Introduction to the Octave Mandolin

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[@metalsamurai03]

I love the sound of an octave mandolin. Tone is closer to a guitar than a mandolin, but also more lute than guitar. Beautiful as an accompaniment instrument, or solo. Thanks for sharing!

[@clarknikolai9739]

instablaster

[@gibby6904]

Are you going to do any octave mandolin lessons?

[@josequins9099]

This vid makes me realise that my not really liking the mandolin before was more to do with the high pitch than the instrument's sound itself. This big boi sound beautiful.

[@keithcaldwell3022]

It is cool, Sounds a lot like a mountain Dulcimer if you don't look. This could be a real great thing for the mandolin player that sings solo and would like to add chords without being an octave above their voice.

[@zachpayne4994]

That's a lovely instrument. Love the wood finish on it.

[@InventorZahran]

"...A lot of tunes, if you play them too fast, a lot of people do it and make it sound great..." **Sierra Hull has entered the chat**

[@TheBmw1802]

Great video, as usual. I really like the sound of the octave mandolin and can’t wait to find one to try out myself.

[@rcg5317]

That was a good way to express the reason to play either slower or maybe chords versus melody.

[@katiemynette4285]

Heart of Kentucky. Beautiful piece on the Octave Mandolin. Katie.

[@joshwelborn6052]

I came here to learn how to be mandalorian. I guess ill stick around and learn mandolin instead.

[@InventorZahran]

"I'm a Mandalorian. Mandolins are a part of my religion."

[@christophersanders3252]

@@InventorZahran This is the way... to play mandolin.

[@KKIcons]

Maybe if I stick around long enough I will at least learn the theme song

[@TuckerTheMandolinist]

I have only played it once, but I really enjoyed it and look forward to playing it in the future, thanks!

[@AnaFolkenstal]

I was looking into an octave since my regular mandolin absolutely doesn't sound nice when playing slow pieces. Now I know why... thanks for showing this. I'll definitely go and get one :)

[@guloguloguy]

Thanks for this great demo! IMHO: The problem I have with the normal "mandolin" is that it's awfully small, and lacks "sustain", and seems to always be played "too fast". I really like these larger variants!!

[@patrickbly4170]

Quintessential ,Excellent Presentation... Wonderful Personality.

[@NoahFishmanMusic]

Who shrunk Baron?!

[@pixycamille]

This is awesome! :) Thank you for sharing this. Hope you can also do a tutorial on how to play Sarah Jarosz' Build Me Up From Bones, which she plays on an octave mandolin. She introduced me to this instrument and I've been dying to learn more about how to play with this. Thank you for your lessons, I felt so happy when I came across your channel!

[@jasonyoung7705]

Hiya there. I've owned an octave mando or 2, and bouzouki, and it felt 'almost' right. So I had to do some engineering. Basically, I bought the cheapest possible mandolin (I do love the smaller mando body), cut (and chiseled) the neck off, and screwed/nailed/glued on the neck from a baritone ukulele (Tanglewood TWT20, a lovely instrument in its own right, and it has a truss rod)). This gives me a musical instrument that has a mandolin body, 20 inch scale length, takes 4 metal strings, and I tune it like a octave mandolin (GDAE). Still not sure what to call it. Baritone Mandolin? Its a marvelous hybrid.

[@pokke93]

Your videos are amazing man! Keep at it

[@elic13]

Thx for this video. I will be checking out your website. 🇺🇸

[@margaretblack8491]

Thanks very much! This has been helpful.

[@TradIrishHarper]

Very well suited for some Irish Folk music. Thank you Baron for another great segment. Most the pieces I know are from your lessons

[@gregadams6055]

You should check out lady Moon. She plays the Celtic tunes on the octave mandolin very fast ones and slow the tunes as well. Very talented young lady

[@jamesread-tannock7176]

Awesome video man, thanks

[@ardalla535]

Sound is so good brings a tear to me eye

[@gregadams6055]

You think this sounds good. Listen to Lady Moon. You really will cry for sure. She is so awesome

[@benprout8535]

great video and a beautiful instrument, do you think you could do something similar for that pretty tenor guitar you played on this channel? They're fascinating instruments and criminally under-recognised. Thanks for all the lessons and information, keep playing!

[@zacpiya]

Thanks so much for this!

[@ised-5239]

The octave mandolin is a mandolin that is tuned one octave below the standard mandolin (gdae) , whereas a mandocello is a mandola tuned one octave below standard mandola (cgda).

