Blank tablature sheets

Basic, blank tablature sheets for the mandolin are available to print out here, in pdf format

The mandolin fret board

This diagram should help beginning players develop tabs from standard notation. It's taken from the wikipedia entry for the mandolin.

Step-by-step guide to building a mandolin...

Kathy Matsushita, an amateur luthier, shows us how she built an F-style bluegrass mandolin. Do try this at home!

Mandolins on a budget...

For a spontaneous discussion on selecting a mandolin for those on a budget, see this interesting conversation from the Acoustic Guitar Forum!

Tips on tuning the mandolin

Helpful advice from the Mandolin Cafe! Getting Tuned Up Tuning is a subject you'll rarely see covered in depth in the many books and articles written about mandolin. Yet month after month it's consistently one of the top search terms that gets typed into the Mandolin Cafe search engine. When was the last time you actually read anything extensive about tuning a mandolin? Maybe you need a little help in that area. Unfortunately, all of the books we've seen barely touch on the subject, if at all. It's a brief mention in the introduction and then off they go. After all, who's going to buy a book on the subject? The Easy Way? We could just say, "buy an electronic tuner" and we'd be done, or so you might think. While an electronic tuner is desirable to own (for reasons we'll soon discuss), there are real benefits to learning to tune by ear, and it's the mark of a good musician to have that skill. We spend hours practicing individual pieces. Why wouldn't we devote a few minutes to one of the most important aspects of our music (that of actually being in tune)? Why is an electronic tuner important? Because if it does nothing else, it serves the purpose of keeping your instrument tuned within the range it was meant to be played. Most mandolins are meant to be tuned within the E-A-D-G range. Tuning lower than that probably won't hurt your instrument, but start going higher over a long period and you risk potential damage to the instrument, although it might takes months or years before it's noticed. Most builders don't recommend the use of heavy gauge strings for the same reason: for most it's too much added tension that the instrument wasn't designed to withstand. The higher the tuning, the greater the tension. The point is that most mandolins are built to be played within the (high to low here) E-A-D-G range, and keeping them tuned within that range optimizes their performance. In the past, tuning forks were used (and still are by some) to gauge the appropriate pitch. A piano can serve that same purpose but now we're starting to get into use of the ear, which is the focus of this article. A Tuning Exercise Here is a demonstration of tuning without a tuner by building a comparison from a single note to the extension of that note into a chord. Building that comparison around a chord simply makes good sense because if your chords are in tune, the notes of the scales will likely be in tune as well. Tuning boils down a comparison of two or more notes against each other. I tend to use a "G" chord, or parts of the "G" chord to get in tune. While you may choose another chord, play along here and use this as a guide. Example: play the low "G" string open and simultaneously play the fifth (5th) fret on the "D" or the third string. Those are both "G" notes. Now play those same two notes but also play the second fret on the "A" string. You should now have a three note chord that looks like this: E String --X-- (don't play yet) A String --2-- ("B" note -- part of the "G" chord triad) D String --5-- ("G" on the "D" string) G String --0-- (an open "G" note) Compare the low "G" on the bottom to the "D" string "G". Now compare the low "G" to the "B" note on the "A" string. Compare them slowly. No, I mean SLOWLY throughout this exercise. For now, use the low "G" as your reference point and assume it's in proper range even if you didn't use an electronic tuner, tuning fork, piano, or something else to verify. Now to your "G" on the "D" string. Listen carefully. Is it higher or lower than the open "G" on the bottom? A very slight wavering sound in the comparison of two strings is a sure sign you're out of tune. Adjust the "G" note you're fretting on the third string until you're satisfied. I've observed and discussed with many players that when you have trouble getting one string in pitch with the other, it's easier to tune down lower and then SLOWLY bring the low string up in pitch until you get a match. Now compare both low "G" notes to the "B". If you were satisfied with the two "G" notes, then any variance you're unsatisfied should be directed towards the "B" note. Now add the high "G" note by fretting the third fret on the high "E" string. You've now built the basis of a "G" chord as follows: E String --3-- ("G" note on the "E" string) A String --2-- ("B" note on the "A" string) D String --5-- ("G" on the "D" string) G String --0-- (an open "G" note) Now compare both low "G" notes to the new high "G". If you were satisfied with the two low "G" notes, then any variance you're unsatisfied with should be directed towards the new "G" note. Over time everyone will develop what works for them. All I'm showing is a sensible approach of comparing notes to each other. Basing your ear turning around a chord gives you a foundation for your comparisons. I've seen players tune well who only compare the open notes. Others compare octaves. What they almost all share in common is a comparison of a series of notes that together build some type of chord or other logical framework. Other Causes of Tuning Problems Your ability (or inability) to tune can be impacted by other problems will ultimately have a negative impact on your music. Any of the following can and should be taken care of. These include: Improper Bridge Alignment If your bridge is only slightly in front of or in back of its proper placement or tilted in any direction, you're going to have intonation and tuning problems. To test your bridge placement, first tune each open string with a tuner. Then, fret the 12th fret (or preferably, play the 12th fret harmonic) and re-check with an electronic tuner. The result? If the 12th fret is sharp your bridge is closer to the fretboard than it should be. If the 12th fret is flat your bridge is further away from the fretboard than it should be. Worn Frets Take a good look at your frets. Those deep grooves (if you have them) can create serious intonation problems for an instrument that otherwise might be in perfect tune. Think of having an occasional fret re-dressing as an oil change for your car. You really need one from time to time. You may go a long time without one but your instrument will probably be screaming for help if you do. And, good frets are easier to play and easier on your hands. Tuning is just one benefit. Old Strings Most musicians will agree that old strings are difficult to keep in tune and harder on your fingers. It doesn't make sense to buy a nice instrument and then change your strings once every three years. That's like buying a nice car and then driving around on bald tires. Warped Neck You'll probably be able to visually see this. If you have an adjustable truss rod this can probably be easily fixed but I'd recommend letting a professional do the work. The Bottom Line A mandolin is simply a tool built out of wood and metal. Heat, humidity, cold and general wear and tear will eventually have a negative impact on the structural health of your instrument. Instrument neglect needn't be a burden to tuning or other aspects of your music. Take your instrument to a qualified professional once a year for a check-up. It's well worth the time and effort. To Improve Your Tuning... * If you're having problems or are new to the instrument, a few minutes spent learning to tune each day will work wonders. * Ask for a second opinion from someone you trust. "Am I in tune?" You might be surprised at the answer. * An electronic tuner is good for keeping your instrument in the proper pitch, but it's a critical possession if you're going into a recording studio recording to do overdubs. * An electronic tuner with some type of attachment to the instrument is essential for gigs where you need to tune while competing with a lot of background noise. * A quality case cover will keep an instrument protected from the natural elements. An instrument transported or left in a cold or hot car and then opened in a temperature controlled room is a guaranteed recipe for a half-hour of tuning problems. * You may be a great technician, but let's face it, if you can't do it in tune then people probably won't want to listen. * A cheap, inexpensive mandolin that's in tune with good strings and good frets can sound like a million dollars in the right hands. * Even the pros have difficulty tuning from time to time so don't get discouraged.

