What is the difference between mandolin and guitar?

Answer 1

A mandolin is a small bodied instrument that usually has 8 strings grouped in pairs to have a "4 string" effect. A mandolin has an approximate scale length of 13-14 inches. Standard tuning (starting with thickest string) is GDAE.

A guitar typically has 6 strings and is a much larger bodied instrument with an approximate scale length of 24 inches. Standard tuning (starting with thickest string) is EADGBE.

Overall - the guitar is a more popular instrument in most music genres.

Answer 2

Yes, there is a difference.

A mandolin is a lute-like instrument, played like a guitar:

A violin is a stringed instrument, played with a bow:

However, just as there are four members of the violin family - the violin, viola, cello/violoncello and double bass, there are four basic members of the mandolin family which bear some relation to the violin family's relationships. These are as follows:

• mandolin, with a range similar to that of the violin
• mandola or tenor mandola, tuned to a fifth below the mandolin, meaning it has the same relationship as a viola to a violin
• mandocello or mandolin cello
• mando-bass, which is tuned like a double bass

There are also several other mandolins in the mandolin family, such as the octave mandolin, the piccolo orsopranino mandolin, and several other variants of the mandolin from other countries.

Answer 3

The difference between these to instruments is that the Banjo is tuned like a guitar and the Mandolin is tuned like a violin, also the Mandolin has more strings than a Banjo.

The banjo amplifies sound through the vibration of a tight animal skin, while the mandolin uses a wooden sound box.

Answer 4

Yes. A violin has 4 strings tuned to E, A, D and G. It is also played with a bow. A mandolin is plucked instead of bowed and it has 8 strings. These are tuned in pairs. 2 on E, 2 on A, 2 on D and 2 on G. They are also a slightly different shape.

Answer 5

Despite how similar they are, here are the major differences between the mandolin and the banjo:

Body

One of the key differences between the mandolin and the banjo is the material that makes up the body of the instrument. A mandolin has a hollow wooden body which frequently has two ‘f’ shaped holes cut into it to allow sound to get out through the front of the instrument.

Modern mandolins will, most of the time, have a plastic triangular pickguard beneath the strings to protect the wood from wearing out and getting scratches. The banjo’s body is vastly different. It is built with a ring of wood, along with a tone ring inside, a piece of plastic like a drum head on the front, and a bowl-shaped resonator on the back.

The shapes of the bodies are typically different. The banjo’s body is circular and the mandolin’s body is more like a teardrop shape, making the two instruments non-identical from each other.

Strings

An obvious difference between the mandolin and the banjo is the number of strings that they have. A lot of the banjos nowadays have either four or five strings. Generally, the mandolin has eight strings. This provides every one of the instruments a different sound from each other. It provides the banjo with the well-known twang sound but the mandolin sounds practically like a higher-pitched 12-string guitar. This is due to the reason that the strings of the mandolin are played in pairs and tuned in unison to each other.

Size

The size is also one of the differences between the banjo and the mandolin. The standard banjo has a long neck and it is comparable in length to a guitar. However, the mandolin is a smaller instrument and has a shorter neck and a size which is similar to a tenor violin rather than a guitar. both the banjo and the mandolin have various adaptations which come in but when it comes to standard sizing, there are very different.

Answer 6

A Banjo has less strings than a guitar and also has a different sound.

Answer 7

A mandolin has 4 sets of 8 strings that are tuned the same as a violin, while a guitar has 6 strings. A classical guitar will have 12 strings.

Answer 8

no.