European Mandola Tuning and Strings

[mnmcouillard@yahoo.com]

May I ask a slightly different question? I see TI 164 and TI 174 suggested for mandolas. I have a set of TI 170s labeled Mandola, and indicating tuning of EADG. I thought I saw somewhere that this set is for the European crowd. My simple question that may elude a yes or no answer: I have an Eastman MDA 315 Mandola and I want to know if I can use the 170s and tune this instrument to EADG. I don't want to break it! Thanks for any expertise and answers!

[mnmcouillard@yahoo.com]

TI=Thomastik Infeld

[mnmcouillard@yahoo.com]

Further information. From what I gather, European Mandolas are also referred to as Alto Mandolas (tuning EADG) and what we in the US call a Mandola is called a Tenor Mandola in Europe (tuning ADGC, a fifth lower)....FWIW

My question remains: if a tenor mandola can be tuned to alto mandola tuning? I am thinking the answer is no as it might overstress the instrument, but I am by no means an expert. Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[Martin Jonas]

It's the other way around. In Europe, the word "mandola" is typically used for what is called an "octave mandolin" in the US. Tuned GDAE, one octave lower than the mandolin. The mandola tuning more common in the US is CGDA, one fifth below the mandolin. That is often called "tenor mandola" in Europe, although "alto mandola" would be more accurate (but not common usage).

If that isn't confusing enough, there is also the issue that European mandolas (for GDAE tuning) are often very short scale, especially bowlback ones, and therefore need very heavy gauge strings to work in that tuning. In fact, their scale length is often quite similar to a US mandola, although the bodies tend to be bigger. Thus, your TI strings may well work on your Eastman mandola, but please tune to GDAE lower than the mandola CGDA, not higher as you said in your emails. It may be too floppy and/or not resonant enough but it shouldn't break your instrument.

The final straw to this entire confusion is that US usage has been creeping into European usage, especially in non-classical context and (I suspect) in no small part because of Mandolin Cafe and other avenues of cross-continental communication, so at this stage it is anybody's guess what a European player or company may mean when they say "mandola". It's why I always state the actual tuning when using the word. I've also seen the descriptions "mandola in G" and "mandola in C" for the GDAE and CGDA instruments, respectively.

Martin

[mnmcouillard@yahoo.com]

thank you Martin for straightening that out for me.

[Jim Imhoff]

I run into that same nomenclature mess when I talk about my (American) Gibson K4 mandocello (mandoloncello, octave mandola....), even more so now that I have a Dusepo (UK) 10-string "mandocello/liuto cantabile hybrid," the luthier's name for it, and she's the one who made it. I had to explain to a friend why a mandolin family instrument (I forget, but likely a mandola) was listed as "CGDA."
I'm thinking of taking my bowlback to a bluegrass festival and see how many people call it a 'tater bug.

[Bill McCall]

………I’m thinking of taking my bowlback to a bluegrass festival and see how many people call it a 'tater bug.

I would. My Dad played one in the 20s. That’d be pre bluegrass.

[Jim Imhoff]

OK Bill, I don't play it much but I'll bring my tater bug to Tygh Valley--see you there?

[Koko]

To the OP: This is probably way late and there are other posts about this throughout this site, but to be able to tune a mandola GDAE, the scale length has to be at least 17". I have a European bowlback (GDAE) mandola with a scale length of around 17-3/4. Japanese mandolas are also around that. Your Eastmans is probably too short for the GDAE mandola strings from what I've been able to learn from others more learned than me.