A new non-wood mandolin reviewed

A detailed review of the first carbon-fiber mandolin, made by New Millenium Acoustic design may be found here.

Tablature basics from Abacci Music

Courtesy of Abacci Music and adapted from: THE GUIDE TO TAB NOTATION by Howard Wright WHAT IS TAB TAB or tablature is a method of writing down music played on mandolin or tenor banjo. Instead of using symbols like in standard musical notation, it uses ordinary ASCII characters and numbers, making it ideal for places like the internet where anybody with any computer can link up, copy a TAB file, and read it. WHAT TAB WILL TELL YOU TAB will tell you what notes to play - it will tell you which string to hit and which fret to fret it at. TAB will tell you where hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, slides, harmonics and vibrato are used. TAB will tell you what tuning the piece is in. If this isn't given explicitly, assume normal tuning. TAB should also give you information on use of capos etc. TAB will give you an indication of the ryhthm of the piece - i.e it will tell you which are the long notes and which are the short notes. However it will not tell you exactly how long or how short they are. This leads me on to ... WHAT TAB WILL NOT TELL YOU TAB will (usually) not tell you the note lengths of the notes - so in most cases you will *have* to listen to the song yourself, with the TAB in front of you to work out the ryhthm of the notes. TAB will not tell you which fingers you use to fret which note. TAB will (usually) not tell you anything about picking and strumming - you will have to decide for yourself where to use upstrokes/downstrokes and so on. TAB NOTATION - THE BASICS TAB is simple to read, and should be simple to write if you want to submit a song you have worked out yourself. The idea is this : You start out with 4 lines. These correspond to the strings of the instrument. The top line is the highest pitch string, and the bottom line is the lowest pitch string. Below is a blank bit of TAB with the string names at the left. E---------------------------------------------------------------- A---------------------------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------------------------- G---------------------------------------------------------------- Numbers are written on the lines to show you where to fret the string with the left hand. If a zero appears , this means play the open string. Like standard musical notation, you read from left to right to find out what order to play the notes. The following piece of TAB would mean play the sequence of notes (E F F# G G# A) on the top (E) string by moving up a fret at a time, starting with the open string. E---0--1--2--3--4--5--------------------------------------------- A---------------------------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------------------------- G---------------------------------------------------------------- OK so far ? Here we have notes being played one at a time. If two or more notes are to be played together, they are written on top of one another, again just like standard notation. In the next example we have a G chord. E----3------------------------------------------------------------ A----2------------------------------------------------------------ D----0------------------------------------------------------------ G----0------------------------------------------------------------ So this means play all these notes together as a chord. Below is am example of the same shape again, but now the gaps between the notes are bigger - so you would probably pick the strings separately instead of slowly strumming the shape. E------------3---------------------------------------------------- A---------2-----2------------------------------------------------- D------0-----------0---------------------------------------------- G----0----------------0------------------------------------------- You might ask - How do I know how fast or slow to play this ? Are all the notes supposed to be the same length ? This is where TAB differs from standard notation. Most often TAB will *not* give you any information on the note lengths. Obviously it will be a lot easier to play the TAB for a song you know well than for a song you've never heard of because you will already be familiar with the ryhthms of the familiar song. Luckily at Abacci we've included both the regular notation and the MIDI files for each tune, so it shouldn't be too hard to get up to speed. Best of luck.

