I have been given a Musikalia short-scale mandolin (29.5 cm/11.5 inches), and I'm hoping to interest one of my younger kids.
Does any one know how it should be tuned - it seems to lend itself more to CGDA, as GDAE would require some very heavy strings. Can anyone even suggest what the proper name is?
according to Wiki: (although yours seems longer)
The piccolo or sopranino mandolin is a rare member of the family, tuned one octave above the tenor mandola and one fourth above the mandolin; the same relation as that of the piccolo or sopranino violin to the violin and viola. One model was manufactured by the Lyon & Healy company under the Leland brand. A handful of contemporary luthiers build piccolo mandolins. Its scale length is typically about 9.5 inches (240 mm)
One-fourth above a mandolin would be CGDA by my uninformed reckoning
11.5 inches would give you quite high tension at CGDA tuning with regular mando strings! I'd suggest trying standard mandolin tuning with medium-gauge strings, and then try tuning up a bit if that seems much too loose.
I recommend a search on mandolincafe.com; there were a few threads a while back about picollo mandolins - some high-end independent makers had made one of these, and photos and discussions followed. Surely there was discussion about the strings and tuning.
Piccolo/Alto/Pocket Mandolins
Piccolo/Alto/Pocket Mandolins
I have been given a Musikalia short-scale mandolin (29.5 cm/11.5 inches), and I'm hoping to interest one of my younger kids.
Does any one know how it should be tuned - it seems to lend itself more to CGDA, as GDAE would require some very heavy strings. Can anyone even suggest what the proper name is?
# Posted on November 18th 2007 by John Joe
Re: Piccolo/Alto/Pocket Mandolins
according to Wiki: (although yours seems longer)
The piccolo or sopranino mandolin is a rare member of the family, tuned one octave above the tenor mandola and one fourth above the mandolin; the same relation as that of the piccolo or sopranino violin to the violin and viola. One model was manufactured by the Lyon & Healy company under the Leland brand. A handful of contemporary luthiers build piccolo mandolins. Its scale length is typically about 9.5 inches (240 mm)
One-fourth above a mandolin would be CGDA by my uninformed reckoning
# Posted on November 18th 2007 by Bren
Re: Piccolo/Alto/Pocket Mandolins
11.5 inches would give you quite high tension at CGDA tuning with regular mando strings! I'd suggest trying standard mandolin tuning with medium-gauge strings, and then try tuning up a bit if that seems much too loose.
# Posted on November 18th 2007 by tedium
Re: Piccolo/Alto/Pocket Mandolins
I recommend a search on mandolincafe.com; there were a few threads a while back about picollo mandolins - some high-end independent makers had made one of these, and photos and discussions followed. Surely there was discussion about the strings and tuning.
# Posted on November 18th 2007 by Keith Dubinsky