On the other hand. Your email address will not be published. On most guitars, the bridge is fixed or immovable. So you can almost think of the mandolin as a fretted violin that you can strum like a guitar. The Mandolin is plucked like a guitar while the violin is played using a bow. Therefore, if you have a large set of fingers, then that's a big problem. In general, you should expect to spend between $50 and $150 on your first ukulele, and take the time to look for a trusted brand. Learning to coordinate two hands, one to finger the fretboard and the other to strum/pluck will apply to both instruments. However, there are other more legitimate reasons the mandolin might be a better instrument for you. Ukes are fun little things that remind you why you play guitar to begin with. Mandolins aren’t as popular as guitar, thus fewer are made, and the ones that are made are generally more expensive. The G string on the ukulele is a thin-gauge string. However, there are some challenges that some people have come across when it comes to learning to play the mandolin. Ukulele: Pro – Ease of play. If you want to learn the mandolin, then you should accustom your fingers in holding double strings. When you want to know where to set the bridge, the f-hole midpoints are your guide. If case you're wondering, yes this also applies to acoustic 6-string guitars with non-permanent mount bridges, violins and pretty much any other stringed instrument that has f-holes on it. ... attempting to learn said instrument will obviously shred my fingers beyond their already numb state. If you look at each f-hole, you'll see the middle has a "pointer" of sorts. Combined with this, it will take quite a bit more time to sound presentable on a mandolin. been learning to play, and I've toyed around with it on numerous occasions. If you play guitar now and are considering the ukulele or mandolin as your next stringed instrument, one choice is better than the other. So it has many of the benefits of both the mandolin and the guitar. Third, it's a more difficult instrument to play that requires more finger strength. You love the tonal range of the mandolin and are interested in bluegrass, country, folk, and other genres that incorporate the mandolin. People try to learn and play the ukulele. In fact, when it’s boiled down to its simplest form, there really are only two things you need to learn to play the ukulele: chord formation and strumming. You’re willing to spend more to invest in a quality instrument. What is the difference between a 12-string guitar and a mandolin? The fret board of the mandolin is smaller than the fret board of the guitar so it is easier for those with smaller hands and can be more difficult for those with larger hands. Why one Should Learn and Play the Best Ukuleles. Guitars have six strings and each string is tuned to a different note. – Since the ukulele strings are a bit wider apart than on a guitar, it makes it easier for the right hand in regards to picking individual strings. On the other hand, the mandolin string pairs are slightly harder to pick with the right hand than the guitar. We’ll discuss these differences and which instrument is best for you to learn in light of these differences in the following sections. ‘You can always learn the mandolin after. If the bridge is set too far forward or too far back, you'll never get the thing in tune correctly. So, how hard is it to play the ukulele? Each instrument would require you a bit of financial and time investment, so it would be wise to learn one instrument at a time. They're built right. The strings are steel, which are a bit rougher on the fingers than the nylon strings used with a ukulele. So how are guitars and mandolins different? Mandolin is small, but yes, you're pressing down two strings with each finger, and it pretty much requires a flat-pick to get much volume. However, each pair of strings on 12-string guitars have one octave between them whereas mandolin string pairs are tuned to the exact same note. Mandolin Chords Every Beginner Should Know 3rd December 2020 by Ged Richardson When you set out to learn the mandolin, there are some basic chords you need to know. There's a reason for that. Intonation. As I mentioned above, the mandolin’s open tuning is higher than the guitars and can thus reach higher notes than the guitar. On the other hand, learning scales and the names of notes is much easier when it comes to playing the mandolin. The styles of music that mandolin is used for require higher degrees of skill. Tip on mandolins: If you decide to get a mandolin and it has a bridge that isn't permanently mounted (meaning it comes loose when you take the strings off,) the general rule of thumb is to line it up either at or close to the middle of the f-holes. The ukulele originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of a small guitar-like instrument brought by Portuguese immigra… If you place the bridge too high or too low, the instrument will not produce the sound you want. The mandolin has various right and left hand techniques that you will also learn if you play guitar or banjo, yet they may be more prevalent in some cases. Documenting What I'm Learning about Acoustic Guitar and Guitar Hybrids, on Guitar Vs. Mandolin: How They Differ & Which One to Learn, Guitar Vs. Violin: How They Differ & Which You Should Learn, Guitar-Like Instruments & Which You Might Consider Learning. The ukulele is easier to learn than the guitar and other stringed instruments like the mandolin. A mandolin is acoustically much louder and from that can be picked up by microphones much easier. