Well, I know this is a blog made strictly about guitars (well, guitars and all things music), but I was given a Mandolin over the weekend. It is an 8 string Ovation Acoustic/Electric and a gift from my dad. My mandolin knowledge is limited, in fact it is an entirely foreign instrument to me.
The action is terrible, so I'm not sure if that can be adjusted, and I haven't even figured out the standard tuning. On top of that, I don't know many songs that feature the mandolin, but I do know that the mandolin is a cool instrument.
Ok, so a quick wiki search reveals the standard tuning as GDAE. Simple enough. And obviously the mandolin is in the lute family of instruments, so the transition should be quite simple. I'm not much of a bluegrass fan, but there are plenty of modern artists in more mainstream forms of music who have incorporated the mandolin into their music.
I have yet to even attempt to play it (the high action is the speed bump here), but I think a new instrument is in order for me. While I love the guitar, I've been stuck on a plateau for a long time now, and I'm feeling very uninspired. Maybe the mandolin will be a nice diversion while I reach the next plateau.
If anyone has any experience with the mandolin, please feel free to give out your advice.
