Lesson 1 Octave Mandolin: Basics Set-Up & Position

by Mickey Cochran

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First and foremost is the medium you are utilizing:

1. Check your action, height of strings above the fingerboard, on your octave mandolin to ensure that it's not uncomfortable to play.
To do this, try pressing your strings down, fretting, to see how much tension there is...if for some reason it's very difficult to press down, have your octave mandolin set up by a qualified instrument technician. Or, if you have an adjustable bridge, two thumbscrews on your bridge, try turning the screws clockwise to see if it's possible to lower the action yourself. Additionally, if you notice a lot of rattle and buzzing as you're playing, you may also heighten the action by turning these screws counterclockwise. Many octave mandolin bridges do not have the adjustable bridge for string height. In this case, you may need to find a repair technician to assist you with setting up your octave for ease of play. Octaves are notorious for having string rattle and buzz; be careful to not lower the action too far.

		Bridge above has no adjustment screws for height.		Bridge above has adjustment screws for height. Notice the two thumbscrews above that allow you to raise or lower your action.

Many mandolins do not have an adjustable bridge, in this case, your best consideration is to take it to an experienced instrument repair person.

Eye your octave mandolin neck down down its edge to determine if your neck might be warped. This could contribute to a high action or buzz and rattle. Additionally, when first starting out, it's highly recommended that you find light gauge strings, not heavy or medium. You certainly do not want to become discouraged when first attempting to learn. If your action is abnormally high, or if you're using a custom set of heavier gauge strings, you may find it difficult to be inspired to practice. One of the most important things I've discovered about octave mandolin, is that the A strings need to be wound. If they're unwound strings, they seem to lose tonal quality...my suggestion would be to go with the GHS Octave Strings: Octave Phos. Bronze Lt Gauge GHS-PF285

2. Make sure you feel comfortable holding your octave mandolin, especially, if you're determined to practice long hours...It can become discouraging to adhere to a practice schedule if you do not feel comfortable holding and playing your octave. My recommendation is to first learn to play while sitting down...be sure to hold the octave upright...do not let the octave lay in your lap at an angle. When holding the neck, allow it to rest at the bottom of your index finger, and be careful not to let the thumb protrude too far over the neck. Experiment with a footrest to prop up your leg for added support on your mandolin.

3. Find your inspiration...rediscover the reasons you're inspired to learn the octave mando. Categorize all of your Octave Mandolin CDs that bring you pleasure. Be sure to also get your library of mandolin instructional videos and books together (there are very few materials published for octave mandolin...we currently offer one of the only octave mandolin instructional videos we know of)...read through all of them and become familiar with the road that's ahead. And, then sit down with your most basic lessons, whether video or book, and methodically go through every detail of preparation.

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