Mandolin Tuning with Mike Marshall

I just watched to gaze upon that mandolin. Is that a fricken Loyd Loar signed F5? Forget the tuning, I want to see the back and hear you talk a bit about it.

This was by far the most helpful on tuning so far. Watched about 8 videos already ... Thx man!

In the old days I used to tune with a piano.

"Never perfect but we do the best we can". Pretty good motto all round really. Check out Mike's playing on the 'Short Trip Home' recording with Joshua Bell from 1999. Still astounding 20 years on.

Great video. Having graphite powder(no. 2 pencil lead) in the nut slots helps to keep the strings sliding through the nut slots MUCH better,greatly helping with tuning stability

Great info. mate. Thanks for your time. just retired and using mandolin to keep me out of going to pub every day.

Ugh, glad I went with ukulele. Respect to all you mandolin players out there. ✌️

This was very helpful thanks!

I can never get the G string to sound as good as the other 3. Especially when fingered at 5 or 6. Regardless of quality of instrument . Any tips .

Much love and immense thanks..

While turning the mandolin do you move the tuning pegs same direction or opposite direction

Make sure you have the best quality tuner sets you can afford. Some are priced to require a second mortgage on your house, but they aren't really better than some at one tenth the price. Just make sure they move smoothly without binding. They are designened to never allow a string to slip.

Excellent tutorial! Thank you Thank you

Oh hey, I just wanted to say that you probably start with A first because that's how you should start tuning a violin. The bridge on a violin is more susceptible to the changing tensions of the strings, so starting with the middle strings is always best (if you start with G, then by the time you reach A G will be out of tune again). Since they're similar instruments, I bet that's why you have that habit - most people just say to tune them the "same way". Mandolins are far hardier with flat bridges, though. So I doubt it matters what string you start with.

Is there alternate tunings ? Can anyone tell me what the tuning for sympathy by goo goo dolls is I'm dying to do a cover it

How to correct buzzing in a mandolin?

I tune my mandolin every time I play it.  Since the mandolin runs an octave higher than a guitar, along with paired strings, like a 12 string guitar, when it's out of tune, you know it!  When it's in tune, it sounds wonderful. Loosing the strings to half tension allows you to adjust the bridge position, for intonation. If the string are at full tension, you won't be able to move the bridge, if you need to.

Are the frequencies of G, D, A and E string 196 Hz, 294 Hz, 440 Hz and 659 Hz respectively?

Great video! However, the last tuning method is inaccurate since the 7th fret harmonic involves a fifth and fifths aren't pure in equal temperament tuning. In other words, if you make the beating go away, the string will be slightly out of tune.

Always tune up to the note. That's why they call it tuning up!