Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin

Subject: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Gypsy
Date: 25 Jan 01 - 10:30 PM

Sigh....save me from myself please. I seem to be infatuated with a Mandola. Already have and octave mandolin, and we won't go into the school of mandolins that inhabit the house. To top this, i am really a hammered dulcimer player. Ugh. Anyway, with the different tuning on a Mandola, are the chord patterns going to be different? Or will it be the same, just one string down. I really have no business even considering but.....you know how it goes. Any thoughts?

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: catspaw49
Date: 25 Jan 01 - 10:43 PM

Yeah......You're screwed. It doesn't matter what is said here, you're just forestalling the inevitable. Nice try Gypsy, but you may as well crank out the checkbook and start writing. You are in the throes of Instrument Acquisition Syndrome. No cure.

Enjoy!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Musicman
Date: 25 Jan 01 - 10:57 PM

i think we have similar diseases.....

I have 2 mandolins, a mandocello. dulcimer, 3 piano accordians, one button accordian (don't know how to play that one yet....) various whistles, guitar, concertina, bodhran, bones....ummmmmm I must be missing something here.... oh well, not the point of this discusion anyway.... ohyeah, a piano....

I think, don't quote me, the mandola is similar to a mandocello? tuning is like that of a cello (bottom note C, not G) mandolin, bazuki (sp?) same as violin (bottom note G... all tuned in 5ths.....

ok... i'll admit, .... i'm guessing... worth a shot anyway....

musicman...

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 01:25 AM

I get confused with the names - I think the US has different names to us. I assume that the octave mandoin is what I would call an octave mandola which is tuned an octave below the mandolin. The other, shorter, mandola is tuned to CGDA (5ths again). The bottom line here is that the same chord shapes will produce different chords on the mandola - think of it as playing the octave mandolin with a capo on the 5th fret.

Jon

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: bill\sables
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 04:39 AM

Jon you are right what we call Octave mandola is called octave mandolin in the US. I recall having a discussion with a musician called Vance at Annamils who swore blind that I was playing an Octave Mandolin when I wasn't. br> Bill

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Wesley S
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 09:01 AM

Gypsy - Spaws right - just get out the checkbook. I'm the same way. I've got an octave mandolin on order and I've convinced my wife that this is the very last instrument that I'll ever buy - ever. Honest. I mean it.

We should start a 12 step group here called MIA - Musical Instruments Anonymous.

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Willie-O
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 09:27 AM

Everyone say this with me:

"Gypsy, YOU'RE DONE FOR!!!!"

It'll be great at first, then you'll realize if you want to be sociable and play with other people in customary keys for various tunes, you have to learn to play them in second and third position up the fretboard to compensate for running out of high notes at the top (CGDA where's the friggin E string?) Nice addition to a session if you can pull it off.

Already have an octave mandolin you say? Well then the next thing you want will probably be a 10-string cittern--the hammer dulcimer mention is a dead giveaway that you are a multi-string tuning masochist...

there are many here among us...

I'd say more but I have to go tune something....

Willie-O

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: English Jon
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 10:26 AM

Just don't buy a hurdy gurdy. Ever. Under any circumstances.

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Wesley S
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 10:49 AM

Oh to answer one of your questions - yes - the chord shapes are the same. But just like using a capo you'll have to mentally transpose. So a G chord finger formation will really be a D chord and a D chord finger formation will really be an A chord, ect. By the way - what type of octave mandolin do you have? And are you happy with it?

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Gypsy
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 11:06 PM

English Jon...it is worse. I BUILT a hurdy gurdy. Couldnt afford to buy one. One of these days, will get together with Arrigo D'Albert, and get real lessons, rather than the self teach bit. Wesley, that would be great. Since mando's don't really like A chords (not with MY fingers, anyway) might be easier. My octave mando was a gift, it is the Lark in the Morning cheapie, at 100.00. They vary widely in quality, and of course, tweaked it for action. It really is a nice sounding instrument. It's not a Flatiron, or Vega, but it wasn't that price, either. If you get one, they have soft cases for 20.00. Not bad cases. You'll also want to add a tailpiece, so all told, hmmmm, about 150.00 by the time you are done

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Gypsy
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 11:43 PM

Sigh....and the mandola is still available. If it is still there come payday.....and the electric bill doesn't beat it. Willie O, you are right, i am a tuning masochist. but i can tune the 78 string dulcimer fully, in under 20 minutes. A record!

