Alternitive tunnings

[Bobo]

I've been playing Mandolin for a while more of a beginner then a regular player but I loved the sounds and tones that come from the instrument.My main instrument I play is guitar, Acoustic and Electric. I love to play blues but I love to play open tunnings such as "Drop D","Open D","D7 tunnings" and so on.I am wondering can you also tune the Mandolin to those types of tunnings similar to the guitar?

[Martin Jonas]

Of course you can. It's relatively rare, though, mostly because you lose the huge advantages of an instrument tuned in fifths, namely the fact that you can move scales and chord shapes at will all over the neck and transpose on the hoof. The guitar doesn't have that to start with, and is more typically played as a harmony instrument not a melody instrument.

Alternatve tunings are very much more common in the world of the octave mandolin and the bouzouki. GDAD and ADAD are the most common alternative tunings there, and both work in principle on the mandolin as well. If you look through the discussions here, there are occasional mentions of particular pieces in alternative tunings. If you want to go really far out, there are even some tunes in split-string alternative tunings (i.e. the two strings of a pair tuned at an interval). All very rare, though, as I said.

Martin

[Bobo]

Thanks Martin

[neal]

GDGD

[peterbc]

Get Up John has a nice tuning, F#A DD AA... I'm not sure what the two high strings are supposed to be though... Anyone?

[Dennis Schubert]

"Git Up John" tuning is F#A DD AA AD -- and the highest A is pretty floppy -- try with other D tunes as well, like "Home Sweet Home" and the like

To play "Little Joseph" in key of A, I use this tuning -- GG DD EA C#A -- have also tried it for "Black Mountain Rag" and other A tunes

Occasionally use open G or open D for an effect -- GG DD GG DD or AA DD AA DD -- neither one has a 3rd so it's major or minor as you see fit, works with a slide and/or capo

If you have a 2nd mando to fool with, remove one each of the G and D strings, and replace with A and E strings tuned an octave higher, for a mini-OM or 12-string effect

All of these are catchy, but -- as noted above -- you'll probably gravitate back to GG DD AA EE tuning for all the obvious reasons

[Bobo]

Thanks guys this is great,I'll try these combinations of tunnings....

[Jim Broyles]

Ronnie McCoury used GG DD GG BD for "Black Mountain Rag" with Doc Watson in the Key of G. My jam partners don't care for this key for this tune, but my wife loves it, so if I ever get a decent #2 mando, I'm going to keep one tuned like this just for BMR.

Edit:
Didn't have the Eastman when I wrote this. The Kentucky is now tuned GG DD GG BD

[Jim M.]

There are lots of fiddle cross tunings that are applicable to mando:
DDAD
GDAD
AEAE
AEAC#
It's a pain to switch tunings on a fiddle, doubly so on a mando. Get one instrument for each tuning.

[otterly2k]

Bobo-
I often play in ADAE-- granted, I play mostly OM, but I find I even like this tuning on my regular mando. I only really miss the low G in the key of G...in other common keys, the open A is great.

I'm also a big fan of playing guitar in funky tunings... my favorites being DADGAD and DADEAD

A lot of OM/zouk players use GDAD, as it somewhat resembles the possibilities of DADGAD (a common tuning for guitars in Celtic styles).