Everyone,
If you have never tried this it is fun and cheap.
Get a Ukulele. You probably have one laying around. If you don't, you can pick up a good enough one at Guitar Center for $100.00. For some reason, it is apparently easy to make a Ukulele with good tone, while it seems to be pretty much a struggle to find a decent-sounding Mandolin (and definitely not for a hundred bucks).
Get some Aquila Ukulele strings that are made especially for perfect fifths. I think these are AQ-31 or maybe AQ-32 (be careful here and get the right ones, I apologize for throwing away the paper envelope).
Tune the Uke just like a Mandola, C,G,D,A. Note that this is NOT reentrant.
Play all your favorite Mandolin tunes, using your favorite flat pick, totally ignoring the fact that everything is one fifth lower. This is easy enough to ignore if (1) you never sing and (2) you are not playing with other people.
In addition to being fun, it is close enough to keep your skills up a bit and if you have injuries and such it is WAY easier to play a Uke this way than an actual Mandolin.
Also, easier go carry on a trip if you don't have a pocket mandolin (which in my experience is actually just a bit smaller than a uke).
The sound is actually reminiscent of a classical guitar.
Bookmarks