So...what would you do with an octave mando?

[Jim DeSalvio]

I'm just a casual picker on the mandolin, playing mostly fiddle tunes for myself, and occasionally for some cancer patients while they get their chemo. For some reason, I want to explore an octave mandolin. With the longer scale length, do you folks think I could play the same type of fiddle tunes on an octave, just for a change of pace, or is this just an excuse to explore a different instrument? I don't play in a band, and at this point, am not going to open jams, although if I could find the right type, I would be tempted to get back to that. I also play guitar, but am a 3 chords and capo kind of guy!!

[OneChordTrick]

Well I tried to sell mine with no luck, then on Sunday I took it out of its case, played for half an hour and decided I couldn't bear to part with it.

But to answer your question; I play the same stuff that I play on my mandolin. Mainly slower Celtic stuff.

[CES]

The longer scale length changes the fingering to more of a guitar type fret coverage, which means your pinky will get a serious workout. Yes, you can play all the same stuff, but, unless you have Mike Marshall sized hands you’ll have to learn new fingering. Not a reason to not get one, as there are times when I really miss mine. I tended to use mine as more of a rhythm machine (more like a Zouk) when I played for others...

Having said that, Sierra Hull is pocket sized, and she doesn’t have any issues. Of course, her talent and work ethic are gargantuan, but...

[Seter]

I think octave mandolin is well suited for playing solo. I tend to play slower pieces as well on it, that seems to be where it especially shines. Faster pieces sound fine though as well. In some ways I think octave mandolin is easier than mandolin, the notes aren't as crowded together and you have a larger target to hit when playing.

[John Kelly]

Fiddle tunes are good, epecially the slower ones such as slow airs, where the octave's longer sustain is a big advantage over the mandolin. I use mine a lot to play highland bagpipe tunesand it is really good for this kind of music, as you can do ornaments such as hammer-ons and pull-offs more easily than on the mando. I have lots of examples on my YouTube channel if you want to get some ideas - look for TheOldBores or John Kelly.

[pheffernan]

For some reason, I want to explore an octave mandolin. With the longer scale length, do you folks think I could play the same type of fiddle tunes on an octave, just for a change of pace, or is this just an excuse to explore a different instrument?

Need these statements be mutually exclusive? You could absolutely play the same type of fiddle tunes on an octave, albeit with altered fingerings, and explorations of different instruments require no excuses. What would I do with an octave mandolin? I'd buy one! But then of course I already did.

[dang]

As much Timmy stuff as I can learn!!!

[foldedpath]

With the longer scale length, do you folks think I could play the same type of fiddle tunes on an octave, just for a change of pace, or is this just an excuse to explore a different instrument?

In my experience playing both mandolin and OM, I'd say playing the same fiddle tune repertoire is mainly a question of tempo. If you always play solo, and at a fairly relaxed tempo (i.e. not dance speed), then you should have no trouble playing the same tunes on an OM.

I play mainly Scottish and Irish trad ("fiddle tunes"), which includes things like reels and strathspeys. These tunes need to be at dance tempo when keeping up with the alpha fiddlers at local sessions. I can't play that stuff fast enough on the OM, so I use the mandolin for all the faster-tempo tunes.

I mean, I could play it that fast on my OM, but it wouldn't be as smooth and lively as on the mandolin. The short scale and high pitch of a mandolin "speaks quicker" than the OM. The strings feel more stiff, which facilitates fast playing. My OM has a "slower voice" due to the slightly looser-feeling strings, and the wider finger stretch. I use a slightly adapted fingering on my 22" scale OM, including a hand shift to reach the high B in a fiddle tune.

Where the OM really shines is on the slower tunes, where I can milk the sustain. Tunes like metered airs, marches, slowed-down reels, and O'Carolan tunes. Local sessions don't play many slow tunes, so for me the OM is primarily a solo instrument to enjoy at home. If I played gigs as a solo act, I'd probably have the OM or guitar for a few tunes to add variety.

So the bottom line is yes, you obviously need an OM in your life.

[Mandobart]

I think you can do almost anything on an OM that you can do on a guitar. (Wow some of these videos are pretty old!)

Pretty good fit on bluegrass:


I think the 5ths tuning lends itself very well to Hawai'ian slack key, which is usually performed on guitar in various open tunings.



Also works for general Americana tunes:


Attempted classical

[bigskygirl]

You could do anything you want really, some people play single note melodies, strum while singing, crosspick, whatever. As far as fingering it would be whatever you feel is comfortable I tend to go back and forth between mando (2 frets per finger) and guitar (1 fret per finger) as my mood or the tune dictates.

Don’t limit yourself, if it feels good do it, here are some ideas...

Molly Tuttle plays a single note melody - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H9-W9N0XB8A

An overview featuring several players from Northfield - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ohZEy6fQMhs

Emory Lester crosspicking - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GrD8NARhilk

These are but a few, check out Tim O’Brien and Sierra Hull. Have fun!

[Pittsburgh Bill]

I agree with all of the above comments. I do find a mandola to be a good compromise. I have a 16" scale and a 17". I find the 16" more to my liking.
If you don't know alto cleff get used to transposing while using mandolin fingering. Not a big issue for solo or rythm play but gets trickier for taking melodic leads.

[Bertram Henze]

No, no, no, that question is turned around the wrong way. The correct question is: what would I do without an OM?