How to read mandolin tablature

A simple and clear explanation, courtesy of Elizabeth Knuth. Instead of the five-line staff used in standard musical notation, tablature for fretted string instruments uses one line for each string (or pair of strings). Since there are four courses of paired strings on a mandolin, tab notation for mandolinists uses four lines. It looks like this: ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ The top line on the screen or paper does not represent the top string when you're playing the mandolin. The highest line stands for the string with the highest note. If this is confusing, pick up your mandolin and get it in normal playing position. Now turn the mandolin so that the strings are facing up, and the back of the instrument is parallel to the floor. If you look down, you will see that from this perspective the highest string is also the string tuned to the highest note. This is the string represented by the top line in tablature notation. Normally the bottom line (lowest note) is G, second from the bottom is D, third from the bottom is A, and the highest line is E. If the tablature has been written for a different tuning, such as GDAG, the person who wrote the tablature should tell you so. I include the notes as a reminder, so the beginning of a tune looks like this: E--||------------------------------------------------------- A--||------------------------------------------------------- D--||------------------------------------------------------- G--||------------------------------------------------------- Notes are designated by numbers. If there is no number, the string is not played. A zero represents an open string. A number other than zero tells you in which fret to press the string down. Thus: E--||------------------------------------------------------- A--||------------------------------------------------------- D--||------------------------------------3------------------ G--||----------5-------------------------------------------- lowest pitched string, second-lowest string, fifth fret, third fret, middle C F (natural) E--||----------0-------------------------------------------- A--||------------------------------------1------------------ D--||------------------------------------------------------- G--||------------------------------------------------------- highest pitched string, second-highest string, played open, first fret, E B flat Chords are indicated by placing the numbers one on top of the other. For example, the C major chord looks like this in tab: E--||--0---------------------------------------------------- A--||--3---------------------------------------------------- D--||--2---------------------------------------------------- G--||--0---------------------------------------------------- Tablature does not tell you about fingering, that is, it doesn't tell you which finger to use for which fret. I have seen some sheet music and instructional books which use numbers to do this, but not tab. Remember that the numbers in tablature indicate which fret, not which finger to use. Normally each finger covers two frets: in first position, the index finger takes first and second fret, the middle finger is used for the third and fourth frets, ring finger for fifth and sixth frets, and pinkie (usually on the E string) for seventh and eighth frets. Duration of notes, how long they are to be played, is indicated by horizontal spacing. Evenly spaced numbers mean that these notes are played for equal amounts of time. Closely spaced numbers suggest shorter notes, and wide spacing represents longer notes. So the beginning of "Mary Had a Little Lamb": E--||------------------------------------------------------- A--||--2--0-----0------------------------------------------- D--||--------5---------------------------------------------- G--||------------------------------------------------------- shows four evenly-spaced notes, possibly quarter notes in 4/4 time, whereas when the song continues, there are numbers about twice as far apart, showing that those notes should last about twice as long. From the top: E--||------------------------------------------------------- A--||--2--0-----0--2--2--2-----0--0--0-----2--5--5---------- D--||--------5---------------------------------------------- G--||------------------------------------------------------- Many people add bar lines to their tablature, which is very helpful. I also add the time signature, and note stems (for sixteenth, eighth, quarter notes, and triplets) or beat counts (for half notes and whole notes) below the tablature. So "Cherish the Ladies," a double jig, begins: E--||-------------|--------------------|--------------------| A--||--6:--0-2-4--|--5--------0--------|--------0--0--------| D--||--8:---------|-----4--4-----4--4--|--0--4--------5--4--| G--||-------------|--------------------|--------------------| |_|_| |__|__| |__|__| |__|__| |__|__| 3 and if I had an overwhelming urge to write the mandolin tablature for "Mary Had a Little Lamb," it would look like this: E--||------------------|--------------|--------------| A--||--4:--2--0-----0--|--2--2--2-----|--0--0--0-----| D--||--4:--------5-----|--------------|--------------| G--||------------------|--------------|--------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | When printing out tablature, use a monospaced font such as Courier, not a proportional font. My tablature should all be safe to print at 10 characters per inch, which is about 11- or 12-point. You can of course use a smaller font size if you prefer.

