Tune in pairs. Start by tuning each string individually using a tuner to get as close to the correct pitch as possible.
If you have a piano, a guitar, or even an app on your phone nearby, you can use them as a reference to tune your G strings. Play a G on the piano, then play the string on your mandolin. If your mandolin sounds lower, tune it a little higher , and vice versa. Repeat until your G strings match the pitch of the piano.
Mandolins can go out of tune even in the course of tuning because the tension of each string affects the tuning of all of the other strings. Once you have your tuning relatively set, you can go back and make fine adjustments to make sure each pair of strings sounds great.
If your mandolin goes out of tune quickly, check to see if it has a truss rod running through the neck. Truss rods provide stability, so if you don’t have one your mandolin may not hold its tuning very well.
The only difference is that the mandolin has eight strings, but the violin has only four. On a mandolin, you tune each “course,” or pair, of strings to the same pitch, so the mandolin’s tuning is really G-G-D-D-A-A-E-E.
You will always use the seventh fret, since the relationship between each pair of strings is identical on the mandolin. Double check your tuning when you’re finished by repeating the same process, and you’re good to go! In a worst-case scenario, you might not have anything on which to base your tuning.
Fender is typically known for building instruments, but in recent years their products have expanded to include nearly any accessory you can think of, including this user-friendly electronic mandolin tuner.
Tune it like a violin. A mandolin is traditionally tuned G-D-A-E, from low to high, with each pair of strings tuned to the same tone. In other words, the instrument is tuned G-G-D-D-A-A-E-E, taking into consideration each individual string.
As you tune, you generally want to tune in that clockwise pattern on the tuners, around the headstock, working your way down the instrument and higher in pitch.
Akin to a violin, the Mandolin G string would match the G string on the guitar, despite it being the lowest string for the respective instrument.
What makes tuning a mandolin more difficult than tuning a violin, of course, is that there are 8 strings instead of 4, meaning that you have to be precise or the instrument will be out of tune. It can be difficult to know which string is out of tune when you're striking them both in unison.
After putting new strings on, each string puts lots of pounds per square inch of tension on the neck, and the wood will flex slightly.
You can leave it clipped onto your instrument, ready to fine-tune at a moment's notice. They can range anywhere from $10 to upward of $30.
This is because you want to settle the tension in the string toward the gear, not away from it. When you tune down, you risk letting the tension slip on the tuning gear as you play, making the string will go flat. This is especially true with new strings.
The playing technique for the mandora involves the same basic right-hand finger style as for all 18th-century lutes and, because of the tuning intervals of the upper five courses, a left-hand technique that is similar to that of the 18th-century guitar.
The mandora or gallichon is a type of 18th- and early 19th-century lute, with six to nine courses of strings. The terms were interchangeable, with mandora more commonly used from the mid-18th century onwards.
Mandora or gallichon generally refers to a bass lute from the 1700s , with a vibrating string length of 72 centimeters or greater, used in Germany and Bohemia. It could be either single- or double-strung.
In the 18th century, mandora was the name of a six-course lute instrument of about 70 cm string length, tuned high-to-low d' - a - f - c - G - F or e' - b - g - d - A - E (rarely with two or three additional bass courses). With the former tuning, the instrument was called Calichon or Galichon in Bohemia.
There are about 55 sources of mandora music in tablature, all in manuscript (none printed) and nearly all of Germanic origin. These contain solos, duets, song accompaniments, and chamber music. Few studies have appeared and very little of the music has been transcribed and published: critical editions are especially rare. Many have no composers attributed but in recent years studies of concordances are beginning to uncover music by composers such as Silvius Leopold Weiss and Johann Anton Logy. The sources do mention some composers' names; Duke Clement of Bavaria, Placidus von Camerloher, Johann Paul Schiffelholz, J.M. Zink, Andrea Mayr, Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello and others. Other composers include Georg Philipp Telemann who wrote 6 concerti for flute, gallichon and strings, J.F. Daube and Johann Albrechtsberger, whose three concertinos for ‘mandora’, ‘crembalum’ ( jaw harp) and strings have been performed and recorded. Today there are various modern lutenists who play the mandora and some of these historical works have been recorded. The mandora has also been used in contemporary music, the British lutenist and composer Chris Hirst uses the mandora extensively in his works, often in combination with diverse instruments like the cello, cor anglais and melodica.
