lots of ways. First of all, do you call a mandola the instrument commonly tuned GDAE, or CGDA? There are two options. Another popular way to tune it is CGDG, capo to 2nd fret yielding DAEA - you get drone strings on A, very useful, and a tuning an octave below a fiddle on the main melody strings, and it has some commonalities with the common bouzouki tuning GDAD.
I'd suggest that GDAE is best, and that you play melody, on fairly heavy gauge strings to give high string tension enabling relatively low action.
IMO strumming tunings such as GDAD work better on the bouzouki's longer scale where you can get the zingy sound of lighter strings without fret rattle .
I refer the honourable member to some of my earlier answers on nomenclature of mandola-family instruments.
BUT, for a quick summary;
A mandola is the generic instrument of the 'mandolin' family, tuned CGda, as is the viola for the violin family. It has existed in European music for centuries. The tenor mandola is a modern construct, a similarly tuned instrument made with a longer scale to mimic the curiously named tenor banjo.
The 'octave mandola' is really an octave mandolin. Hence I call my 'irish bouzouki' a long-necked octave mandolin which explains it fully to any member of the public.
The instrument tuned an octave below a mandola has a generic name, it is a mando-cello, and Gibson, for instance, made a number of these in the ealy 20th century.
If you want to play tunes on any of these instruments I do not see why there is any need to change from the standard tuning in 5ths; C-G-D-A-E, whatever pitch you are in. Throwing in a 4th, as in GDad, only complicates the fingering for tunes, for every advantage for accompaniment.
Don't be put off experimenting with tunings to find what suits your style of playing best. I have settled on ADad for my tenor mandola (aka octave mandolin/octave mandola - but let's not start that discussion again) . I play melody mostly, throwing in the odd chord where it fits. Most tunes are eminently playable in this tuning as long as you don't mind shifting position. I prefer to do change to 4th 5th and 7th positions rather than 'jumping' at the 7th fret with my little finger. I know banjo players do this, but my musical background (classical guitar) makes me more comfortable with shifting my whole hand and staying there for as long as I need to. The interval of the 4th between the top two strings helps adjacent notes fall under the fingers more easily.
No, Oscar, a mandola is tuned CGda, as I said earlier, in common use in Europe for a long time, normally with just a slightly longer scale and heavier strings than a mandolin. Also wrongly called a tenor mandola by those who have switched from tenor banjo, which always used to be tuned CGda ( before Barney McKenna ) and used as the rhythm instrument in trad jazz bands. The tenor guitar was an instrument made for those banjo-strummers who couldn't get used to the extra strings when the guitar replaced the banjo as the dance bands evolved.
Octave mandola is the name coined for the new instrument tuned GDae an octave below mandolin. See my earlier comment why this is wrong, and why it should be octave mandolin. I know that's what a lot of people call them, I am still pedantically correct, IMNSHO.
A bit of sloppy nomenclature years ago, and all this effort to correct it !
Well you can tune a Mandola to anything you like (within reason) but wether it's any good in that tuning is a matter of opinion.
If it helps I've got a Tenor mandola tuned to CGDA and a Gibson mandola tuned GDAE plus a Octave mandolin tuned GDAE(an octave below the mandolin) - are these correct? does it matter? and does this help!?
mandola tuning
mandola tuning
what way do you tune a mandola to play trad
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by tank
Re: mandola tuning
lots of ways. First of all, do you call a mandola the instrument commonly tuned GDAE, or CGDA? There are two options. Another popular way to tune it is CGDG, capo to 2nd fret yielding DAEA - you get drone strings on A, very useful, and a tuning an octave below a fiddle on the main melody strings, and it has some commonalities with the common bouzouki tuning GDAD.
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by reenactor
Re: mandola tuning
I'd suggest that GDAE is best, and that you play melody, on fairly heavy gauge strings to give high string tension enabling relatively low action.
IMO strumming tunings such as GDAD work better on the bouzouki's longer scale where you can get the zingy sound of lighter strings without fret rattle .
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by millionyears_bc
Re: mandola tuning
I refer the honourable member to some of my earlier answers on nomenclature of mandola-family instruments.
BUT, for a quick summary;
A mandola is the generic instrument of the 'mandolin' family, tuned CGda, as is the viola for the violin family. It has existed in European music for centuries. The tenor mandola is a modern construct, a similarly tuned instrument made with a longer scale to mimic the curiously named tenor banjo.
The 'octave mandola' is really an octave mandolin. Hence I call my 'irish bouzouki' a long-necked octave mandolin which explains it fully to any member of the public.
The instrument tuned an octave below a mandola has a generic name, it is a mando-cello, and Gibson, for instance, made a number of these in the ealy 20th century.
If you want to play tunes on any of these instruments I do not see why there is any need to change from the standard tuning in 5ths; C-G-D-A-E, whatever pitch you are in. Throwing in a 4th, as in GDad, only complicates the fingering for tunes, for every advantage for accompaniment.
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: mandola tuning
Don't be put off experimenting with tunings to find what suits your style of playing best. I have settled on ADad for my tenor mandola (aka octave mandolin/octave mandola - but let's not start that discussion again) . I play melody mostly, throwing in the odd chord where it fits. Most tunes are eminently playable in this tuning as long as you don't mind shifting position. I prefer to do change to 4th 5th and 7th positions rather than 'jumping' at the 7th fret with my little finger. I know banjo players do this, but my musical background (classical guitar) makes me more comfortable with shifting my whole hand and staying there for as long as I need to. The interval of the 4th between the top two strings helps adjacent notes fall under the fingers more easily.
Good luck!
# Posted on December 13th 2008 by Lissagriffin
Re: mandola tuning
Go for GDAE! It is the best. I do this for bozouki and tenor banjo. I also want to know is the mandola the same as a octave mandolin?
# Posted on December 14th 2008 by Oscar music
Re: mandola tuning
No, Oscar, a mandola is tuned CGda, as I said earlier, in common use in Europe for a long time, normally with just a slightly longer scale and heavier strings than a mandolin. Also wrongly called a tenor mandola by those who have switched from tenor banjo, which always used to be tuned CGda ( before Barney McKenna ) and used as the rhythm instrument in trad jazz bands. The tenor guitar was an instrument made for those banjo-strummers who couldn't get used to the extra strings when the guitar replaced the banjo as the dance bands evolved.
Octave mandola is the name coined for the new instrument tuned GDae an octave below mandolin. See my earlier comment why this is wrong, and why it should be octave mandolin. I know that's what a lot of people call them, I am still pedantically correct, IMNSHO.
A bit of sloppy nomenclature years ago, and all this effort to correct it !
# Posted on December 14th 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: mandola tuning
CAN YOU OR CAN YOU NOT TUNE THE MANDOLA TO GDAE!
# Posted on December 15th 2008 by Oscar music
Re: mandola tuning
Well you can tune a Mandola to anything you like (within reason) but wether it's any good in that tuning is a matter of opinion.
If it helps I've got a Tenor mandola tuned to CGDA and a Gibson mandola tuned GDAE plus a Octave mandolin tuned GDAE(an octave below the mandolin) - are these correct? does it matter? and does this help!?
# Posted on December 20th 2008 by UKCITTERN