When it comes to the mandolin and ukulele, you may think that these instruments are similar, being small stringed instruments that are strummed, plucked or picked. But there are some pretty significant differences between the two.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Are mandolins and ukuleles tuned the same?
No, the mandolin and the ukulele are not tuned the same. The mandolin is tuned to GG-DD-AA-EE, and the ukulele is generally tuned to G-C-E-A. This tuning is for the standard ukulele, but there are a few more alternative tunings available for the ukulele. On larger ukuleles, you can tune to D-G-B-E which is the top for strings of a guitar. You can also put a thicker G in place of the thinner G and keep the G-C-E-A tuning. This tuning gives the ukulele quite a different sound to the standard tuning. Tuning your ukulele to A-D-F#-B will allow you to play many popular tunes in the 1920s-1930s.
Can the mandolin and the ukulele be tuned the same?
While traditionally, the mandolin and ukulele are not tuned the same, they can be.
A mandolin can be tuned like a ukulele, but it is not particularly practical because the neck of the mandolin is much narrower. This narrow neck means that playing chords on a mandolin tuned ukulele is exceptionally difficult because the strings are so much closer together.
A ukulele can be tuned like a mandolin by keeping the ukulele high G string as a high G. As mentioned earlier another option is to use a thicker gauge string to replace the G string, but this means having to file the slot to fit the string.
What is a mandolin?
A mandolin is a small stringed instrument with a short neck and eight strings. A soprano member of the lute family, the mandolin originated in Italy and Germany in the 18th century.
The original mandolin is a deeply vaulted pear-shaped instrument with four pairs of steel strings and tuning pegs fitted to the back of the headstock. The number of frets can vary, but most players prefer around twenty. These frets are ever so slightly raised. While the traditional mandolin is deep, with a downward angled belly, American bluegrass bands’ more modern mandolin frequently features a flat back and a shallow belly.
The word mandolin translates from Italian to mean “little mandola.” The mandola being a larger stringed instrument is shaped like a pear and resembles a larger version of the mandolin.
There are different types of mandolin, each recognisable by its unique shape.
The A-style mandolin can have a tear-drop shaped or oval-shaped body. The A-style model is a more affordable mandolin style than the F style and is preferred by classical and folk musicians.
The F style mandolin is a much more ornate mandolin, and it often features scrolls. The F-style mandolin is sometimes called the “Florentine mandolin.” These mandolins are used most often in bluegrass music.
The bowl-back mandolin is sometimes called the “Neapolitan mandolin” and has a rounded bowl-shaped back. The shape of the bowl-back mandolin results in a much deeper sound than shallower models and is preferred by classical and renaissance musicians.
The mandolin is played by pressing the fingers on the fret with one hand and strumming the strings with a pick using the other hand.
What is a ukulele?
A ukulele is a small stringed instrument that looks more guitar-like than the mandolin. A plucked lute (or chordophone) the ukulele is a member of the guitar family and is a Hawaiian instrument with Portuguese roots developed in the 1880s.
The ukulele has just four strings made from soft nylon and has a range of sounds and neck lengths depending on the ukulele type.
Ukulele types include the pocket ukulele (the smallest), the sopranino ukulele, soprano ukulele (the most common), the pineapple ukulele, the concert ukulele, the tenor ukulele, the tenor XL ukulele, and the baritone ukulele.
The pocket ukulele is hard to play compared to other ukuleles because of its smaller size. This model of uke has an 11-inch scale and is around 16 inches long.
The sopranino ukulele is a small version of the soprano ukulele and is has a 13-inch scale and is around 19 inches long.
The soprano ukulele has a 13-14 inch scale and is around 21 inches long.
The pineapple ukulele is the same size as the soprano ukulele, but it has an oval-shaped body instead of the figure-eight shaped body.
The concert ukulele has a 15-16 inch scale and is around 23 inches long.
The tenor ukulele has a 17-18 inch scale and is around 26 inches long. This ukulele has much wider frets.
The tenor XL ukulele has a 19-inch scale and is slightly larger than the tenor ukulele.
The baritone ukulele is the biggest of the ukuleles, and it has a 19-20 inch scale and is around 30 inches long. The baritone has the lowest tone of all ukuleles.
The traditional ukulele is the same figure-eight shape as the smaller acoustic guitar, and the top side of the neck is the fretboard. A ukulele typically has between twelve and fifteen frets.
Are mandolin chords the same as ukulele chords?
Due to the tunings of each instrument being different mandolin and ukulele chords are not the same. The chord shapes of the mandolin and ukulele are very different. Mandolin chords have a much more open sound and have a larger fuller sound than those of the ukulele. The ukulele has a softer sound to it because of its nylon strings.
Which is easiest to play, the mandolin or the ukulele?
Whether the mandolin or ukulele is easier to play depends on who is playing and what type of music they are playing.
- A ukulele has fewer strings and softer strings which makes them easier to play for some people.
- The chord shapes for the ukulele tend to be easier to learn.
- Tuning the mandolin is easier.
- Memorising notes is easier on the mandolin.
- Playing the ukulele is easier if you already play the guitar.
- Playing the mandolin is easier if you already play the violin.
Overall the mandolin is the more difficult of the two instruments to learn.
If I already play the ukulele, how hard is it to learn the mandolin?
If you already play the ukulele, the only real advantage you have in learning the mandolin is understanding how to play fretted instruments.
Aside from both being fretted, the ukulele and mandolin have so many differences that you may trip yourself up by trying to learn one after the other.
Think of this as learning two foreign languages like French and Spanish. It is easier to learn one language after the other because they have the same basic principles. It does get complicated, however, because you can confuse the specifics of each instrument – for example, trying to think of a German word but only coming up with the French alternative or, in this case, trying to find a ukulele chord on a mandolin!
Are mandolins more expensive than ukuleles?
YES! By far, ukuleles are far cheaper than mandolins. You should be able to get your hands on a beginner ukulele for around 25% of the cost of a mandolin.
Not only is the mandolin more expensive than the ukulele, but getting the mandolin restrung will also cost more than it costs to restring a ukulele.
What are the main differences between the ukulele and the mandolin?
As you can see, there are some stark differences between these two stringed instruments. Let’s recap those differences.
- A mandolin is a member of the lute family, where the ukulele is a plucked lute or chordophone and is a member of the guitar family.
- A mandolin has four pairs of strings, where a ukulele has four strings.
- The strings of the mandolin are harder steel strings, where the ukulele strings are made from nylon.
- Where mandolin sounds vary mostly due to the shape of the instrument’s body, the ukulele sound is influenced by the instrument’s size and neck length.
- A mandolin is used for a versatile range of music from bluegrass to classical, where the ukulele is better suited for folk music.
- A mandolin tends to be more challenging to learn to play compared to the ukulele.
- A mandolin is much more expensive than a ukulele.
- It is often more difficult to find mandolin teachers than it is to find ukulele teachers.
- There are more basic variations of the ukulele than the mandolin.
