Why courses?

[Bertram Henze]

Blues bends, and finger vibrato on the string.

I do both of that occasionally on my OM. It is harder to do, but because of the much higher string tension, not because of the pairs.

[journeybear]

Actually, Tim, there is no one authoritative, all-inclusive answer - there are many reasons, all of them good ones, for having double strings, and sunburst pointed out most of the important ones right off. And they all add up to the one bill proposed - it sounds better - which may be the ultimate reason, after all.

Back in the foggy dawn of this delightful adventure, I was told it was for sustain, that one string produces sympathetic vibrations in the other and back and forth. If you have ever played a single-strung mandolin, you hear this immediately. Also, as Jeff mentioned, tremolo sounds better on a double-strung instrument. Not that this is why they were developed - I think this technique became possible as a result - but tremolo does sound better on a mandolin than a guitar. I dont know why, but guitars which sound fine when played legato tend to sound plinky when played tremolo. I think that while more volume is achieved by having double strings, they also permit one to play tremolo very softly and still sound very nice, a very effective dynamic capability. As sunburst mentioned, the chorusing effect that is so pleasant to our ears on an acoustic mandolin can be troubling on an electric one. If the strings are not precisely in tune, they sound dissonant and harsh. At least, that has been my experience, and why I took the double strings off my EM-150 back when I was playing in a rock band every day. Also, they were too hard to bend, which I love to do - and again, the dissonance caused in doing that was worse than the coolness of the bending.

Bear in mind, we are approaching this question from a standpoint of being accustomed to the sounds of double strings, so it is difficult to unlearn this experience and view alternatives objectively. Even so, I rather like the way mandolins sound with double strings, and that shimmering, ringing tone which attracted me from the first has kept me fascinated for the ret of my life.

[sunburst]

Bobby Bill, while I found your post interesting and it all makes sense, we are not talking about the same thing when we speak of two instruments as we are talking about two strings. The mandolin strings themselves make very little sound, it is the body and the air within the body that make the majority of the sound, so even with two strings for each note we still have only one instrument.
Also, the article failed to mention that the two glockenspiel bars could almost certainly not be tuned to the exact same note and the pressure waves would go in and out of phase, so the sound pressure at the mic would be alternately doubles and canceled. Those are the beats we hear with two notes very slightly out of tune, and for the reasons stated in the article we don't hear them as the sound changing from no sound to a loud sound, only as a slight increase and decrease.

[bobby bill]

so even with two strings for each note we still have only one instrument

Good point. And even with my experience with the harpsichord (one instrument), I can think of other variables that would cause volume changes. I think I would change my answer to tremolo and tone.

[Tracey]

I can't really contribute to the "why" behind string pairs. But I have noticed that if I tune both strings dead on. When I check the tuning at the 12th fret. One will be slightly # the other slightly b, what's up with that?

[JeffD]

However it got the way it is, I think that the double strings are an important part of what makes it mandolinny. The tremolo, the chorus effect, bending and vibrato prevented - all contribute to that characteristic sound.

No argument if you like single strings, or whatever else, I just love playing as mandolinny as possible - transcending the puny guitar or picked fiddle styles.

[billkilpatrick]

I can't really contribute to the "why" behind string pairs. But I have noticed that if I tune both strings dead on. When I check the tuning at the 12th fret. One will be slightly # the other slightly b, what's up with that?

tweek the position of the bridge a bit - tap left or right side up slightly - not perfectly horizontal

[sunburst]

The intonation difference can be the nut, the bridge, the strings, or any combination of those.

[Roman Pekar]

i also noticed that during the tuning I can hear whether the pair is in tune by sudden resonanse. So if one of the strings is already in tune and i'm tuning second one by raising pitch slowly I hear when it hits the mark by snall jump in volume and, probsbly, "richness" of sound. So those double courses could also work as drone strings.

[fentonjames]

why?

to start long debates on internet forums. that's why!

[Tobin]

i also noticed that during the tuning I can hear whether the pair is in tune by sudden resonanse. So if one of the strings is already in tune and i'm tuning second one by raising pitch slowly I hear when it hits the mark by snall jump in volume and, probsbly, "richness" of sound. So those double courses could also work as drone strings.

Wow, thread resurrection alert!

You're right - and it was one of the first things I noticed when I started playing the mandolin. Tuning the 2nd string in a course up to match the 1st one is a tricky thing, but you can always hear that sudden increase in volume when it hits the sweet spot. It won't last long, though, as they will rarely stay perfectly in tune with each other once you start playing. But that sonic difference you hear when they get to the matching point is a good example of what was discussed earlier in this thread.

