5 - String versatility

[brendon]

The idea of a 5 string in terms of maelody range is great - but what are they like for chord playing etc?

[250sc]

A better question would be;

Is the player good at playing chords and rhythm?

[jmcgann]

Yep- having those extra low notes (7 more, right? More than half an octave!) means that you can play lower chord voicings that actually support the soloist or singer, without relying on the icepick-to-the-forehead tones so easily attained on an electric!

The best of both worlds-mandola PLUS mandolin.

[mandocrucian]

5-string mandola (17"-19" scale) is better - but tuned GDAEB (or GDAEA) instead of FCGDA. For all practical functional purposes, you're playing a short-scale electric guitar in a tuning, in pretty much the same register.

icepick-to-the-forehead tones

I always thought of it as a nail-gun with the higher strings. Same thing!

Niles H

[Ted Eschliman]

It probably goes without saying, but consider 3-note chords.
Less is more, especially with the extra low range.

[Jim Garber]

I spent a couple of weeks with Tiny Moore at Fiddle and Dance years ago. he used the lower strings for comp chords (3-note lower voiced ones as Ted and John say) and the higher strings for single note leads.

Jim

[seano]

Yep, I'm w/ Ted and Jim on this one, 3 note chords. 3 notes sound plenty "big" enough. Plus it's easier to figure out/play 3 strings instead of trying to convince your fingers to grab all 5 strings.

[Christian McKee]

I'm still new to the 5th string, but I really like three note chords for rhythm. In fact, my general assessment of the 5-string is that more is more, and whether that's good or bad depends on the situation and context. I do really like having enough authority to hold down a rhythm part behind a guitarist, though.

Christian

[Dfyngravity]

I try to stay away from the E string when playing lots of chords. Don't get me wrong, I do use the E string for some chords but they tend to sound a lot better and less harsh w/o the E string. But other than that it's awesome for chords.

[Joel Glassman]

>5-string mandola (17"-19" scale) is better - but tuned GDAEB (or >GDAEA) instead of FCGDA.

I have an instrument set-up this way, and avoid the low string for chording. To reach a low G at 17-19" you need a large diameter string. In my experience, its too boomy and wobbly sounding.
Heavy EQ, angling the pickup towards the bridge, and screwing the G pole-piece all the way down helps a bit. (Playing thru distortion etc. effects helps also)

IMO a low C string becomes reasonable sounding at around 16" and a low G at about 21"
This is unfortunate because 17" is the longest scale I can play in open position with std. fingering, without hurting my hand.

[glauber]

Just wait until they start making 6-string mandolins with 25" scale, and tuned in EADGBE... wait! they already make those!

[brendon]

Ok based on the answers supplied to my question I've thought of 2 new ones:

- is the choice between a 4 and 5 string based on taste i.e. is a 4 or 5 string equally effective for rhythm playing in the hands of the right person?

- does comping ever include fast strumming i.e. how do you avoid playing that extra string?

[Dfyngravity]

I think a 5 string is better because you have more options playing melodies and the chording sounds better. Like I said earlier, when playing an emando the E string can sound too harsh when playing chords. Think about putting a capo on an electric guitar at the 12th fret and playing a D chord, it can get pretty harsh playing chords that high. So I like the 5 string emando because you can stray away from the E string and use the C,G,D,A strings for most of your chording, but since you do have 5 strings you can do 4 and 5 note chords much easier. Go 5 string, you can always take a string off, with a 4 string you can't just add a string.

Avoiding the E string is fairly easy on a 5 string. When playing chords it is very easy just to mute it.

[Joel Glassman]

Mute the E using the flesh of the index finger on the opposite
side of where the second knuckle is. Mute the C string using
your thumb.

[celtic_knut]

Intriguing thread. Are there much in the way of solid-body electric mandolas on the market?

If not, these two instruments from Epiphone, the Les Paul Pee Wee, and Flying Vee Wee, are 19" scale instruments and can be had for about $100US on eBay, so they seem like good candidates for a conversion job. Since it looks like the nut, pickup, and bridge all would need to be replaced or modified, it such a conversion cost efficient?

[glauber]

Why replace all that? You can use 5 of the slots and have a 5-string. Not pretty but functional. Leave the top slot empty so you have room to bend your lowest string.

[mikeomando]

Here I go as a broken record again. You can always take a string off of a 5 string and play it as a 4 string. You can always take 4 strings off of an 8 string and play it as a 4 string. If you're not sure which one you like, buy a 5 string and try it both ways. Or buy a tiny 6 string and try it with whichever combo you like. My strong vote is for a quality 5 string, by the way. More chording options, and you can play single string rhythm down low when you have to.

[Joel Glassman]

>If not, these two instruments from Epiphone, the Les Paul Pee
>Wee, and Flying Vee Wee...
If you want to convert a miniguitar to a mandola,
I'd suggest looking for a better quality instrument than the Epiphones

[mandroid]

FWIW; for using 3 note chord shapes, it is real convenient.. IV,I,V... the cluster of 3 in the middle are flanked by the other two, sub-dom and dominant chords, all on the same fret.