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Best ZOOM R8 tutorial bookhighly rated, get recording quick! What’s the Hardest Part of Learning to Play Ukulele? However, I think the guitar is better-suited for most beginners who are deciding which instrument to play first. I'm 13, I've been practicing the violin since I was 8, and I'm still at it. 1. I thoroughly enjoy playing my mandolin and think it’s a beautiful instrument. Required fields are marked *. However, I think that learning the guitar or mando-guitar is ultimately easier because there are more learning resources available for the guitar than for the mandolin. It simply stays in place as you restring the guitar. In my experience, I’ve found fewer learning resources available for the mandolin than for the guitar. For that reason, you will need so much practice to have a presentable skills in playing mandolin. See a whole bunch of mandolins right here. They are (potentially, usually) tuned differently, yes. This instrument provides a sound and note range similar to that of a mandolin with the number of strings and tuning of a guitar so that a guitarist can play it just like a guitar but get a mandolin sound from it. And that includes the cost it takes to restring one. Standard tuning for the mandolin is G-D-A-E which is the same as the tuning used for a violin or fiddle. The small size reduces wrist tension because the notes are reachable without stretching. Though 12-string guitars and mandolins both have strings tuned in pairs, the other differences between the instruments listed in this article still apply. One option for tuning the ukulele like a mandolin … If you already play guitar, you will find the mandolin much easier to play. It's less expensive, easier to learn, less stressful on the hands, more forgiving to a beginner, and has a wide following. Though more and more learning resources are published for both instruments every day, guitar’s popularity means there are simply more resources available for those learning guitar. This can make learning mandolin more difficult than learning guitar. If you want the choice made real easy for you, get a Kala brand uke. The sound that is produced by the mandolin is very different when compared to its close relative guitar. Is mandolin easier to learn than guitar? As long as you approach this learning process from a broad, open-minded point of view, YES. You want to play in a variety of genres and styles and might feel limited by the mandolin’s sound and range. On fixed bridge instruments like the guitar, a beginner can quickly and easily replace the strings and otherwise maintain the instrument. What instruments to play on ukulele – learn to learn. I study two great sources of songs: ukulele-tabs.com and the ukulele teacher which have lots of contents dedicated for … Its soft nylon strings are gentler on your fingertips and don't create finger pain like guitars do. Also, if you know how to play the mandolin, playing the guitar or the ukulele will be a piece of cake for you since they are less complicated. A Mandolin has 8 strings, a ukulele usually has 4 strings. I show the Ukulele '52 for a reason which I'll explain in a moment. Another reason why you rather play the mandolin is that it has a bigger room for experimenting, and its sound is so mallow, which brings an old sense to it that never fails to make people stop and just listen to that beautiful sound. Thus, mandolins are usually more expensive than guitars of similar quality. I own multiple floating and fixed bridge instruments and I’m a little bit more nervous replacing the strings on my floating bridge instruments. The main difference between the mandolin and violin is the way that they are played. Because the ukulele and mandolin are set up differently, their chords will be played in different ways. The original instrument was the mandore, which evolved in the fourteenth century from the lute. However, I wouldn’t recommend spending anything less than this amount on an entry level mandolin. Start with the uke first. I especially recommend the ukulele to guitar players who feel they're in a rut and want something that sparks songwriting creativity for cheap. In short, the guitar is probably a better instrument choice for you if many of the following are true: If this is you, check out my buyer’s guide to acoustic guitars here. This is something that can be quite delayed on guitar if the learner is struggling to get their fingers around the chords in the first place. I think Fender calls it a '52 as more of a joke than anything. Ukuleles’ soft nylon strings are much kinder to the old fingers and, because there’s only four of them, you might find it easier to learn the chord shapes. I already play the violin and guitar ... My sister has a mandolin that she's. One of the first things I wanted to know when I started playing the mandolin was how exactly these instruments differed. Is mandolin easier to learn than guitar? However, people with tiny fingers might encounter problems when playing the mandolin. So, ukelele may be a bit easier for the fretboard hand, because of the light action, and could be a gentler introduction for coordinating the two hands. Ukuleles come in many shapes and sizes. Banjo would require fingerpicking, as you've mentioned, and they tend to be longer than both mandolin and uke. You may want to learn the mandolin if you prefer the higher pitch of the strings. Most people would find the ukulele easier to learn than the mandolin. The mandolin is an easy instrument to learn. And again, there are way more ukulele choices compared to mandolins. Learn more about Willy here! From the link above you can easily spend hours going through them all. Taking your guitar to a repair shop and having them lower the action (reducing the distance between the strings and the neck). But before you buy that instrument, check out the next section to see if the mando-guitar is a better fit than the mandolin. Plucks and fretted like a guitar, small-necked and tunes like a … From the link above you can easily spend hours going through them all. I bought a $100 mandolin that functioned so poorly it wasn’t playable and ended up purchasing a Michael Kelly mandolin for ~$600 that worked great. You can also do simple street performances with one whereas with a uke that would be difficult just for the fact you really can't hear one. It's why all the kiddies these days chose the uke rather than the mandolin. The main differences with the mandolin would be: The tuning is pretty different, so one will need to learn some new chord shapes. Other strange ukuleles include Banjo ukuleles, electric ukuleles, and all sorts of stuff like that. I think the mechanics of playing the mandolin may be slightly easier than the mechanics of playing the guitar (but not as easy as the ukulele). It's cheaper, easier to play, easier to string up, lighter in weight and arguably more fun to play than the mandolin is. Uke can be played without picks just fine; they're small; and the nylon strings are easy to play. Yes… and no. A mando-guitar is a 6 string mandolin guitar hybrid instrument tuned like a guitar (EADGBE) except one octave higher so that it’s in the same tonal range as the Mandolin. The entire reason the mandolin is louder is because it's more resonant, uses double the strings of a uke and also uses steel strings.