Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
Your first question is probably “Why would you want to do this?” 😛
However, I was experimenting yesterday with an old mandolin(My original Ibanez purchased in the early 80s) and tuned down the D, A, and E strings to C, E, and A respectively to a Ukulele tuning. I thought the mandolin sound might sound quite nice although, arguably, there’s no need to do this if you can find your way around a mandolin already.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else has tried this. After all, banjo ukuleles are quite popular. So why not the mandolin?
It doesn’t sound too bad although I’d like a brighter sound than it seems to produce. So, I’m inclined to think that different guages of strings might be an option? Any thoughts?
Re: Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
Yup! That was my first question.
Re: Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
🙂
I guess it’s because I like playing Ukulele too but, you are right, it’s a good enough instrument in its own right.
I like to try a few more subtle techniques when I play on my own as opposed to the usual “strumming” which seems to prevail. So, I thought it could be interesting from that point of view.
If I was just “strumming” away, however, the mandolin chords would do just as well 🙂 albeit it might irritate fellow players that I was doing something different.
Re: Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
Hello! I did something similar with an octave mandolin. As I’m more at home with the idiosyncrasies of guitar/ uke tuning (4ths and the one major 3rd), I tuned the thing D, G, B, E - like a baritone uke or top four of a guitar. The E strings stayed the same, the A were tuned up a tone to B and the G and D pairs were just swopped over. So it was a re-entrant tuning. But for strummy chordy stuff it didn’t make much difference as on my instrument I have the G’s and the D’s in octaves.
On the std mandolin to get a G, C, E, A tuning, I guess the G’s stay the same, bung the Ds down to C and swop the E’s and A’s. It would mean the A’s would be an octave lower than conventional. But one would have to procure some pretty light strings to get a high A. I suppose you leave the two top string pairs the same and could tune it G, D, E, A! And don’t worry about irritating anyone!!!!
Re: Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
“I suppose you leave the two top string pairs the same and could tune it G, D, E, A”
Thanks.
That’s what I’ve done so far but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the sound. As I say, it’s an old fairly inexpensive mandolin so trying a few different things won’t do a great deal of harm.
Re the different octaves that wouldn’t matter, I suppose, if I was just playing the chords. Melody would be a little more problematic.
Tuning down the A and E to E and A might actually work better using slightly heavier strings too, I’d guess?
Re: Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
not sure what OP asked, but you can buy GDAE and CGDA string sets for all size ukuleles (search/ask on the mandolin cafe). the wonderful Kala CGDA tenor guitar uses a uke body. my 1890-ies GDAE mandolinetto is what ukulele was copied from. Marcy Marxer cello banjo uses CGDA nylon strings. as to why play a single-strung nylon-strings mandolin, well, as they say “people with 100% healthy and super strong fingers and wrists and with deaf neighbours need not apply!”.
Re: Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
Thanks Mandocello8,
Not sure what I was asking about either 🙂 but my idea was to retain the steel strings on the mandolin.
Retuning the ukulele to mandolin tuning with the nylon strings sounds interesting too although you may well ask “Why” especially if one can play both instruments as they are already.
Re: Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
“Retuning the ukulele to mandolin tuning with the nylon strings sounds interesting too although you may well ask “Why”…”
1) Quieter, practise late at night.
2) A tiny travel mandolin to take away with you.
3) Really annoy purists.
Re: Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
A mandolin is a mandolin - a ukulele is a ukulele
Easier to buy one of each rather than try to transform one into the other and back again surely?
Having said all that I was looking at a Pink Floyd guitar book recently which referred to ‘Nashville tuning’ and putting selected octave strings in a mix with regular
In the end anything goes if you can figure out the fingering and avoid snapping anything. I struggle with just one tuning per instrument type though so don’t have spare brain space to learn alternatives in multiple variations
Re: Mandolin Ukulele Tuning
Occasionally, I play a mandolin chord on a regular ukulele by mistake.
I’d imagine this might become even more likely on an actual mandolin in “ukulele tuning”.
🙂
If you are a member of The Session, log in to add a comment.
If you aren’t a member of The Session yet, you can sign up now. Membership is free, and it only takes a moment to sign up.
