...for the very same reasons I play mandolin. Different sound. Different look. Different feel.
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Mandolin Tunes on Mandola
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The mandola adds one string (C below G) and removes another (E above A).
To stay in the same key:
• Ignore the mandola’s C string for a minute, and
• play a mandolin chord/scale minus the mandolin’s E string, then
• find the appropriate tone/fret in order to bring the C string back into play.
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| e flat on mandolin |
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| partial e flat on mandola |
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| full e flat on mandola |
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or, for a couple of formulas:
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| Let's say I wanted to play a song on mandola in the same key as I use on mandolin. To play a G chord (or scale), for instance, my finger positions would shift.
• count up a perfect fifth (7 half-steps) from G to D, and
• play that mandolin chord/scale formation on mandola.
So, a G chord on mandola uses the mandolin's D chord formation. Same for the scale.
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| g major on mandolin |
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| d major on mandolin |
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| g major on mandola |
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If I wanted to play a song using the same chord and scale fingerings as I use on mandolin, the key would of course change.
To identify the new key/chord name:
• count down a fifth (7 half-steps) from G to C, or
• count up a fourth (5 half-steps) from G to C. It's the same thing.
So, what would have been the key of G on mandolin is actually the key of C on mandola.
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| g major on mandolin |
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| c major on mandola |
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