What other string instruments do you play?

MinorKey

A post for guitarists. What other string instruments do you play, and why? And what would you love to try. Personally I'd love to have a go on a Balalaika!

Andy Varney

Believe it or not I've got a Balalaika! I have not really played it much. Shame you are not closer you could come to my jam night an try it out.

I don't play anything else, I used to play the frecnh horn.

Andy

Not the DJ

I've ventured into the world of the mandolin a few years ago, got to grips with 'Fisherman's Blues' and 'Losing My Religion' but I've never used it in any band so it doesn't get played much...might dig it out now though...

Would love to go all George Harrison and try a Sitar. And how about an African Kora, has anyone heard anything by Toumani Diabate, his album 'New Accient Strings' is beautiful.

ZombieSheep

I am tempted by the banjo, although I can't afford to buy one. The Ukelele is a fab and fun instrument, IMHO. (Back on a George Harrison theme, there was a track on his Brainwashed album that he did on uke. I love it)

Not the DJ

Have you seen the DVD of the George Harrison tribute concert? Paul McCartney starts of a uke version of 'Something' and Joe Brown does a lovely 'See you in my dreams' at the end.

Unknown

Mandolin, so I can also play mandola and bouzouki. Bought a bouzouki with my brother-in-law so I can borrow it.

Tenor banjo is tuned the same, too, but I have too much self respect, too many teeth and my wife is not also my cousin, so I don't play the banjo!

English concertina, piano accordion, penny whistle too.

MinorKey

Does a Bouzouki sound a lot ifferent to a mandolin, and whats the difference betwen a mandolin and a mandola?
Oh and i think Ukeleles are cool little things. A shop in town has 2, one lurid green and a traditional rounded wooden one. I notice they have black strings! Its a shame the Uke only gets seen as a toy guitar by many!

Unknown

Besides guitar I play 5-string banjo ( A Clifford Essex ) with a sort of fingerstyle folkie/bluegrass technique, or a bit of frailing, and an Autoharp (by Oscar Schmidt ), which is a chorded Zither. I play this thing with my fingers as well, but using finger picks.

Unknown

FYI: A mandolin is tuned GDAE low to high, with the open E string an octave above the high open E on a guitar (same as 12th fret on top string. Eight strings in pairs tuned the same.

There are two sorts of mandola, both of which are basically bigger mandolins. The tenor mandola is tuned CGDA and the octave mandolin GDAE but an octave down. The range across the four open strings on an octave mandolin is from guitar bottom G (bottom E string third fret) to top E (open top E string).

A bouzouki is basically the same as an octave mandola but with a longer scale. Because they are much more difficult to play tunes on due to the scale length, many people string the lower two strings (G and D) with octave pairs like a 12-string to give it its characteristic ringing tone.

Personally, I love the sound of thrashed bouzouki chords in Celtic music, but only in small doses, after a while it gets tedious.

MinorKey

Thanks for the info John!

Unknown

The mandolin is a great instrument, and very accessible for a guitarist. If you are going to get one, avoid any of the 'flat-top' semi-acoustic models - a proper arch-top is much easier to play, and sounds better. Though you will learn a whole new set of skills when you restring it!
I just got a resonator, primarily for playing slide. Made by Richwood, the nature of which company is the subject of another thread here. All I can say is, it was cheap, and now re-strung (the original strings were too light and fitted wrongly!) sounds great - if you like that sort of sound, that is. Much recommended.

Dan

Unknown

I've tried a Sitar and it is like no instrument on this planet. I walked away from it completely baffled.

MinorKey

I would love just to see a Sitar, they look amazing, and it amazes me how it got invented! I believe George Harrison had his own!

Unknown

George Harrison had a baby-sitar - to look after the kids. Ha ha...etc

Dan

Unknown

 Quote:

Originally posted by Colin Murray - Not the DJ:
Have you seen the DVD of the George Harrison tribute concert? Paul McCartney starts of a uke version of 'Something' and Joe Brown does a lovely 'See you in my dreams' at the end.

There's a great story on there about George - he used to carry a ukelele everywhere, incase he felt like a jam with it. Eventually, everyone who jammed with him thought "I won't take a uke, I'll just use George's" and he had to take two.

Is it not a little wierd that Clapton sang Something, a song about Patty? It'd be like George singing Layla.