I notice a similar effect when tuning to perfect fifths. Not necessarily a sudden increase in volume, but a definite change in the responsiveness of the instrument (be it a mandolin or fiddle) when the phases match. I admit to always getting a little cheap thrill when tuning up and achieving that response when I hit perfect fifths. Electronic tuners are of no help with this at all.

[Andy Hatfield]

It may just be vestigial from a time long ago when lutes had to have courses, because you couldn't hear your gut-stringed lute above the the sound of a horse sucking its foot out of the mud.

A

[Andy Hatfield]

In regards to how strings can be in tune open, and out of tune up the neck.

#1 strings might be old, and have stretched in different places slightly.

#2 the string may not be coming off the edge of the nut. Take it off and look for a black mark in the nut.

#3 the bridge might be slightly angled.

#4 the player may be pressing at an angle instead of straight down, stretching one string slightly.

[T.D.Nydn]

Now,,I'm just repeating what I read,,but it's for volume,it goes back to gut strings,,I read that when you double a string,,it increases the volume by 3 db...

[Paul Busman]

Has anyone here simply strung their mandolin with only single strings? That would be a pretty easy to answer the original question.

[Bertram Henze]

It may just be vestigial... ...gut-stringed...

That's not vestigial - it's visceral!

[JeffD]

Has anyone here simply ng their mandolin with only single strings? That would be a pretty easy to answer the original question.

I have seen this twice. In both cases it was a very shy player who played mostly at home and did not want to be heard in an ensemble.

[Magnus Geijer]

It's an elaborate scheme by string-manufacturers to keep mandolinists in shame and poverty, and to keep them from rising up and seizing power.

I personally prefer the single string setup to the point that my 8-stringers have all become wall hangers.

[JeffD]

It's an elaborate scheme by string-manufacturers to keep mandolinists in shame and poverty, and to keep them from rising up and seizing power.

You are on to something. I have long suspected that string-mfgs sponsor cross tuning workshops at fiddle camps and festivals, to sell fiddle strings.

[SincereCorgi]

And one has to ask- if eight strings are good, why aren't there more 12 string mandolins floating around? Too wide a fretboard for a short scale? Too hard to press across three courses with a fingertip?

[Paul Hird]

I agree with Mr. Kilpatrick, It simply sounds better with 8 strings. Actually, just like a mandolin!

[John Flynn]

Having courses doubles the chance that at least one string on the instrument will be in tune at any given time. There are no guarantees though!

[Dave Sheets]

There have been a variety of instruments made at various points with double or triple courses (the tiple for example, but also other instruments included 3 coursed electric basses). Which of these instruments become "standard" seems to be matter of both taste and utility. The 12 string (4 courses of 3 strings each) was a fun instrument to play, but certainly felt awkward, and perhaps a bit, uhm, absurd, but it did have an interesting sound. Interesting and different is a good thing. But if the instrument is too clumsy to play well, or doesn't sit in the mix of a band well, it kinda fades away.

Some combinations of features in an instrument apparently prove useful and are retained, other features come and go. Five stringed (or five coursed) instruments seem to be gaining in popularity again, at least in some circles, for example.

[JeffD]

And one has to ask- if eight strings are good, why aren't there more 12 string mandolins floating around? Too wide a fretboard for a short scale? Too hard to press across three courses with a fingertip?

I have one. Its called a mandriola. Its fun to play chords and backup, but melody is really a pain. Hard to press across three strings quickly, single finger double stops are almost impossible. I did not care for the tremolo. Truth is I had trouble with it, and I am open to the possibility that a different technique is required and needs to be developed and practiced.

Also, they seem go out of tune a lot. I suppose one could be made that did not have this problem, but mine ain't it.

Loud though. And more sympathetic vibration on the open strings. You can feel the vibrations.

I tried three unison strings per coarse, and also one down octave string in each bunch. The second configuration let to some fun wrangly jangly bar room sounds I actually could get into pursuing.

I am willing to grant the idea that with practice it could be playable and nice sounding. It was something I had to try.

Here are some videos I found that give the idea:
one
two
three

[Astro]

'Cause one wadnt 'nuff, and threes a crowd.

And then,while we're askin, why do golf Courses have 18 holes?

Except, of course, electric golf courses. They only have 9.