How to Tell Mandolins, Citterns, Mandolas, Bouzoukis, etc. Apart
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The document that follows contains many tunings in square brackets ([]). The
notes are to be read bass to treble. For a chart showing where they relate to
middle C, see below.
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Index to This Document
General Differences:
Scale length:
This is the main way to tell what you are
dealing with. The range is from about mandolin size to a bit longer than
guitar size (roughly equal to an acoustic bass)... and this makes
all of the difference. You can get the same note at several
different lengths, but each will emphasize a different octave or two
of the instrument most prominently. A mandolin, for example,
tends to ring most loudly on the middle two courses of strings,
the D and A.
Unison strung vs strung in octaves:
This is another
interesting factor- the bass strings are sometimes in octaves, going low to
high from the bass side to the treble side (the opposite of a
normal 12-string guitar tuning). Unisons are never exactly in
unison (either it is fantastically hard to get them spot on, or
slight differences in the strings make it impossible) but they
are still very closely in tune. This produces that sound that
separates the Mandolin style instruments from a 6-string guitar.
The fact of the matter is that there are different sounds created
by different stringing styles, but that doesn't seem to
differentiate one instrument from another in name so much as
scale length and tuning do.
Shape and size of the sound box:
A teardrop shaped
instrument (Sobells, Gibson mandolin family "A" models, Fylde, and other
makes) tends to have a large resonant sound, with both strong
bass and treble. Round-backed instruments (greek bouzoukis, old
"tater-bug" mandolins) have more of a "ploonk" sound, and are
focused more on the bass than the treble. Deeper soundboxes seem
to create more resonance and bass emphasis, shallower ones
project louder with more emphasis on the "zing" or treble.
Sobells come in either "small", "large", or "giant" in any of the
mandolin family instruments. a "small" is about the size of a
mandola, considerably bigger than a gibson mandolin. This
emphasizes treble, and creates a "zing" sort of sound. A "large"
will create a big bass sound, a lot of resonance, and more
sustain. The "giant" (also known as "Blarge" for "Bouzouki,
Large") follows this even further, sounding almost like a double
bass! I think that "giant" ones are primarily used by Sobell for
6-course instruments.
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Specific Instrument Stats. by Type:
Mandolin:
Scale length of a Gibson A model is 14 1/8", or
35.8 cm. Stefan Sobell's mandolins are about 14 3/8" or 36.5 cm
Tuned [GDAE] (the same as a fiddle). Sobells are bigger,
and hence have more sustain and
bass. You will find this to be generally true- larger
instruments of the same type (just like big fiddles) are a bit
"boomier", and have more sustain and bass. It is very rare to
find an instrument with perfect balance of treble and bass, there
is always an emphasis. If the instrument is perfectly balanced,
it seems to be bland... almost as if to get equal volumes and
tones something was removed from one end rather than added.
These were sort of "invented" in the late 1800's... the story of
mandolins is vast beyond belief. Suffice it to say that Orville
Gibson invented both modern "A" and "F" models roughly at the
turn of the century. Before this, you get the round-back ones
which are more visually similar to a Greek Bouzouki.
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Mandola:
Sobell Mandola scale length is 20 1/4" or 51.5 cm.
Tuned [CGDA], with the "C" course a fifth below a
mandolin. Here is where the first
Citterns crop up... with a scale
length of about 21" (equal to a guitar capoed at the 4th fret), and with 5
courses of strings. This is tuned [GDAEA] in one
incarnation, [AEAEA] or [ADADA] in another. There are SCADS of
possible tunings in this flexible range, but the lowest course
can't go below a [G] without losing something, and the highest
can go no higher than an [A] without losing tone. So, any notes
in between can make up the tuning. This is like a short scale
octave mandolin with an added high [A], and similar to a short-
scale tenor banjo in length and tuning. Vintage mandolas are
still fairly common (compared to some other instruments) in the
market, as they were a band instrument played in the Mandolin
Orchestras in the 20's.
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Octave Mandolin:
Scale length of a Sobell is 58cm or 22
7/8".
Tuned [GDAE], exactly one octave below fiddle or
mandolin. Nearly equivalent in scale length to a guitar capoed at the 2nd.
Can also add a course to the bottom to get a low D, making the
tuning [DGDAE] or [EAEAE],
or a multitude of others. In this case, the [D] is the lower
bound, and the [E] is the upper. Anything in between is fair
game. This is roughly the same as a long-scale tenor banjo in length and
tuning.
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Tenor Guitar:
Historically, these appear after the tenor
banjo around the late thirties or early forties. Instruments kept
shifting in popularity in the USA, with Mandolin the king in the
twenties, Tenor banjo in the thirties (started out with short
scale early in production, then lengthened as time passed), and
finally guitar in the years to follow. Tenor guitars were
invented to give the old tenor banjo player new life
(guitar sound) without having to learn guitar tuning. They are
nearly identical in scale and tuning to a long-neck tenor banjo.
