A Dumb Question

[Dray]

This is really a dumb queston, but what is meant by tuning
the mandolin in "5ths?"

Sherri

[Ajvessey]

I think I learned this at my lesson today: it means that every string on the mando, E A D G are five notes apart, and as such are on the circle of fifths. A guitar is tuned in fourths, which means the note for each string is only 4 notes apart.

[Michael H Geimer]

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do

Sorry if I just got that trite little tune running 'round yer brain, but that song has all you need to know about your question. See, we call out the names of each note when we sing that classic Roger & Hammerstein tune, but each note of the major scale can also be identified by its interval number, one through seven.

Do(1) Re(2) Mi(3) Fa(4) So(5) La(6) Ti(7) Do(8 = 1)

So, while there are literally twelve notes between each octave, and seven notes from one string up to the next, there are only five notes of the major scale between the strings ... so, we identify that distance as being a fifth out of repect for the intervals of the major scale.

LOL! I just thought of something goofy but usefull that by old HS band teacher taught us. "If you ever need to recall what a Fifth sounds like, just sing 'Flit-stones', and you'll be a fifth below your first note." Clever ... if silly.

- Benig

[duuuude]

'Flit-stones'http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif What you talkin' 'bout Benignus? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Michael H Geimer]

Ooops. Flintstones ... you know, that modern Stone Age family! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[Jim Webster]

And for fourths you can think the Hi - Ho, Hi-Ho that precedes the Hi ho, hi ho its off to work we go -- my wife once had a group of us singing this around a piano a) to make her point and b) to make us all look like idiots.

[Tom C]

And for Octives... "Some where".....over the rainbow.

[Ajvessey]

I should clarify what I meant: disregarding flats and sharps, each string on the mando comes along every fifth note. G A B C D E F G A

[fiddle5]

As said in above post, If you start on the open low string G, and go up in tone, every fifth note is the next open string. hence: each string is tuned up by five.

Advantages of tuning in fifths [ some people hate this ] http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif is position playing. when you have four fingers and an open string means you can play five notes, five notes is also a fifth. so as it were, when you run out of fingers , its time to go to the next string. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif


mike

[mcarufe]

I know someone who had six fingers. He did'nt play the mando but if he did could he tune his in sixths like the Pastoral...la da di da di da da di dadidadadida!
Mike