It was also called the galizona, galichon or caledon. Tyler disputed that it was mainly used for continuo, saying it was used "both as a solo and as a continuo instrument". The instrument was popular in the 18th century and there are various surviving instruments and manuscript sources (see below), mainly from Germany.
Gottfried Finger suggested that it was used in Boheman musical circles. The mandora was still in use in the early 19th century, particularly in Vienna and the Bavarian town Eichstätt.
From Marin Mersenne, 1635: A musician plays the mandore "with the finger or the tip of a feather between thumb and index finger or tied to one of the other fingers." "Those who make perfect use of the mandore would move the pick so fast over the strings that they seem to form even chords as they would be if played at the same time."
For a four-string mandore, Mersenne said, "The fourth string is a fifth of the third; the third string is at the fourth of the second, and the second at a fifth from the treble string.". In other words, the mandore used a combination of fourths and fifths the courses of strings, such as c-g-c-g.
The mandore differs from the Neapolitan mandolin in not having a raised fretboard and in having a flat soundboard. Also, It was strung with gut strings, attached to a bridge that is glued to the soundboard (similar to that of a modern guitar). It was played with the fingertips.
The Italians called it the mandola and even as the instrument became obsolete elsewhere, by the mid 17th century they had developed it into "an instrument with its own distinct tuning, technique and music.". In Milan, Italy as the mandore or Lombardo, it remained in use into the late 19th century.
According to Praetorius. A modern built mandore. This one has five courses of strings; 4 single strings and one set of double strings. Michael Praetorius detailed four tunings for the Mandore in his book Syntagma Musicum in 1619. He listed three tunings (with one repeated) for tuning the mandore.
The mandore is a musical instrument, a small member of the lute family, teardrop shaped, with four to six courses of gut strings and pitched in the treble range. Considered a French instrument, with much of the surviving music coming from France, it was used across "Northern Europe" including Germany and Scotland.
From Mersenne: The normal length of a mandore is 1 1⁄2 feet long. It is built as a lute, with "strips of fir or other wood" ... "cut and bent into melon shape" to make a rounded back. The fingerboard is on the same plane as the soundboard, with a bridge glued onto the soundboard.
lots of ways. First of all, do you call a mandola the instrument commonly tuned GDAE, or CGDA? There are two options.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!?
The mandolin parts that you need to be able to identify and handle in order to successfully tune a mandolin, are: 1 The mandolin tuning pegs used to tighten or loosen up the strings 2 The bridge that affects the mandolin sound (see intonation below) 3 The pick required to strum the strings
Before tuning (prerequisites): Make sure you understand the parts of the mandolin used for tuning. Make sure you have available a reference sound. Take all necessary security precautions to protect your eyes.
The mandolin parts that you need to be able to identify and handle in order to successfully tune a mandolin, are: The mandolin tuning pegs used to tighten or loosen up the strings. The bridge that affects the mandolin sound (see intonation below) The pick required to strum the strings. You need a reference sound for mandolin tuning.
Use the image to understand what the notes are for each string. Remember that the mandolin strings are tuned in pairs. The 2 thickest strings on the mandolin would be the G Strings, hence the thinnest pair are the E strings. So pluck a G string on the mandolin and tweak the pegs on it until you match the reference sound.
The seventh fret of a string (when tuned) is the same pitch as the open next string. For example:#N#The seventh fret of the “G” string (when tuned) is the same pitch as the open “D” string. So, if you have it tuned up, then if you press down on the seventh fret on the G string, the G and D strings should have the same pitch. If one is off, then you will need to tune one string up, or the other lower.#N#Repeat this for all pairs.
The pick required to strum the strings. You need a reference sound for mandolin tuning. Your options are: Use a tuning fork, a digital tuner, or a clip-on tuner. Use your mobile with an app like the excellent iphone/iPad Guitartoolkit. Use your PC / Laptop with a software application.
If you prefer to hold the mandolin facing toward you, wear glasses to protect your eyes in the event that a string breaks. Protect your eyes!