Re: Mandolin vs. Mandola?
Originally Posted by
Steve Ostrander
Don't forget tenor guitar. You can tune it like a mandolin or mandola...
Not sure what Steve means here; you can definitely tune a tenor guitar in fifths, like a mandolin/mandola, but I wouldn't tune it to mandolin pitch.
There's no "vs." in mandolin and mandola, any more than there would be in violin and viola. They're similar instruments in different ranges of pitch; techniques used one are fairly easily transferred to the other, and they have, generally, different musical roles. The mandolin is more likely to be a "lead" or melody instrument (like the violin), the mandola more likely a supportive instrument in an ensemble context. Not always, but in general usage.
As rightly pointed out, there are dozens, maybe hundreds or thousands, of mandolin players for every mandola player, so for a musician starting out, learning mandolin probably is a better choice. Once you learn how to play an instrument with four string courses tuned in fifths, you can take that knowledge and apply it to mandolin, mandola, mandocello, octave mandolin, tenor banjo, tenor guitar, and, if you learn how to play with a bow, to violin, viola and cello.
Good luck!
Allen Hopkins
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