Subject: RE: Help: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 11:51 PM

Gypsy, I am not sure which way Wesley meant it but if you are looking at playing an A chord on the short mandola, you are looking at an E shape not a D shape to achieve this..., Your G becomes a C, etc NOT the other way round.

Jon

Subject: RE: Buchanan mandolin
From: GUEST,mandonut
Date: 16 Jun 12 - 09:38 AM

Does anyone have an older Buchanan mandolin? Are his more recent instruments very much better, as I am a little disappointed with the tone of my pre-2006 model?

Subject: RE: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 16 Jun 12 - 10:31 AM

I was in Hobgoblin in Leeds earlier this week and they had a Tom Buchanan mandola for sale at, £500.00 an absolute bargain, full rich deep tone, sounded beautiful, beautiful instrument, if I didn't already own a mandola I'd have grabbed it there and then.

Dave H

Subject: RE: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: PHJim
Date: 16 Jun 12 - 10:54 AM

In North America, the mandolin family follows the same terminology as the violin family and are tuned in the same range.
violin - mandolin
viola - mandola
cello - mandocello
bass - mandobass

It gets a bit confusung when the mandolin family instrument has no corresponding violin family instrument.
An Octave mandolin would be an octave lower than a mandolin.
An octave mandola (mandocello) would be an octave lower than a mandola.
There are many confusing names for these "long neck mandolins". I've heard them called bouzoukis, Irish bouzoukis, citterns, octave mandolins, octophones, monster mandolins, mondothings... Different folks define different long necked mandolins bassed on whether or not they have octave tuning, how long the necks are, how many courses they have... I don't like the terms bouzouki or cittern, since there are already instruments with that name. The Greek bouzouki has 3 or 4 courses and a bowl back and, quite often a magnetic pick-up.
Grit Lasken used to make what he called "long neck mandolins". I believe that he used that name regardless of the number of courses or the neck length or whether or not there were octave courses.

Subject: RE: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 16 Jun 12 - 11:59 AM

I call my octave mandolin a mandolin on steroids. I also usually introduce it as this can be called a cittern, Irish bouzouki, etc. I also mention that the name of cittern has nothing to do with birds or cesspools. On a serious note, I had mine custom made back in 1988 and it only just recently needed to have the bridge fixed up.

Subject: RE: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: kendall
Date: 16 Jun 12 - 01:40 PM

Jacqui gave me one for my birthday. It's different, but I love the sound.

Subject: RE: Mandola vs octave mandolin vs mandolin
From: ollaimh
Date: 16 Jun 12 - 06:34 PM

back during the mandolin craze in the usa gibson established a line of instruments that followed the violin pattern and americans and canadians have followed those terms ever since. i get confused what to call some things. i have alovely octave mandolin i just bought that was called a mandola byt he seller. i tune it adad or gdad so i don't know what to call it. a zouk maybe. i have a five course octave thingey that i happily call a cittern but no gibson convention mandola/ although i love mandolin and used to make more money busking with mandolin that with any of the octave cousins, right now in happy retirement i enjoy playing the octave instruments.

so yeah i got ias as well. seven harpsm seven or eight guitars , bouzoukis greek and celtic, citterns even very old ones, (two from about 1750, one french and one english) and many many more. luckily my wife remembers that some of her friends husbamds have gambling, drinking and infedility problems--i just love music and music al instruments. and i get to make money occasionally or teach youngsters.

i went to a local highland games today and gave introductory harp lessons to anyone who came along. one three year old girl was able to play two chords--with both hands! she's got a future in music. many others could play basic chords with a little patience and i had a great day.

so instrument aquisition syndrome isn't all bad