It is not and never will be considered an instrument that can be plugged into a traditional Bluegrass ensemble. Bluegrass has its own traditions ... and from a purist point of view, and to ensure bluegrass remains true to its tradition, instruments that are not part of the original Bluegrass ensemble which originally consisted of 5-String Banjo, Mandolin, Dobro, Acoustic Guitar, Fiddle and Stand-Up Bass ... should not ever be considered seriously as part of this great tradition. Sure, for experimintal purposes, it can expand the horizons of a contemporary Bluegrass band, however, it should always be noted that it is not and will never be part of the original traditions of Bluegrass.

Notwithstanding, the Mandola still stands on its own within many other traditional settings ... such as Celtic, Ragtime, Jazz, Classical and Folk Americana ... I perform with the Mandola within all of these genres and find it really is overall still unexplored. Another area where the Mandola has been misinterpreted is the fact that it is not a Mandolin. Sure, the fingerboard language is the same as a Mandolin (only a fourth lower in tuning), but obviously, due to its longer scale length, it really is an entirely different instrument and really should be approached as such ... many songs I play on Mandolin do not transcribe directly to the Mandola (due to the stretch necessary to achieve the same playing position). Hence, arranging for the Mandola is another art form unto itself and requires a complete understanding of the possible inversions and most economic neck positions along with knowing which fingers to use for which notes. For instance, many times on a mandolin, you would use the third finger for the 5th fret noting, however, on Mandola you would use your fourth finger for this same position.

The Mandola truly is a versatile instrument that can be applied to most any style of music ... This site will be covering every aspect possible on the Mandola, including its history, players, music, set-up and all the tools necessary to actualize its fullest potential. As a long-time exponent of the the Mandola, I have high hopes of bringing this site to its zenith on all levels ... it would be greatly appreciated to hear your input on what you'd like to see as part of its content ... please contact me through our Online Contact Form." Mickey Cochran

Special Announcement:

If you're a builder, be sure to submit your small bio along with mondola model that you're currently building for our upcoming "Mandola Builders" page. Submit Here

Teachers, build your student base! If you teach Mandola, please e-mail us your complete contact information so that we may post it on our new upcoming page: "Mandola Teachers". We have been receiving many enquiries from those looking for Mandola teachers in their locality ... and, here's your opportunity to build up your Mandola Student Base. Please keep in mind, this is for those teachers who do teach "Mandola". Please submit to our Contact Form.

With this site, and its accompanying online lessons, Books and DVDs ... hopefully, we'll be shedding light on how best to approach the Mandola and actualize its fullest potential as an independent, standalone instrument.

Purchase the Definitive Mandola DVD by Clicking Here!

If you'd like to contribute ideas, or have questions about this site, please contact us by Clicking Here!