Ukulele vs. Mandolin - which should you get? First, letâs focus on three instruments more or less similar to the guitar: the ukulele, the mandolin, and the banjo. 4-finger or "cello" fingering works fine on 17 fret banjo for people with stubby fingers. The above instrument is a Fender Ukulele '52. Iâll reconsider if Dave Grisman drops in for a tune. 0. Really, banjo and mandolin are both good instruments for you to pick up a little experience with. The mandolin-banjo is a hybrid instrument, combining a banjo body with the neck and tuning of a mandolin or violin (depending on whether fretted or not and how many strings it has). The mandolin is also smaller and has 8 strings versus the typical 5-stringed banjo. McViking Registered User regular. Mandolin is easy to learn, if you are already proficient on guitar you should have no trouble. The mandolin and banjo are two wonderful instruments that can be picked up with relative ease by either past guitarists or those who are entirely new to string instruments. You hear it in Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and Bluegrass. I play in a bluegrass band for fun and my banjo player is a maniac. Recorded by The Dubliners. As with all instruments, you can learn enough to get by or really master them. Iâve realised that when a mandolin banjo appears at a session its time to put my own instrument away. Included are the handy letter notes. The differences between the ukulele, the mandolin, and the banjo You do not have to be a fan of folk music to play a folk-oriented string instrument. The mandolin is a really versatile instrument. Mandolin is tuned GDAE from the top down, the pairs of strings are tuned the same. If you play guitar now and are considering the ukulele or mandolin as your next stringed instrument, one choice is better than the other. The banjo / mandolin tab is in the key of D Major. joshofalltrades on June 2011. Ryland wasn't paying attention at the beginning of the video...again... :D The second tab is in the tuning of ⦠It is a soprano banjo. The mandolin-banjo is a different instrument, with eight strings, mandolin-length scale, body size quite variable -- from as small as the ukulele-banjo, to full-size (11 inch or so), similar to a tenor or five-string instrument. I do have a soft spot for banjo, though. Tuning GDAE. The Peak Music ST-30 banjo or mandolin stand is made of quality aluminum and can be height-adjusted for smaller, stringed instruments. I learned on Mando first, then learned guitar and bass a couple of years later. The appearance of the two are much different and both have their unique place within bluegrass and folk music. The Peak ST-30 mandolin or banjo stand is built with a neck restraint for extra security. I watch him do that three finger roll and just scratch my head, he makes it look so easy. Although the mandolin has 8 strings, it plays like a 4-stringed instrument. It has been independently invented in more than one country, being called banjolin and banjourine in English-speaking countries, banjoline and bandoline in France, and the CümbüÅ in Turkey.