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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Other string instruments → Tuning a Mando as a Uke
Here I am in good old Hanoi and have just bought a mando
But I don't want to relearn all of my uke chords
Has anyone ever tuned a mando to uke tuning and if so how do you tune the second of each of the strings?
Looking forward to uselful advice
Cheers
M
Update:
I managed to tune the bottom 3 strings as GCE tuning ok but the top string is too thick to be wound up to A
I will go and get some new strings and re string this string to take an A but in tuning it I have not tuned any difference between the "pairs" of the strings
Does anyone know what they should be to get the instrument to sound OK?
Cheers
Michaelc
THe blinding silence here is remarkable but?
I got some new strings and restrung it Uke style
Now I have to get a pick but I find that my fingers are very big on the fret board
More detail to follow
M
Hi Michael,
yep it is very quiet on this one.
I would have replied earlier but the first post I read when i was in work and could not reply, the next two I just missed and the third I saw just now while flicking through all the sections to see what i have missed.
My father in law retunes a lot of instruments different. i.e uke to banjo, banjo to madolin etc. not too sure what he does exactly, but he did retune his 4 string banjo to the same as a mandolin and it sounded great.
I think you could experiment in anything and retune anything you want but I would think you might need different stings as the uke strings are different, or swap the strings about?
Ken
I've never heard of a mando being re-tuned as a Uke. It would be interesting to hear what it sounded like. As UYK says, you'd need to swop strings around, particularly the G, although you may be storing up problems as the nut is cut to take different size strings.
UYK, tuning the 4 string banjo to mando tuning is the classic Irish / Celtic tuning. In that tradition Mando is more of a melody than a chordal instrument.
Yes, once I'd put smaller strings on I found that they easily slipped off the neck when I played an A chord
But it does sound original and very different
theres nothing wrong with different and certainly nothing wrong with original.
If you can play an instrument that has been modified and it sounds good then you are on a winner
It is always good to hear or see something different getting play
Ken
Hi Michaelc54,
Not being a mandolin player myself, but having played a time or two with one in the group, the pairs of strings are tuned to the same note. I remembered that because I played twelve string guitar mostly back in those days and at times wished tuning the "twelve" was as easy.
Take Care;
Doug
Yup, I tuned it up to the same note for each string and away I went, but the old big finger problem soon reared it's head
But I persevere and it is fun to muck about with
M
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Other string instruments → Tuning a Mando as a Uke