Historically, they (like tenor banjos) were tuned [CGDA], but
any Irish types use them at [GDAE]. There are some great bargains
out there in tenor guitars for aspiring bouzouki players- the scale is a
bit shorter, and they have been around and unwanted for years. Some
of the Gibson Tenor guitars I have played can outdo a modern bouzouki
(but with 4individual strings, not 8 in pairs!!!) and can be fantastic
values. Even archtop ones rarely are more than $650 in perfect
condition.
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Bouzouki:
Sobell scale length of 65cm or 25 5/8", almost
the same as a guitar with no capo.
Tuned [GDAE] or [GDAD]
(the same as an octave mandolin). The extra scale length adds sustain and very
"clean" sound. This can also be a
Cittern, with an added lower
course to make [DGDAE], [DCGAD], or similar.
This is where the "Giant" crops in... the 6-course model has this
scale and is tuned [DADGAD] just like the DADGAD guitar
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Guitar-Bouzouki, or "Bizzar":
Sobell says that this
instrument was invented and commissioned by Andy Irvine. Scale length of
65cm or 25 5/8" (same as bouzouki), but with a guitar body. In
fact, with a jumbo guitar body... it is 46.4cm (18.3") long, but
41.5cm (16.3") wide! Tunings are similar to bouzouki [GDAE], [GDAD].
These ring even deeper, with more of a guitar sound.
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Meaning of the term Cittern:
I think that Cittern is used by Sobell to describe a
family of instruments with 10 strings. The size and scale length
is a matter of emphasis- it is hard to play lead on complicated
tunes on a Bouzouki-length cittern,
but easier on a Mandola-length one.
Gerald Trimble's famous cittern is a Bouzouki-length model.
There is a way to tell older Sobell Citterns on sight- the "hoop" at the bottom that
holds the strings on will be almost a full circle on long-scale
(Bouzouki length) ones because guitar strings will just barely
reach the top with this extension. Shorter-length citterns or
octave mandolins will have a half-circle at the bottom (strings
attached at the base and not to the hoop). A complicating factor
with Trimble is the use of a capo- he spent a lot of time capoed
at the fifth fret, which makes the scale length and tuning
change! An additionaly complication is that Sobell redesigned his
instruments recently so that none have the full hoop any longer!! Good Luck!
To me, it makes sense to call a 5-stringer a "Cittern" but
misleading to call a 4-string one a "cittern". I think that using
the terms "Octave Mandolin" and "Bouzouki" seems to evoke the
clearest image, although I don't really know if this naming is in
widespread use!
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Tuning of Mandolin Family Instruments (and Some Benchmarks) at
Scale Length:
Middle C
G D A E Mandolin 36.5 cm or Fiddle 33cm
C G D A Mandola 51.5cm
G D A E A Cittern 53.5cm
G D A E Short Scale Tenor Banjo 55.8cm
G D A E Octave Mandolin 58cm
D G D A E Cittern 58cm
G D A E Bizzar or Bouzouki 65cm
D G D A E Cittern 65cm
E A D G B E Guitar in standard tuning 65cm
D A D G A D "DADGAD" tuned guitar
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Simulating Bouzoukis, Citterns, etc:
An important thing to notice is that a guitar is capable of
simulating all of the above, if you have a capo, string
weights, and patience. The basic priciple is this- most of these instruments
have a scale length that can be simulated by measuring the distance from
the bridge on a guitar to a certain fret on the neck. If you buy string gagues
that produce a certain note at guitar scale length, putting on a capo to get a
different scale length can produce nearly any tuning. I, for example,
am simulating the 53.5cm cittern with a guitar with strings tuned
[D#A#FCF] at the nut, so a capo at the fourth makes the interval
[GDAEA]. If I had strung it [DGDAE] at the
nut (no capo) this would simulate a bouzouki-length cittern. Sounds
really complicated, but it is fairly simple once you futz with a
guitar! If anyone is interested in trying this,
mail direct for
string weights for different tunings, etc.
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Acknowledgements:
Most of the information here comes from either Stefan Sobell
directly, or from his catalogue. I have been designing and
dreaming about one recently, so all of this is in my head. A special
debt of gratitude is owed to Rick Gagne, who supplied me with
scads of information to fill in the blanks and gaps in my mind.
Also thanks to Joseph Sobol, who answered queries and let me try
his Sobell at the Ethnomusicology conference in Milwaukee. While much of
the info above is accurate and checked with Sobell's specs in hand while
writing, I am sure that there are some errors up there. If you spot
them, please let me know.
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