[allenhopkins]

Here's what I do with mine (most of the time):

[Eric Platt]

What would I do? Add a different voice to a couple of different groups I'm in. Just finished up a couple days of recording with one group and played the OM exclusively.

Like others, I like it on slightly slower tunes. However, can play faster. At least family dance speed. Not pro dance speed.

[darrylicshon]

I usually play the same songs that I play on the mandolin, but if you plan on getting one , there are many different scale length that are used on an octave. I like 20" but I've seen that a lot like 22" but I like the shorter scale length of 20" and I actually have a couple that are 19"

[kurth83]

I just got my first OM today, 20" short-scale. It is intended to be a guitar replacement. I can play barre chords on it just fine anywhere on the neck. And I can reach most of the frets with the same fingerings, sometimes I have to sub in the pinky for the 3rd finger, that will take some practice.

[Paul Busman]

I had an OM which I found to be great for background chords and strumming. I play mainly melody in Irish tunes and I had a very hard time getting the OM up to session speed. I got a hankering for a tenor guitar but couldn't afford one so I took off one from each pair of strings and really enjoyed playing it that way. You may want to try that next time you change strings just for the heck of it.
I ultimately sold it though to finance a better tenor banjo.

[ChesterJones]

I think once you play it for awhile, it leads you to pull out what ultimately sounds best. That happened with my Northfield. When i tried it at the shop i loved the sound and played a bunch of different things on it, some which worked better than others. Once i got it home, each day it becomes clearer and clearer what sounds best and what, even with extensive practice, might not be best suited for it’s character. And maybe the best thing is to just improvise, listen closely, and see what unfolds. It’s such a different voice that, if it’s meant for you, i believe you will be inspired and create something new!

[Phil Goodson]

As a long time mediocre rhythm guitarist,I switched to mandolin because the economy of motion made playing melody MUCH easier for me. And I won't even talk about the benefits of the tuning.

But on many occasions, I've yearned for that lower pitched sound of OM, guitar, or "something" to go with singing and slower tunes. I hear folks play these instruments and find them beautiful.

This has prompted me, over the years, to buy a mandola, octave mandolin, short scale guitar, & short scale tenor guitar.

I tried and tried and persistently failed miserably to get comfortable with any of these and never felt the comfort of the economy of motion that brought me to the mandolin originally.

I've kept the tenor guitar, but all the rest have gone away after my despair with my efforts on each.
I think I'm just a mandolin player now. And I'm happy.

(Oh. So the answer to your original question is that I'd sell it. )

[ChesterJones]

..

[ChesterJones]

I tried and tried and persistently failed miserably to get comfortable with any of these and never felt the comfort of the economy of motion that brought me to the mandolin originally.

I've kept the tenor guitar, but all the rest have gone away after my despair with my efforts on each.
I think I'm just a mandolin player now. And I'm happy.

(Oh. So the answer to your original question is that I'd sell it. )

It’s great that you tried (& tried!) them all so now you know they are not for you. But you sure can still appreciate when others play them well! I also love the lower mandola sound but don’t own one, so i have a great sounding compromise with a capo on the 5th fret of the Northfield for open position playing, and up to the 15th fret or so. This gives the CGDA mandola tuning. I believe before too long they will offer this instrument with a cutaway, maybe gypsy guitar style.

[Al Trujillo]

What would you (I) do with an Octave? Try very hard to play like these professionals:

Skip to 2:50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O09tq3k9H24

I watch this video at least twice a week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT1gMBWwMRI

And this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgoOhDxxL6s

PS: I played my first OM this week, a Northfield Flattop....I want it so bad!!

[belbein]

The Octave is just about the same range as guitar. It has a nice, mellow, ringing tone. I think it's better for voice accompaniment, and also solo. The second instrument I built was an octave, and I've been in love with them ever since. I finally bought one--a Two Old Hippies-Weber--that has fabulous sound. I much prefer it to my Weber two pointer, though that also has great sound. So when I play with people where there's a guitar, I play mandolin. By myself, or with people when there's no guitar: Octave is my favorite.

It is true that you have to learn new chords for the Octave. The fretboard is wide as the Mississippi. BUT ... the structure of the fretboard is the same. If you know where a note (or chord) is on a mando, you know on an Octave. To me, that's big mnemonic help. I heartily recommend one.

And hey, wait a minute. Why did you say "JUST AN EXCUSE" to learn a new instrument? Learning a new instrument is the best excuse you can have for spending money!

[Ginny Aitchison]

Hi Al, I got my Northfield Flat Top in November. I totally love it....I do recommend that you get a pick -up installed before delivery - it is a bit on the quiet side. Other than that a beautiful sounding, well-made octave.

[twaaang]

I got one for the sake of learning my way around up-the-neck (as I had learned on the five-string) and bringing that awareness back to the mandolin. As it happened, my local Celtic sessions were becoming increasingly mandolin-heavy, to the point that I was staying on the OM just to have the lower range to myself. What I began to find was that, apart from the initial warm-up moments, for playing purposes I was unaware that I was NOT playing mandolin -- okay, getting to the first-string B takes some extra focus, but most first-position work is no problem. That's on a 20-inch-scale Weber. Thus encouraged, I've recently added a 21-inch-scale tenor banjo, and then a 23-inch-scale tenor guitar. (And regarding mandocellos I still just change the subject.) -- Paul