[@davidbulger3716]

A friend recommended to buy a mandola but to string it and tune it as a mandolin. Apparently if you find the fretboard to small this trick will allow more room for bigger fingers. My question is if the top of the mandola will handle the extra pressure of a high e string? Great sound love your work.

[@virginiaburns5278]

Love this. Thanks so much. I'm having big problems coming from guitar to mandolin .. my fingers just don't fit? This might be an option to look into?

[@johnmurdoch8534]

I just got an irish bouzouki and tuned it gdae so it doesnt confuse my violin and mandolin learning. Safe to say i can follow along this sort of thing along and basically get the same results

[@koshersalt3233]

Sounds and reminds me of the tenor banjo - just carries the sound more!

[@ised-5239]

Like an irish tenor banjo with similar tunings.

[@edwardsparks7493]

I just today bought the exact Eastman you are playing here! Looking forward to making it a part of my songs! What are the little black things you have between the strings between the tailpiece and the bridge?

[@youngyoungmcgurn5088]

I'm hoping to be able to get good enough at mandolin that I can eventually also place OM as well. Sadly for me, I'm left-handed, which means that, if I want to avoid shelling out for an extremely expensive purpose-made left-handed mandolin, I have to buy a round one and reverse the strings. The OM situation is even more extreme: it doesn't seem like anyone makes left-handed OMs, and even the rounded ones seem to be designed specifically for right-handers (the way the fretboard tapers towards the sound hole).

[@aberhan]

Love the sound but hard to find these new and fairly pricey when you do. Running in the $2000 range.

[@davidgiles4716]

I bought weber octave a few years ago and LOVE it. The only issue is stretching my fingers on the fretboard.

[@gregadams6055]

Was wondering if that f would be hard

[@PoulHansenDK]

Aaargh. I had already decided to sell my octave but now you've got me rethinking.

[@ised-5239]

This is octave mandolin and the octave mandola, is the mandocello (which is tuned 1 octave below mandola and down a fifth from an octave mandolin).

[@DaytonaShooter]

I'm interested in playing the octave mandolin. Do you have any impressions of the Hora brand made in Romania? Thanks for all the lessons you share.

[@PoulHansenDK]

Only an amateur but I find Hora intruments to be well built and sound great. Definitely one of the best "value for money" buys

[@Soloist1983]

Wish Eastman had an oval hole octave mandolin

[@Dogband]

I have this same OM. Did you drill into the heel of the neck to get an attachment point for the strap? Is it still tuner head heavy?

[@josephjacobs6458]

I did it to my mandolins and love it!

[@davidlogat9338]

Hi, What's the diference with a cittern ?

[@joshuachan5692]

Where did you get that octave mandolin? Ellis Mandolins apparently doesn’t make any of those.

[@jantonisito]

I play guitar but just borrowed friend's mandolin. I like the 5th tuning a lot it is a bit tight for my fingers so I thought octave mandolin might be a better choice - how do you Eastman ? Which model is it?

[@josephjacobs6458]

Can you use a standard mando and tune it a octave lower? Will it work and sound ok?

[@ised-5239]

Octave mandolin can also referred as tenor mandolin like Irish tenor banjo which is a tenor member of banjo family, whereas normal mandolin like in bluegrass, is an alto ones.

[@MarkMcCluney]

Super. I enjoyed this but I assumed you would explain the differences between the octave mando and the mandocello (apart from the tuning, of course!) And of course I guess there's tge Irish bouzouki (if that's how you spell it!) I've always liked the idea of having a mandocello but I'd guess they're fairly expensive. Anyway, thanks for that mate; it's always a treat to hear you play.

[@Chriswoodworker]

Can you point me in the right direction to find this song on your website as I've looked everywhere.

[@PoulHansenDK]

I just found it "Cosimo's Flight"

[@NazarethSandoArt]

I have that same mandolin... but it doesn't have a strap button at the heel of the neck like yours does. Is it okay to drill a strap button into the heel?

[@Harpmando]

Great sound! What is the name of the first song you played?

[@PoulHansenDK]

I just found it "Cosimo's Flight"

[@MacedonianGrace]

Am I the only one, I start looking at the best, nice, expensive instruments but soon I realize I got family and end up buying cheap. 🙁

[@tompelham7035]

Is that an Eastman sir? And what do those models run, if you don’t mind. Thanks

[@craigusher1106]

Hi is there a playlist fornthis thanks

[@leemccomish1923]

Is the fingerboard radiused or flat?