Tablature vs. Standard Notation?

A commonly debated issue is whether a beginner should make the effort to learn to read music or just settle for tabs. Check out John McGann's site for a good discussion of pros and cons... And here's another interesting and helpful website on the basics of reading music!

Software helps learn mandolin chords

Check out this software for mandolin chords and scales

Should you "hydrate" your mandolin?

This page on the Breedlove Guitar and Mandolin site offers helpful advice on how to avoid damage to the instrument from either too much or too little humidity. This advice applies to all wood stringed instruments... This other site offers the opinions of a variety of people on the issue of "mandolin hydration" and preventing damage from dry environments.

Selecting a mandolin...

The MandoVoodoo website offers very helpful advice for carefully selecting a mandolin. Check it out here

How To Select A Mandolin

By: Rom Messenger The mandolin is an eight stringed instrument that is tuned like a violin. So there are four notes, meaning that two strings of each note are tuned the same, similar to a twelve string guitar. The mandolin is popular, actually pivotal in the bluegrass genre of music. You may find mandolins rarely in classical orchestral music ensembles, probably more in baroque type chamber music, and widely used in many ethnic musical orchestras. There are even orchestras made up completely of mandolins. Pretty intense if you are new to the sound of mandolin music. There are actually two distinct styles of mandolins. The first being the "A" style. This style has either a round sound hole like a guitar or two F holes like a violin. The older models have a rounded back and a round sound hole. These were the first mandolins and the bluegrass folk call these 'tater bugs'. The later versions called the "F" style were invented much later on. The type of music played on the mandolin usually determines the style of instrument one selects. It is recommended that you select an inexpensive instrument when beginning lessons for the first time. As you progress with your playing you will develop an 'ear' for the instruments nuances. For example, you will eventually know in an instant when a string is even slightly out of tune. Until you progress to this level it would not be wise to buy an expensive instrument. Buying a mandolin by brand name and style alone is probably not a great idea. Though there are many reputable manufacturers, and many very popular brands, each instrument is unique. I have a recording of eight of the greatest bluegrass contemporaries all playing the same style mandolin, a Gibson F five all made in the same year, 1937. This was supposed to be a phenomenal instrument, the one that the father of bluegrass himself, Bill Munroe, utilized. As I listened to the recording, I heard a range of good and not so good musical qualities from the various instruments. This surprised me, as I thought a Gibson F five was the crème de le crème of mandolins. The truth is that the look and style of the great ones may be consistent, but the quality of the sound produced can vary significantly. So very many factors can affect the sound of an instrument from the nut, to the bridge, to the tail piece, to the strings, to the amount of humidity in the wood when it was made even the type of pick used. Most mandolins have spruce tops, and any of a variety of woods for the backs and sides. Rosewoods, Maples, Mahoganies, etc. The same woods are used in making guitars generally speaking. It is believed that certain woods produce certain sound qualities, from deep rich tones to sweeter highs and so on and so on. The very truth is that two mandolins manufactured one after the other using the same wood and all other variables the same, will likely not have identical sound. If you are going to spend a significant amount of money on a really fine instrument, I recommend that you play the very instrument that you will be purchasing. Whether it is an old turn of the century antique, or one fresh from the luthier, it will be played by you and only you can identify the acoustic qualities that make your instrument sound the way you think it should sound. If you are purchasing an instrument new from the manufacturer, I advise you to have an expert 'set up' the instrument for you. That is to have it aligned, cleaned up, have all the frets leveled, etc., to make the instrument playable. You will notice a big difference in the ease of producing quality music. This same method would be appropriate for guitar, violin, and any of a multitude of acoustic instruments. About the Author: Rom R. Messenger is an acoustic music aficianado and a bluegrass enthusiast. He plays the mandolin and owns Rhys Enterprises. Rom also owns and operates the web site Acoustic Holler, dedicated to 'hand made ' music. Visit his site at http://www.acousticholler.com.