Hello All -

I've long been a fan of the mandolin, but have never attempted to (seriously) learn this beautiful instrument. I'm taking a shot at it now, and struggling, but I'll get there... Hopefully with the help of some of the 'Catters -

I'm trying to tune my mandolin to concert pitch. I don't have the aid of an electronic tuner, nor the middle C of a piano for reference. I've tried using my guitar to no avail - (I tune the guitar to concert pitch by using a C key harp).

My question (finally) is: For standard mandolin tuning (E-A-D-G, hi to lo), which guitar string/fret should I use as a starting point to bring the mandolin 'into the ballpark' of concert pitch. (i.e. - E /1st guitar string, 7th fret = E /1st mandolin string, Open) ?

I've purchased a number of beginner's books, and none seem to offer the option I'm looking for here. I've asked the question on line at a couple of Mandolin web sites, but still no response... I pored over a number of Mandolin threads here, and, though filled with some great tips, didn't provide an answer. Can anyone help ?

I acknowledge that much of my problem comes from my ignorance of music theory (can't read), but there must be a solution for an old dog trying to learn some new licks... er, Tricks !

Many thanks, Murph