Is this octave mandola tuner free?

Yes, and there is no account or app. It runs in the browser using your microphone.

What is the difference between an octave mandola and a mandolin?

Pitch. Both are tuned GDAE with the same fingering, but an octave mandola sounds an octave lower, which puts it in the same range as an Irish tenor banjo.

What is an octave mandola tuned to?

GDAE, low to high: G2, D3, A3, E4. These are the same sounding pitches as an Irish tenor banjo and one octave below a mandolin or fiddle. This instrument is also called an octave mandolin.

Is an octave mandola the same as a CGDA mandola?

The names can be confusing. This tuner is for an octave mandola or octave mandolin in G2 D3 A3 E4. A mandola in C3 G3 D4 A4 has different pitches. Check the maker’s specification before changing strings or tuning.

How do I tune an octave mandola’s paired strings?

On a unison-strung instrument, tune both strings in each course to the same displayed note, plucking one at a time. If your instrument has octave pairs, follow its setup specification for the higher partner.

Which strings should I use on an octave mandola?

Choose a set made for your instrument’s scale length, tuning and course arrangement. A mandolin or tenor-banjo gauge table does not specify a suitable octave-mandola set. Follow the instrument or string maker’s guidance.

How do I check GDAE tuning by ear?

Start with a reliable reference note. In GDAE, fret the G at 7 to match open D, D at 7 to match open A, and A at 7 to match open E. These are unison comparisons. They check the strings against one another; an external reference establishes the overall pitch.

Can I change a tune’s key without retuning?

Yes. Keep your usual tuning and use the ABC transposer to change the tune’s key and regenerate the tab. Choose the instrument and tuning that match your setup.

Octave mandola tuner: GDAE

Free, in the browser, nothing recorded.

Tap a string to hear its reference tone and tune to it by ear. The microphone pauses while a tone sounds.

Microphone tuner

Tune your octave mandola

Listens through your microphone. Nothing is recorded and nothing leaves your browser.

Choosing

Which tuning to use, and what for

The tuning you choose decides what the instrument is good at. This is the part that is rarely written down.

People dancing on a pier at the Kilmakilloge Pattern in County Kerry, 1913, with a melodeon player — Melodeon and dancing. The closest thing in the set to where these tunes were actually played.National Library of Ireland on The Commons. Source · No known copyright restrictions

GDAE

The standard. Same pitches as an Irish tenor banjo, so tab and fingering transfer directly.

FAQ

Octave mandola tuning questions

Everything people ask before they tune up.

Yes, and there is no account or app. It runs in the browser using your microphone.
Pitch. Both are tuned GDAE with the same fingering, but an octave mandola sounds an octave lower, which puts it in the same range as an Irish tenor banjo.
GDAE, low to high: G2, D3, A3, E4. These are the same sounding pitches as an Irish tenor banjo and one octave below a mandolin or fiddle. This instrument is also called an octave mandolin.
The names can be confusing. This tuner is for an octave mandola or octave mandolin in G2 D3 A3 E4. A mandola in C3 G3 D4 A4 has different pitches. Check the maker’s specification before changing strings or tuning.
On a unison-strung instrument, tune both strings in each course to the same displayed note, plucking one at a time. If your instrument has octave pairs, follow its setup specification for the higher partner.
Choose a set made for your instrument’s scale length, tuning and course arrangement. A mandolin or tenor-banjo gauge table does not specify a suitable octave-mandola set. Follow the instrument or string maker’s guidance.
Start with a reliable reference note. In GDAE, fret the G at 7 to match open D, D at 7 to match open A, and A at 7 to match open E. These are unison comparisons. They check the strings against one another; an external reference establishes the overall pitch.
Yes. Keep your usual tuning and use the ABC transposer to change the tune’s key and regenerate the tab. Choose the instrument and tuning that match your setup.

Now learn the chords