| Consider the instruments used by your favorite celtic | | | | of a sharp and ringing attack (like a mandolin), the |
| group -- certainly, there's a fiddle ... and there may be | | | | effect is much closer to a guitar where the chords |
| a tinwhistle and perhaps some bagpipes. There's | | | | flow naturally to the background. Sharp and bright |
| probably a guitar and a bodhran (a sort of handheld | | | | chords jump to the forefront of a song -- sometimes |
| drum) -- but what about those other stringed | | | | this is good, but usually you want your rhythym |
| instruments? | | | | instruments to be complimentary, not a featured solo |
| You may find a mandolin or a mandola in the group -- | | | | instrument. |
| and perhaps a bouzouki. In fact, a bouzouki may take | | | | If lower is better for chord playing, then why not go |
| the place of the guitar. What makes these | | | | all the way to an octave mandolin? Tuned like a |
| instruments useful in celtic folk music? | | | | mandolin to GDAE ... except an octave lower ... the |
| First off, you're probably familiar with a mandolin. It's | | | | octave mandolin also has a scale length close to a |
| a small (pretty much violin-sized) strummed or | | | | guitar. And here's where we start running into |
| plucked instrument -- you can finger chords on it and | | | | problems! |
| strum it, or you can pluck individual strings to play a | | | | How far can your fingers stretch? Most chords on a |
| melody. Mandolin's are common to most types of | | | | guitar span 4 frets at the most -- with 3 being the |
| folk or country music. They have essentially the | | | | most common maximum stretch. Mandolin chords |
| same scale length as a violin (the strings are about | | | | often span 4 frets -- with some having a 5 fret span. |
| the same length) -- in fact, it's normally tuned exactly | | | | When played on a short scale mandolin, this stretch |
| like a violin -- GDAE! This makes it very easy to learn | | | | isn't a problem. When the scale length approaches 2 |
| both instruments. | | | | feet or so (about a guitar's scale length), the required |
| The mandolin has a high, ringing tone. When playing | | | | fret stretch is simply too much for most players. |
| accompanying chords, the mandolin's high pitch and | | | | A bouzouki has this same problem -- originally used |
| sharp attach have an almost percussive effect ... | | | | for Greek folk music, a bouzouki is tuned like an |
| making it an excellent rhythm instrument. Since the | | | | octave mandolin. This lower tuning makes it ideal for |
| mandolin isn't loud when individual notes are plucked, | | | | a Celtic rhythm instrument -- except for the required |
| most solo playing requires a fast and repeated picking | | | | fret stretch. |
| technique. | | | | Because of this, you often see bouzoukis or octave |
| The mandola is a little larger than the mandolin -- | | | | mandolins tuned differently for celtic music -- GDAD. |
| giving it a lower pitch. Some tune it a fifth down | | | | Chord fretting in this tuning is much easier and the |
| from a mandolin -- CGDA. Some folks even tune an | | | | longer scale length (a few inches longer than an |
| entire octave lower -- although the scale length isn't | | | | octave mandolin) results in deep, long sustaining |
| really long enough for proper intonation. The lower | | | | chords -- making a bouzouki a perfect rhythm |
| tones alter the effect of strummed chords -- instead | | | | instrument for Celtic music! |
