of each is tuned to an octave. Its relationship to the mandolin is that of the tenor violin to the violin, or the tenor saxophone to the soprano saxophone. This requires a .056" or .058" C string, the rest of the octave set moves up to the next higher course. With mounting expansion, metal goes through three phases: 2 - plastic phase. that each consecutive note is a half step apart. DGBE: Guitar tuning. I'm okay tuning down a fifth, but I don't know my string guage or how to check or what string guage I would need, etc. It’s a fine-sounding instrument, tuned like an octave mandolin on the lowest-piched four strings (GDAe), and the highest (first) string is tuned to a b - everything is in fifths: GDAeb. The tuning for the bouzouki is G-D-A-E, and like the octave mandolin, the finger pattern for the bouzouki due to the length of the neck is more like a guitar than that of a mandolin (1 finger per fret). the frets on your mandolin are a half step apart. GDGD tuning is a fantastic deal easier on a mandolin when compared with AEAE. Just follow the picture for each individual string and tune the string until it matches the keyboard or piano. The octave mandolin is a fretted string instrument with four pairs of strings tuned in fifths, G − D − A − E (low to high), an octave below a mandolin. The octave mandola is a good compromise between mandolin and bouzouki. European Lutes were usually multi-coursed, so they had either double string courses tuned to the same pitch, or octave courses–double strings tuned to the same note, an octave apart. We fit heavier strings to allow for the fact that it is an octave below the mandolin and has a longer scale length). I'm interested in running like a GG' DD' AA' EE' or something to that effect. As long as you are tuning the strings down an octave, you won't be doing any harm to the neck. (Or press it lightly on the top of your skull.) Sobell Mandola tuned as Octave Mandolin. Been having a discussion with a gent about fiddles and why I broke a the g string. Handy to have one in case you get caught without a good battery for your tuner. It would be cool to hear. The string pairing results in a much thinner fingerboard compared with a guitar, so the first order of business was shaping the neck. Sixteen Strings: Take It To The Max. Most commercially available acoustic mandolins fall into one of two body styles: A-style or F-style. A gadget like that would (should) be pretty fool-proof. This instrument is often used in Mexican folk music and can be tuned in unison or octave, which again separates it from the rest of the mandolin family, as they can only be tuned in unison. So instead of the notes GDAE, us CGDA. ‘G’ 4th pair, ‘D’ 3rd pair, ‘A’ 2nd pair, and ‘E’ 1st pair (This is the same tuning as the mandolin above, but an octave below. Mandolin strings are in 4 pairs of 2 strings that are tuned to the same note. Most standard guitar tuners can tune a mandolin since they can recognize the pitch irrespective of the octave as long as you follow basic principles. The lenght is 51 cm. Notation for these instruments is all written in "real" pitch. You can choose to have your mandola in octave or unison stringing. This particular additional tension tends in order to make raising programs in pitch risky. Or would I need to get a specific mandolin for that or specific strings? The only difference being the bottom two strings tend to be tuned an octave apart like that of a 12-string guitar. B and E are the same string, because you can't really get a string thin enough to be tightened that high AND sound full (while still keeping a low enough string tension to not break the instrument). So, I think you're probably OK on the mando tuning. Using a good on-line tuner and your ear is a good idea. Do you have the option to tune one mando down an octave? The other option would be to detune the whole instrument down a fifth, so your strings would be CC'GG'DD'(AA), and cross-check your string gauges with what you'd put on a guitar playing the same notes. The only difference is that the mandolin has eight strings, but the violin has only four. View Full Version : String and tuning them to what octave ? Tuned to the same pitch as a violin in a G-D-A-E, the mandolin is played, or chopped, for chordal accompaniment or played with tremolo. The octave mandola is a good compromise between mandolin and bouzouki. 1965 Vox Mando Guitar In 1965 Vox Musical Instruments created the Vox Mando Guitar, sometimes known as the Octave Twelve. Double the frequency and you're up one octave. Did you tune the DAE an octave higher also? Mandolin emerges in Italy at the end of 17 th century. OM strings are designed for a ~20" - ~24" scale. It would give you what you're looking for sonically. EDIT: Whoops guys, I guess I should reiterate, I'm not trying to tune it an octave higher, I want to take the standard mandolin tuning and tune the bottom string and octave LOWER. We fit heavier strings to allow for the fact that it is an octave below the mandolin and has a longer scale length). - he has a Guitar tuner) & i'm sure he's used to tuning it,so why the problem with a Mandolin ?.The Guitar G & the Mandolin G frequency are the same @ 196 Hz. Expansion goes up, but tension stays the same. Irreversible. Shopping. Does it still fret out of tune then? I'm new to stringed instruments and I don't even know the guage on my mandolin set right now. Capoing at the seventh fret returns you to a short scale (15 1/4") octave mandolin where all your usual mandolin fingerings are easily reached. Could'nt you feel the stress on the instrument? The courses are normally tuned in a succession of perfect fifths. That tells us what pitch, or note each course of strings is tuned to . These styles were created by Orville Gibson, the founder of Gibson, in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The result is a DGBE tuning. Sorry, maybe I annotated that wrong. An octave-strung mandola has the strings for the two lower courses an octave apart. The 4th string is G. On our mandolin, the 4th string (the thickest course of strings) is tuned to the note “G” (the G just below middle C on a piano). In general , the mandolin's range is an octave or more higher than the guitar (higher frequency). On a mandolin, you tune each “course,” or pair, of strings to the same pitch, so the mandolin’s tuning is really G-G-D-D-A-A-E-E. You might try half a set of mandolin strings and half a set of mandola strings (using mandola strings for the G', D', and A' but both mandolin strings for the EE'). On a 12-string acoustic guitar (EADGBE) you're only running higher octaves on EADG. http://www.get-tuned.com/online_mandolin_tuner.php. Therefore when you play you actually play the same notes in different octaves at the same time. Why not split the difference?