I am trying to teach myself how to play the mandola. Does anyone have any wisdom? Are there any discussion sites for accomplished and aspiring mandola players? I would love to be able to talk to other aspiring players--experience, strength, and hope, you know? I am in Dallas, Texas. Does anyone know anything about the resources for aspiring players here? Thanks, Evan+
Brian McDonagh of Dervish tunes to CGDG and capos at the 2nd fret for most tunes, yielding a DAEA tuning.
(Actually, since Dervish play 1/2 step sharp, he capos at 3, but for the sake of the discussion, lets assume he's playing normally.)
Here is the interesting thing about this tuning. Mandolins, fiddles and octave mandolins are typically tuned GDAE, but the tunes are largely played only on the D, A & E strings. So Brian has these as the lower three strings on his mandola (capoed at the 2nd fret) for melodies. The tuning has the same intervals as the bouzouki tuning of GDAD, so he can also do bouzouki style playing and bouzouki chords.
Search through the discussions here asking for mandola and you will probably get more information than can usefully be absorbed in a month of Sundays.
Including some of my wit and wisdom.
What model, stringing, tuning, and scale length are you using ? We need to be told, to be able to further assist.
Both "Whisky before breakfast" and "Ashokan Farewell" will use the G string, just as a forinstance to disprove the previous posting, ( as an example of my w & w ).
Of course there are a few tunes that go below D, although my version of Whiskey Before Breakfast only uses the D, A & E strings. Tam Lin and Home Rule both go below D also, but there are really very few tunes that do that.
Regardless, standard mandola tuning only goes down to C. If this is actually a mandola and not an octave mandolin/mandola then he wouldn't be able to tune to GDAE anyway without using pretty thick string gauges.
Wow. thanks already. My chinese make mandola is tuned CGDA with about a 17 inch scale length. Neato, Craymola. I love Dervish. Isn't a 17 inch CGDA a "real" mandola? I am trying alternate picking--any tips on accelerating the move from chord strumming land? I haven't made much progress. Peace, Evan+
Your 17" CGDA mandola *is* a real mandola. I think what people were getting at with their questions, is that what we in Britain often refer to as a 'mandola' is what you in the US call - more sensibly - an 'octave mandolin'. The mandolin family, as it exists today, was conceived as an analogue to the violin family, for playing in ensembles or orchestras. Hence, the mandolin (which already existed long before) is analogous to the violin, the mandola to the viola, the mandocello ('mandoloncello' or 'octave mandola') to the cello ('violoncello') and the mandobass to the double-bass. The octave mandolin, however, is an anomaly, not having an equivalent in the violin family.
Even using the 'proper' terms, the boundaries can be a little hazy. There are octave mandolins with scale lengths ranging from about 450mm or 18" - not much longer than your mandola - to about 600mm or 24". But then, instruments in the range 550-620mm might be called 'short-scale bouzoukis'.
Andy Irvine told me he plays in DAEA using 32,24, 16 and 12 gauge strings. I find that this combination creaters a nice round ringing sound whether picking tunes or strumming on my Bown mandola ade back in '81! I believe he tunes his mandolin that way too.
As ever some good info Craymcla thanks.I have been playing melody only with GDAE tuning .have been looking for a compromise to play some backing will have a go at this
Mandola wisdom
Mandola wisdom
I am trying to teach myself how to play the mandola. Does anyone have any wisdom? Are there any discussion sites for accomplished and aspiring mandola players? I would love to be able to talk to other aspiring players--experience, strength, and hope, you know? I am in Dallas, Texas. Does anyone know anything about the resources for aspiring players here? Thanks, Evan+
# Posted on March 27th 2006 by Eness
Re: Mandola wisdom
Alternate picking is your best friend
# Posted on March 27th 2006 by Splendid Isolation
Re: Mandola wisdom
Now are you talkng GDAE Mandola or CGDA Mandola? Or something completly different?
# Posted on March 27th 2006 by Why Bother?
Re: Mandola wisdom
Mandolin cafe website (ww.mandolincafe.com) is well set up - you might want to give it a look...
KG
# Posted on March 27th 2006 by kgallagher
Re: Mandola wisdom
DADA is the coolest tuning
# Posted on March 27th 2006 by ecidralla
Re: Mandola wisdom
Brian McDonagh of Dervish tunes to CGDG and capos at the 2nd fret for most tunes, yielding a DAEA tuning.
(Actually, since Dervish play 1/2 step sharp, he capos at 3, but for the sake of the discussion, lets assume he's playing normally.)
Here is the interesting thing about this tuning. Mandolins, fiddles and octave mandolins are typically tuned GDAE, but the tunes are largely played only on the D, A & E strings. So Brian has these as the lower three strings on his mandola (capoed at the 2nd fret) for melodies. The tuning has the same intervals as the bouzouki tuning of GDAD, so he can also do bouzouki style playing and bouzouki chords.
# Posted on March 27th 2006 by Craymcla
Re: Mandola wisdom
Search through the discussions here asking for mandola and you will probably get more information than can usefully be absorbed in a month of Sundays.
Including some of my wit and wisdom.
What model, stringing, tuning, and scale length are you using ? We need to be told, to be able to further assist.
Both "Whisky before breakfast" and "Ashokan Farewell" will use the G string, just as a forinstance to disprove the previous posting, ( as an example of my w & w ).
# Posted on March 27th 2006 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Mandola wisdom
Of course there are a few tunes that go below D, although my version of Whiskey Before Breakfast only uses the D, A & E strings. Tam Lin and Home Rule both go below D also, but there are really very few tunes that do that.
Regardless, standard mandola tuning only goes down to C. If this is actually a mandola and not an octave mandolin/mandola then he wouldn't be able to tune to GDAE anyway without using pretty thick string gauges.
# Posted on March 27th 2006 by Craymcla
Re: Mandola wisdom
Wow. thanks already. My chinese make mandola is tuned CGDA with about a 17 inch scale length. Neato, Craymola. I love Dervish. Isn't a 17 inch CGDA a "real" mandola? I am trying alternate picking--any tips on accelerating the move from chord strumming land? I haven't made much progress. Peace, Evan+
# Posted on March 28th 2006 by Eness
Re: Mandola wisdom
Your E-ness,
Your 17" CGDA mandola *is* a real mandola. I think what people were getting at with their questions, is that what we in Britain often refer to as a 'mandola' is what you in the US call - more sensibly - an 'octave mandolin'. The mandolin family, as it exists today, was conceived as an analogue to the violin family, for playing in ensembles or orchestras. Hence, the mandolin (which already existed long before) is analogous to the violin, the mandola to the viola, the mandocello ('mandoloncello' or 'octave mandola') to the cello ('violoncello') and the mandobass to the double-bass. The octave mandolin, however, is an anomaly, not having an equivalent in the violin family.
Even using the 'proper' terms, the boundaries can be a little hazy. There are octave mandolins with scale lengths ranging from about 450mm or 18" - not much longer than your mandola - to about 600mm or 24". But then, instruments in the range 550-620mm might be called 'short-scale bouzoukis'.
# Posted on March 29th 2006 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Mandola tuning
Andy Irvine told me he plays in DAEA using 32,24, 16 and 12 gauge strings. I find that this combination creaters a nice round ringing sound whether picking tunes or strumming on my Bown mandola ade back in '81! I believe he tunes his mandolin that way too.
# Posted on June 11th 2006 by Thomas Fairhurst
Re: Mandola wisdom
As ever some good info Craymcla thanks.I have been playing melody only with GDAE tuning .have been looking for a compromise to play some backing will have a go at this
# Posted on June 11th 2006 by Dphil