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Thread: Octave Mandolin/mandocello...that thing that's an octave lower?

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    Default Octave Mandolin/mandocello...that thing that's an octave lower?

    OK guys, tell me about that mandolin shaped object that plays GG DD AA EE an octave lower. If you get one of those, can you play regular mandolin/fiddle tunes you know on it with the same fingering, or do you need to resort to something like cello fingering to do that? Fiddles generally go up a 1st position major scale fingering e.g. 0 1 2 3... cellists have to do 0 1 3 4... to stretch it.

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    Default Re: Octave Mandolin/mandocello...that thing that's an octave lowe

    Typically different fingering, as you say, depending on hand size..

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    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Octave Mandolin/mandocello...that thing that's an octave lowe

    Irish Zouk an octave lower but with long thin strings *, would use fingering styles of Tenor Banjos .. .. Irish Tenor tuning is also GDAE..

    * some options include Gg Dd (or gG dD), aa ee With octaves on the low strings ala 12 string guitar..
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    Default Re: Octave Mandolin/mandocello...that thing that's an octave lowe

    With a 20 inch scale length OM, if you have larger hands, you can probably play mandolin fingering, and I’ll occasionally do that if my pinky is getting exhausted, but generally it’s different. On the longer scale ones (esp the bouzouki length ones), mando fingering isn’t possible (other than some 2 finger and barre chords). I used to have a 22.5 inch OM but the scale length wasn’t comfortable to play for me. I much prefer my 20 incher now, and do play many of my mando tunes on it, but using OM fingering...unless I capo at five (which gives you mandola tuning). The scale is short enough up there to insert mando fingerings easily.

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    Default Re: Octave Mandolin/mandocello...that thing that's an octave lowe

    I'd estimate I use about 80% mandolin fingerings on my 20" scale octave. But the bluegrass chop chords don't work (at least for me). Almost all of the traditional Irish/Celtic tunes I know work well on octave without changing the fingering.
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    Default Re: Octave Mandolin/mandocello...that thing that's an octave lowe

    I had an 18" scale tenor guitar made (a variation of a mandola design) so I could use standard fingerings at the nut, it still won't do chop chords, but that's ok since barre chords do just fine for me, and they do an ok chop.

    It can be strung either GDAE or CGDA. I wanted GDAE, it's a bit short scale for that but sounds ok (as opposed to great).

    I had a 21.5" OM, and it was too long for comfort.

    The idea for an 18" tenor came from an Eastwood 18" electric mandola where I learned to love that scale. I restrung it in GDAE to try things out and it wasn't horrible, so I commissioned the acoustic right after that. I just called 18" scale mandola builders and asked for a larger body and lighter bracing for 4-string. I already knew they had the right neck's in the stock.

    In your case you want 8-strings, so a larger body would work, but not lighter bracing. The trick is you want to keep as much of the neck exposed as possible so playing up the neck is still easy. In my case that meant a deeper and wider body, but not taller. It ended up being a body nearly identical in size to the trinity college OM. And fits in the same case. That's the sweet spot for a short-necked OM IMHO.
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    Default Re: Octave Mandolin/mandocello...that thing that's an octave lowe

    Thanks all, that's very useful.

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    Default Re: Octave Mandolin/mandocello...that thing that's an octave lowe

    70% mandolin fingering on my 21" OM, but I do lots of doublestops where you have to let go of that, plus I avoid using the pinky in most cases and carry my doublestops up the neck by moving my hand a lot.
    Closed position chords are out of the question for me.
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