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Thread: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an accom

  1. #1

    Default Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an accom

    I'm an accomplished guitar player & mandolin has always interested me.
    (my Napolitan Grandfather played it and I have his songbook that I want to learn)....
    and some Zep, Irish music & Dean Martin....
    Just got a mandolin and am learning quickly.
    BUT the frets are small for me.

    Thinking about getting a Mandola because it is much easier for me to navigate the frets,
    BUT I want to tune it like a mandolin.

    I went through this fret size scenario with the concert/soprano ukulele,
    but got a baritone uke, tuned it to std 'island tune' and was off to the races.

    Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning:
    G about 196 hz
    D about 294 hz
    A about 440
    E about 658

    If you’ve done this, please advise what Mandola you bought,
    what strings you used (by string maker/model & string gage).

    Thanks, Mark

  2. #2
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    Quote Originally Posted by mwheelan View Post
    BUT the frets are small for me.

    Thinking about getting a Mandola because it is much easier for me to navigate the frets,
    BUT I want to tune it like a mandolin.
    Let me take a guess. If this doesn't apply then you can ignore it. I have a mandolin friend who came from guitar, and really had trouble with how small the distance between frets is. When he came to visit I discovered he was fretting in a non standard way. In a guitar way.

    The guitar is one finger per fret going up the neck. The mandolin is one finger every two frets.

    When a guitarist plays a major scale, he skips fingers going up the scale. Index, third, etc. A mandolinner goes up a major scale using each finger consecutively. Index, middle, third, pinky, etc. Since each finger is responsible for two frets, the major scale naturally goes a finger at a time up the scale.

    So the mandolin has smaller frets than a lot of instruments, but it is also fingered in a different way.


    I know mandolinners who have this problem the other way. They get a mandola, or octave, or even mando-cello, and try to make the two fret stretch they used on the mandolin, and so something had to give. "My fingers don't easily go that far apart."

    I hope that helps, and if it is irrelevant, well I hope it helps someone.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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  4. #3
    Harley Marty
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    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    I have found the same issues trying to play mandolin coming to it from Tenor guitar 23" & 24" scales. Last year I entered a competition (mandolin) so I bought a cheap mandola by Thomann. It couldn't have been too bad as I scored 1st in round 1 & 3rd in the semi's. For this year I've got a 17" scale mandola "f"style ordered, the plan is to put the top 3 strings of a Clifford Essex light gauge Irish Tenor Banjo set with wound 16 for the D & for the E l'm going to use a .007 daddario. I've been playing this setup on a 17" Tenor Banjo Uke for about a month now & it's been working well, really well!

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    Maybe you should take a look at an Octave mandolin.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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  7. #5

    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    Mike,
    The is certainly one of the two options.
    Have you seen an Octave Mandolin tuned up a step, and if so what strings did they use?
    Thx,
    Mark

  8. #6
    Registered User Bob Visentin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    Have you seen an Octave Mandolin tuned up a step, and if so what strings did they use?

    Why would you want to do that? I thought you were looking for mando tuning GDAE which is what you get with an octo just down an octive.

    By the way the difference in the fret spacing between a mandolin and a dola is very small. From nut to third fret is about 1/4" more. I don't see how that would help much.

  9. #7
    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    This question comes up a lot. This is my standard answer:

    A mandola is tuned C-G-D-A. A mandolin is tuned G-D-A-E. The G, D and A strings on the two instruments are tuned the same.

    All you need is to shift the G, D and A strings over one course to the bass side, then add a pair of E's where the A's were. The C' s won't be used anymore. Use whatever mandola you want. Depending on the scale the E strings should be between .008 and .010. I use .095 on my 17" mandola for the E course.

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  11. #8

    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    Thanks Mandobart.
    Between you & Harley Marty I'm good to go.
    Thanks for taking the time.
    Mark

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  13. #9
    Stop the chop!
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    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    Quote Originally Posted by JeffD View Post
    Let me take a guess. If this doesn't apply then you can ignore it. I have a mandolin friend who came from guitar, and really had trouble with how small the distance between frets is. When he came to visit I discovered he was fretting in a non standard way. In a guitar way.

    The guitar is one finger per fret going up the neck. The mandolin is one finger every two frets.

    When a guitarist plays a major scale, he skips fingers going up the scale. Index, third, etc. A mandolinner goes up a major scale using each finger consecutively. Index, middle, third, pinky, etc. Since each finger is responsible for two frets, the major scale naturally goes a finger at a time up the scale.

    So the mandolin has smaller frets than a lot of instruments, but it is also fingered in a different way.


    I know mandolinners who have this problem the other way. They get a mandola, or octave, or even mando-cello, and try to make the two fret stretch they used on the mandolin, and so something had to give. "My fingers don't easily go that far apart."

    I hope that helps, and if it is irrelevant, well I hope it helps someone.
    As you say, in first position on the guitar your four fingers will cover the first four frets, on the mando the first seven ones. The distance in both cases is about 10 cm. So I don't really understand the TS' problem.

  14. #10
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    Quote Originally Posted by ralph johansson View Post
    So I don't really understand the TS' problem.
    Ralph, I think it could be a merely perceived problem, but only the OP can know. I think a person who has been a long time guitarist may perceive that playing a fretboard that appears small and cramped would be a big problem. It can be quite an adjustment at first. I found that adjusting to such a short scale made some chord voicings difficult. However, now, when playing a mandola, an octave, or a mandocello, I find it difficult to grab chord voicings that I use on the mandolin. The spread for 5ths tuning seems just right to me on mandolin, and for primarily fourths tuning the guitar suits very well.

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  15. #11
    Registered User Steve Baker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning & What Strings to UseI'm an a

    I once tuned a Fylde (tenor) mandola up from CGDA to DAEA. That helped me switch between the mandola and my bouzouki, which was tuned GDAD. CGDA will give you mandolin tuning on the lower courses, although an octave lower, with the bonus treble course. The 17” scale gave me lots more space for my clumsy fingers. I calculated string sizes using the calculator at McDonaldstrings.com. Individual strings of the new gauges came from JustStrings.com. My $0.02. Hope it helps.
    Steve

    Quote Originally Posted by mwheelan View Post
    I'm an accomplished guitar player & mandolin has always interested me.
    (my Napolitan Grandfather played it and I have his songbook that I want to learn)....
    and some Zep, Irish music & Dean Martin....
    Just got a mandolin and am learning quickly.
    BUT the frets are small for me.

    Thinking about getting a Mandola because it is much easier for me to navigate the frets,
    BUT I want to tune it like a mandolin.

    I went through this fret size scenario with the concert/soprano ukulele,
    but got a baritone uke, tuned it to std 'island tune' and was off to the races.

    Tune Mandola to Mandolin Tuning:
    G about 196 hz
    D about 294 hz
    A about 440
    E about 658

    If you’ve done this, please advise what Mandola you bought,
    what strings you used (by string maker/model & string gage).

    Thanks, Mark

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