|
Post by woodtoner on Apr 15, 2022 21:07:26 GMT
Today I had the pleasure of playing what I think is a mandola for the first time (as well as a tenor guitar for the first time..I'm hooked). I've been wanting to play one for a while and I finally got the chance on a lovely Paul Hathway* all mahogany one. Well at least I think it was one as it hadn't been played for a while so there was a little confusion as to what it is actually classed as. It belonged to the owners late partner and she restrung it only to have the new strings break. She bought a different set and between 3 of us we struggled to find the right pitch for it. There was also a little confusion as to what tuning it should be in.
I'm hoping someone here can confirm what it technically is as a search on the interweb was just as baffling to me and somehow led me down a rabbit hole full of banjo basses...
It has a 52cm scale length - so does that make it a mandola, an octave mandola or an octave mandolin? What would be the ideal strings/gauge for it? What would be the best tuning for it? (the owner is a viola player with mando capabilities) Ideally we would be able to use the same chord shapes as mando on it.
We did get it close to what we thought was right but we played a song that I do on mando occasionally and i nearly blew the top of my head off as it was in a key higher than what the chord would be on a standard mando (g). It just didn't seem quite right.
any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Ashley
*interestingly & strangely I've been admiring Hathway mando's online for a while and considered getting one. It turns out that a bass player I recently started playing with has a Hathway mando that I love and The viola player I played with today who will be playing with us has a Hathway mandolathingamajig. weird. Also between us we have 3 double basses! I want to do a cover of Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom" with them maybe with my Banjo playing buddy on his washtub bass too...
|
|
|
Post by Onechordtrick on Apr 15, 2022 22:02:10 GMT
|
|
|
Post by martinrowe on Apr 15, 2022 22:37:17 GMT
I was going to buy a Hathway once. I emailed him. He was very helpful. You could email him, from my experience thatwould probably work. Other makers usually state their preferred tunings with these instruments. My memory seems to tell me the I saw suchlike on Stefan Sobell's website and the Fylde site. Come to think of it, I think Paul Hathway does this on his site. He's in North London by the way. Hope some of that helps Martin.
|
|
|
Post by woodtoner on Apr 16, 2022 8:45:21 GMT
Thanks guys - We've got to the bottom of it and strings have been ordered. cheers!
|
|
ocarolan
Global Moderator
CURMUDGEONLY OLD GIT (leader - to join, just ask!)
Posts: 33,855
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"c0cfe1"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 182a3f
Mini-Profile Text Color: 733a1c
|
Post by ocarolan on Apr 16, 2022 12:31:58 GMT
Octave mandola just doesn't make sense to me as a name for a 52cm scale instrument tuned an octave below a mandolin - octave mandolin is a far more sensible option I reckon! But there has always been confusion over this, with the two names being used for the same instrument almost interchangably; including by the makers of them. Scale length and intended tuning are the most reliable guide - then call it what you will! Keith
|
|
|
Post by woodtoner on Apr 16, 2022 20:02:17 GMT
Octave mandola just doesn't make sense to me as a name for a 52cm scale instrument tuned an octave below a mandolin - octave mandolin is a far more sensible option I reckon! But there has always been confusion over this, with the two names being used for the same instrument almost interchangably; including by the makers of them. Scale length and intended tuning are the most reliable guide - then call it what you will! Keith From stuff I've read online I think mandola is a term specific to the UK. Its probably be picked up oerseas in the same way people everywhere seem to adopt americanisms.
|
|
ocarolan
Global Moderator
CURMUDGEONLY OLD GIT (leader - to join, just ask!)
Posts: 33,855
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"c0cfe1"}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 182a3f
Mini-Profile Text Color: 733a1c
|
Post by ocarolan on Apr 16, 2022 21:06:45 GMT
Octave mandola just doesn't make sense to me as a name for a 52cm scale instrument tuned an octave below a mandolin - octave mandolin is a far more sensible option I reckon! But there has always been confusion over this, with the two names being used for the same instrument almost interchangably; including by the makers of them. Scale length and intended tuning are the most reliable guide - then call it what you will! Keith From stuff I've read online I think mandola is a term specific to the UK. Its probably be picked up oerseas in the same way people everywhere seem to adopt americanisms.
"Octave mandola" is deffo a term with a European origin. "Mandola" as a single word is the mando family equivalent of the viola, tuned the same and with a longer scale length than a mandolin but a shorter scale length than an octave mandolin, which in turn has a shorter scale length than a bouzouki. And then there's the mandocello, which is tuned an octave below the mandola. Sometimes you'll see things like "short scale bouzouki", which are often pretty close to an octave mandolin in scale. Again, different makers will call the same thing something different. Funny old world! Keith
|
|