Mandola Clef

[Sherry Cadenhead]

Is mandola played reading alto clef?

[Mandobart]

Yes, just like viola.

[Sherry Cadenhead]

Yes, just like viola.

Thanks, Mandobart. My main teacher teaches violin and viola - and mandolin to me. I was asking her about an alto clef diagram I had found and she mentioned viola and alto clarinet were the only instruments she knew of that used the alto clef. She was wondering about a mandola. Do you know of other alto clef instruments?

[Louise NM]

Trombones use it. In an orchestral setting the first trombone part is usually in alto clef, the second in tenor, and the bass trombone's is in, well, bass.

Tenor viol parts are often in alto clef, and singers of a certain era were expected to read all clefs.

Mandola parts vary. If we're talking about a CGDA mandola, some parts are in alto clef and some are transposed so you play the notes like you would on a mandolin—good for someone who doubles on mandola and hasn't learned the clef, a lot less fun for a person fluent in alto clef. Alto clarinet parts are usually transposed into treble, again so players can quickly switch between Bb, A, alto, and bass clarinets without their heads exploding.

[mswilks]

I use a standard treble clef when I am transcribing things for mandola, so I guess the short answer is that it depends on what is easiest for you. Piano was my first instrument and I have a really difficult time playing notes represented on a staff that aren't the notes I'm hearing.

[JeffD]

When I had a mandola, I bought some beginner viola books to learn to read alto clef. Once I got into it, there is not a gigantic problem.

[walter carter]

Alto clef, in theory, makes a lot of sense, because you can establish middle C wherever it's most convenient on the staff, but in practice the octave clef (treble clef with a little 8 where the curl is) is much easier and much preferred for mandola.

[JeffD]

f, but in practice the octave clef (treble clef with a little 8 where the curl is) is much easier and much preferred for mandola.

Given the choice, in a classical ensemble I would rather alto clef. I like the constant reminder that I am not playing a mandolin, not playing a mandolin part in the music.

Playing alone, or learning a tune to be played by without music later, it doesn't matter.

[Louise NM]

Alto clef, in theory, makes a lot of sense, because you can establish middle C wherever it's most convenient on the staff, but in practice the octave clef (treble clef with a little 8 where the curl is) is much easier and much preferred for mandola.

Octave clef would drive me batty on a CGDA mandola, although I'd guess its perfect for an octave mandolin. (Don't people in some parts of the world call an octave mandolin a mandola?)

[David L]

When I played mandola in the local mandolin orchestra, we had three different players using three different clefs. One used alto clef, one used treble clef transposed
a fifth so it read like a mandolin, and I used an octave treble clef like tenor banjo. Everyone used what they could read the best.

[Jim Garber]

Deleted.

[tmsweeney]

the open G on the mandolin is the G below middle C ( on Treble clef) so it has 2 lines above it, the mandola has to go down an entire 5th, so reading it as Treble or G clef would involve a lot of lines on note stems.
The mandola 17th fret on the A string is the same as the mandolin 12th fret, my Weber has 24 frets so goes up to A an octave above the 12th fret.
So it has quite a range and shares a lot of sonic space with a standard guitar, although the guitar has a lower range.
I think the open C on mandola is the same as 3rd fret on the A string of guitar.

I have enough trouble trying to adjust to Bass Clef , let alone Alto, I generally try to read and write in treble clef for mandola.

[Jim Garber]

When I played mandola in the NY Mandolin Orchestra we read often from classical string orchestra arrangements so I had to learn alto clef. What was fun was the occasional up the neck sections which would change to treble clef. Then I would wing it. At least I was not sight reading and viola parts are usually pretty easy anyway.