The mandolin and the violin look completely different, but they are tuned exactly the same: G, D, A and E, each a fifth apart. On both, the lowest string is the G below middle C, so the notes sound in the same range.
What’s the same
- The same places for notes: in first position, a note lies on the same string on both instruments. Violinists find their way around the mandolin quickly – and the other way round.
- The same sheet music: violin pieces and folk dances usually fit the mandolin without changes. That’s why mandolin and violin often play together, for example in folk music.
- The same family: just as the viola and cello are the violin’s bigger siblings, the mandolin has bigger siblings too – the mandola and the mandocello.
What’s different
- Frets: the mandolin has frets like a guitar. Press behind the right fret and the note is in tune – on the violin you have to find the exact spot by ear.
- Pick instead of bow: the mandolin is plucked, so every note fades away. You play long notes with tremolo.
- Chords: on the mandolin all four pairs ring together easily, so you can accompany songs – a violin bow usually sounds only two strings at once.
- Double strings: the mandolin has eight strings in four pairs; the violin has four single strings.
The 7th fret and the little finger
On the violin, the little finger in first position plays exactly the note of the next open string. On the mandolin that’s the 7th fret – and here, too, it’s the little finger’s place. So you can choose: fretted note or open string. Fretted, it sounds softer and you can decorate it with vibrato.