My Favourite Instrument – Mandolin
Type: String Instrument
Number of Strings: 8
Country of Origin: Italy
Family: Lute Family
Famous Players: Sajjad Hussain and U. Sriniwas.
“Mandolin is a great instrument which lets you explore the musical side of the world.”
Music is one thing which almost everyone enjoys. Some like listening to it and some like creating it. I believe that it can even teleport you to an incredible place. Just listening to one soft note of a piano relaxes us to a substantial extent. Similar is the effect of a mandolin.
A few years ago, I saw a mandolin on the TV for the first time and it invoked into me a new passion. I was already interested in music and wanted to learn a new instrument. And now it has been almost four years since I first took a mandolin in my hand.
Not many of us may be aware of this wondrous instrument. Mandolin is similar to a guitar but unlike a guitar, it generally has eight strings that are paired up to produce four notes and its shape is different as well. It has eight keys and many frets and is usually plucked with the help of a plectrum. Mandolin originated in Italy in the 18th century and belongs to the lute family. From Italy, it soon came to Afghanistan and from there eventually to India. Mandolin is widely played in filmy music – for example, the film DDLJ. Since two strings are paired up, tremolo can be played on a mandolin. Tremolo is basically the fast repetition of a note to prolong it.
The Tuning of a Mandolin: Except for Carnatic Music, a mandolin on which Indian Classical Music is played (with eight strings) includes the notes: Pa, Sa, Pa and Sa where first Pa is in Mandra Saptak (Saptak is also called Octave in English), the last Sa is in Tar Saptak and the rest are in Madhya Saptak. A mandolin played for Carnatic Music has five strings. The notes for the one on which is Western Music played are: G, D, A, and E.
Mandolin is smaller in size than a guitar so higher-pitched notes can be produced on it, but a bigger version of the mandolin is also there, which is mandola – just like a viola is to the violin. Mandolin is a great instrument on which a wide variety of “the strongest form of magic” – music, can be played.
~ Avani Dandawate
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