The Fifth Course

This quote from the recent Mike Marshall interview got my attention:

I just borrowed a nylon string mandolin from Caterina Lichtenberg that with a little work, I think is going to be very very hip. I have always wanted one of these. I think I may tune it to a E, B, F#, C# (low to high) to make it a little looser. This will put it right in between a mandolin and a mandola. I know we all really don't like the Key of E, so imagine playing a G chord and sounding an E! You can do this if you put a mandolin set of strings on your mandola. It works nicely.

I have been looking around for a way to use a mandolin family instrument as vocal back up in place of guitar, and the above suggestion seemed like it might hold some promise.

So I yanked the mandola strings off my mandola and installed mandolin strings. I tuned up to EBF#C#, checked the intonation, and started playing. At first I wasn't sure I liked it. The mandola had a nice rich low end tuned CGDA, and this tuning is naturally higher. Also, transposition from G down to E is not as quick and easy in my head as transposition from G down to C.

But as I've been playing it more, it has gotten easier. I only need to transpose once. If I get the key right, then the changes usually happen accordingly by muscle memory.

Now I'm pretty comfortable with it and beginning to develop a repertoire of cover material.

• Across the Great Divide
• When You Say Nothing At All
• Last Train From Poor Valley
• People Get Ready
• Under African Skies
• The Bird Song

I have even been toying with Hotel California. Indeed playing it on a mando family instrument has opened it up to me. I kind of get why it's so freakin' catchy now. But playing that progression on this instrument is a little labored. It takes a guitar. Or maybe a mandocello strung with octave mandolin strings and tuned EBF#C# and octave below where I am now.

Ok so this isn't Bluegrass. If you're a BG purist, you wouldn't be playing a 'dola anyway. But if you're into 'dola chances are you love tuning in fifths. You might live fifths so much that you have done something radical to a guitar. So this might be a nice way to get the 'dola into a sweet spot for you, especially if you sing.

One more thing. Buy a banjo capo. Capo the first fret and you're playing the G scale in the key of F. Capo the third fret and you're playing the G scale in the key of --You Guessed it!-- G! Ta da! Mandolin!

I've already used the capo 3 trick in band practice on a soft folk tune in G (or C, I forget). It sounds sweeter and the sustain is better with the larger body. But do not expect "chop" this way. You still need a real mandolin for that.

So if you're looking to change things up, play in different keys, and/or sing to the 'dola swap the strings and crank on those tuning machines!

Here's a video of me using the 'dola:


Daniel