Tuning down a half step.

[Caleb]

I keep my acoustic guitar tuned down a whole step at all times. I really prefer the sound in the lower tuning, and it works well for vocals on certain songs.

As I was restringing my mandolin the other day (with beefier strings than I normally use), I wondered what it would be like to tune it down a bit. I tuned it down a half step and have been having fun with it.

Initially it took some of the sparkle off the highs that I love about the mandolin and darkened things up a bit. But after a while I really enjoyed the difference; it changes the character of the instrument up quite a bit over all. It also took a little tension off the strings, making the fingering almost effortless, but still without any buzz.

I play alone all the time anyway, so an odd tuning wouldn't interfere with playing in a setting with others.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else every messes around with different mandolin tunings?

[Ron McMillan]

I've heard of performing mandolinists keeping a second instrument tuned three semitones lower (E on the bottom string) to make it easier to play in E (using 'G' fingerings). Not being a performer, and still being determined that, one day, I'll conquer improvisation in the key of E, I have not tried it.

[dhergert]

Different tunings do change the character of the tone of the mandolin. It all depends on what you want.

I use a non-standard tuning on my mandolins (GCEg) with heavier gauge (.017, .015) unwound strings. A friend of mine (a pro bluegrass/roots-music multi-instrumentalist) tells me he can't tell that I'm using a different tuning when I play mandolin, but I can tell. Aside from my technical playing reasons, I do prefer the deeper treble tones and significantly lower tension of this tuning.

But, using a non-standard tuning will isolate the player in a number of ways. If that's ok with the player, then it may be worth being different than most other players.

[Seter]

I keep my Soviet Lunacharsky tuned a whole step down, it's the one I tend to use for strumming open chords while singing like in this recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_GmU4aRrsE The detuning also helps slow the sinking of the top on this particular instrument.