Just for a Chuckle-- Why don't people recognize a mandolin?

[lflngpicker]

I have run into it before-- played my mandolin in a public performance today along side my son on a Martin acoustic guitar. I had several people express appreciation for our set, but the comments were interesting when they asked about my F-style mandolin. One said, "What kind of small guitar is that?" And an experienced pianist asked me if I had played a Ukulele. Anyone else come across this as often as I do? I am not playing for a crowd of people that play instruments, generally, so their information is based in their experience as audience members, I suppose.

[Steve VandeWater]

I hear it all the time. People ask about my "ukulele". I even see listings on Craigslist and ebay for ukuleles thst are actually mandos. Funny

[PaulBills]

I think my signature pretty much sums it up...

[multidon]

The mandolin is not alone in this by any means. As a retired public school music teacher and a former university adjunct professor, I can honestly say that very little is taught to children about folk instruments. Emphasis is knowledge of traditional Western orchestral instruments. The general public is incredibly ignorant as a result. Yes they recognize ukuleles because there is somewhat of a Renaissance. But I have gigged with hammered dulcimer, Celtic lap harp, mandolin, tenor guitar, and bowed psaltery. All of the above produce a glazed over look which tells me they have no clue. But in my optimistic way I look at it as an opportunity to educate and enlighten. I patiently answer all questions about my instruments.

[Jandante]

I know a few people beginning mandolin around here.

[OldSausage]

I've encountered this a few times. I've begun to suspect that many people feign ignorance in their desperation to strike up a conversation.

[bratsche]

I had several people express appreciation for our set, but the comments were interesting when they asked about my F-style mandolin. One said, "What kind of small guitar is that?"

That's the first thing I thought the first time I ever saw an F-style, even though I already knew about mandolins and even had a wallhanger bowlback sitting on my shelf. Had to get close enough to count the strings, but even then it sure didn't look like my idea of a mandolin!

bratsche

[mandocaster]

I would never do this, but I have been tempted to fabricate info. "It's a raphoon, ma'am. You know, the smallest member of the trombone family."

[William Smith]

Yep. I've heard it loads from gals at various gigs, "wow look at the tiny guitar" or " "is that a tiny/small guitar". Never been asked by a guy? The guys usually are cocky that don't know and say " thats a Uke!" WOW. But I guess I wouldn't be able to correctly Id certain instruments.

[Londy]

Happens all the time. It amazing how often it happens.

[Bslot0622]

[Marc Ferry]

As a retired public school music teacher and a former university adjunct professor, I can honestly say that very little is taught to children about folk instruments. Emphasis is knowledge of traditional Western orchestral instruments. The general public is incredibly ignorant as a result.

Multidon, I couldn't agree more. As a current grade school student, I find it absurd and wrong that kids are only exposed to classical (and sometimes jazz). There is so much more music out there! And besides, I'm sure lots of young kids would love bluegrass... it sure is more fun than Bach!

[Londy]

A while ago, I was at the airport in Nashville with my Collings in hand and while in line boarding the plane I felt a LOT of eyes on me. Someone finally asked me if that was a banjo.

[bart mcneil]

I have had the same or similar experiences as I often practice in the car or outside when waiting or my wife. Mandolins are in fact fairly rare birds and unless you are looking for one they are kind of hard to find or notice. Most instrument stores favor guitars over mandolins maybe 50 to 1. if one is not interested in music or in particular stringed instruments, ignorance about mandolins is pretty universal. To ask about that "little guitar" is a pretty reasonable question. When I try to explain or describe it I often compare it to a guitar (which they are familiar with) and discuss its differences,

[OldSausage]

To ask about that "little guitar" is a pretty reasonable question.

Enabler.

[Jim]

A friends girlfriend, after hearing me perform, told him that my "little guitar" really suits me. Not sure what to make of that.

[TheMandoKit]

Not to disagree with those who have expressed dissatisfaction with the general lack of knowledge of "folk" instruments, but to be fair, those of us who play or are interested in mandolin are a fairly small group. Most people (at least in western culture) would recognize an instrument with a rounded body shape, a neck and strings, held horizontally, as something sort of like a guitar. I am not surprised that the average non-musician would have trouble sorting that into guitar, ukelele (or at least baritone uke), tenor guitar, cittern, bouzouki, octave mandolin, mandocello, or any of a lot of other similar-sized or shaped instruments. Confusing a small, horizontally-held stringed instrument like a uke with a mandolin is also not that difficult to understand.

On the other hand, a person I know who is quite a fine musician pointed to my Old Wave F-4 and asked how long I had been playing banjo. I asked how long she had been tone-deaf.

[DHopkins]

Believe it or not, I had a man who claimed to be knowledgeable about music ask what kind of fiddle I was playing. When I told him it was a mandolin, he said, "Oh, okay," and walked away.

[Ron McMillan]

Because, in the greater scheme of things, its significance in world music (and, therefore, the awareness it inspires) is pretty limited.

[JeffD]

Many folks recognize a bowl back as either a "mandolin" or a "lute". When I explain that my "little guitar" is a mandolin I often get "Oh, I thought a mandolin had a round back".


Good friends of mine, that I see regularly twice a year, ask if I am still playing that "banjolukee".

I would tell them that the case contains tennis rackets except nobody, upon casual inspection, would confuse me for an athlete.

[allenhopkins]

Problem w/mandolins is that they come in a variety of shapes, unlike, say, violin, acoustic guitar, trombone, bassoon, et. al. Several times while playing an F-model, I've had people ask "what instrument is that?" -- and when I reply, "mandolin," they'll say, "My grandfather (or someone in the family, friend, whatever) had/has a mandolin, but it doesn't look like that."

Apparently Grandpa's mandolin is/was a bowl-back, or an A-model, and true, it doesn't look like an F-5. So non-recognition is understandable. We can point out the similarities in size, number of strings, tuning -- but to a musical novice, these subtleties escape casual observation.

I advocate being patient and non-snarky with the uninformed. If we're nice to them, they may come away with a good impression of mandolin players, leading to their hiring one for their son's upcoming bar mitzvah. Or to provide background music for pumping out their septic tank. Whatever.

[Marty Jacobson]

To them it looks like this, which really is a tiny guitar:

[Dave Greenspoon]

Marty, thanks for a great video post! Cooder and Lindley at NOLA Jazz Fest--it doesn't get much better than this. Any idea what year this is from? I'm guessing early 80's at the latest but am totally guessing. I that a bozouki that Lindley played in the first tune?

[Ellen T]

I always thought mandolins were pretty well-known as instruments. Good grief, they sold them through the Montgomery Ward catalogue in the 1960s, which is how my parents bought one for me as a Christmas present. I knew exactly what it was when I got it, and when I told my friends what I had gotten for Christmas that year, not one said, "What's that?" True, our school was very big on music for a smallish town, but I have never run into anyone who didn't know what a mandolin is if I mention it in conversation. You guys need to hang around smarter people!

[almeriastrings]

One of the weirdest ones I had was after a gig this person approaches and asks to see that "little guitar"... I explain it is a mandolin, and tell her a bit about how it is tuned like a violin but has double strings and is played with a pick.... still looks interested, so I ask her why she likes it. "Oh", she says... "I don't want to spend much money so I just want something cheaper than a real guitar"!