[@sammon2481]

Hey, id really appreciate it if you did some octave mandolin lessons, i hav an octave mandolin and just cant find anywhere to learn how to play it, i really love medieval style music if you could do some of that style.

[@nytemoth]

Did you find any ? I’m still looking !

[@sammon2481]

@@nytemoth nope 🥲

[@nytemoth]

@@sammon2481 what can we do ? Lol have you managed to learn anything on yours yet ? This is my first instrument and I’m really excited to learn but the videos are only of musicians playing them , beautifully but we can we go ? I pray to the octave mandolin Gods we find a way !

[@nytemoth]

@@sammon2481 have you seen this ? change your tuning to AE AE and you can do this ! go to Trinity College Octave Mandolin on KZbin

[@sammon2481]

@@nytemoth I haven’t managed to learn anything in the years I’ve had it :(

[@karenringer5995]

I play the mandolin but I have small hands and would like to play the octive mandolin. Would that be something I could do

[@clawhammer704]

Yes. Just do like most do and use two finger cords. Move around in the keys with a banjo capo. Lead is like a regular mandolin.

[@raffaelecarboni744]

Octave mandolin is the same instrument that irish bouzouki?

[@Glutonio_the_gluten_lord]

so it doe similar to bouzouki?

[@f.i.l.o5301]

so for the octave mandolin if i put a capo n 2nd fret , it will sound like a normal mandolin basically??

[@DaLions_Den]

The 12th fret, yes

[@rustypatch9543]

What model Octave mandolin do you have?

[@pdeere436]

looks like an eastman but i could be mistaken.

[@robertshorthill4153]

@@pdeere436 I do believe it is the Eastman, judging by the matt finished body and tuner head shape. Don't know what scale length is, tho. So a few years back I decided to build myself an electric octave. I inlayed a 15 piece puzzle of abalone in the shape of a "blue rose", hence the name I called it -- the Blue Rose, with a burst paint job in blue. It has a 21" scale. It plays well, once I found the proper string gauges. I wish I had more time to fool with it, tho. Played by guitarists/ mando folks thru a decent amp, with all the settings, it sounds amazing. In the case the whole package weighs about 25 pounds. ( I made a custom case as shown by the Canadian gent Tomy H, in BC, I think.). Cheers, good people. Bob in Montana.

[@artiefischel2579]

tenor banjo chord shapes work fine on the octave mandolin.

[@ised-5239]

The irish tenor banjo is tuned exactly the same and on the same pitch (gdae).

[@artiefischel2579]

@@ised-5239 I thought it was tuned down a 4th ?

[@artiefischel2579]

@@Larry-ir6of We were talking about banjos.

[@Larry-ir6of]

@@artiefischel2579 Irish tenor banjos can be tuned CGDA or GDAE. CGDA is considered Standard Tuning for tenor banjos, while GDAE is called Irish tenor tuning.

[@shine.bright.2068]

how much is this octave mandolin?

[@JamesWilliamHoughton]

SHINE.for.Christ I recently found a second hand model of one of these in the UK for just under £800

[@veridicusmaximus6010]

Ok, I'm an absolute noob with music. What should I learn be fore learning how to play this instrument? I know nothing about cords, notes, octaves and the like!!

[@gregadams6055]

Just learn the simple two-finger chords. G c d. Can Play just nearly any song with that. And learn how to keep rhythm.

[@jpsalis]

I always confuse this with the mandola, I like the sound though.

[@ziggylayneable]

"then one day out Jeb was shootin' up some food,and up from the ground came a bubbling pool(oil that is,Black gold,Texas tea). Next thing you know old Jeb's a millionaire, then folks said"Jeb move away from here, California's is where you are oughta be. So they packed all their stuff and they moved to Beverly...... Hills that is.Swimming pools,..... Movie Stars."

[@gregadams6055]

And The ballad of Jed clampett is played on a banjo

[@chnacr2]

@0:45 to actually hear what the damn thing sounds like

[@faroshscale]

Thank you!!!

[@ecarneylaw]

Granted Im a big fan of your's, but your demo of this is the only what that isnt junk. All the others are guitarists.

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

This is sad. I could have picked up an octave mandolin but I had to waste my mandolin money on a stupid snowblower.

[@AT-AT-AT-AT]

eric weinstein brought me here