The mandolin

The mandolin is a stringed plucked musical instrument of Italian origin, has a small size and is a kind of lute, but at the same time has a shorter neck and fewer strings.

This mandolin is almond-shaped with a carved top, a back curved like a ball and with vertical stripes. Originally, the instrument had four double strings, built in unison, like the structure of the violin. The fingering of such a mandolin is violin. Today there are only five strings left: one pair and three single ones.

Many people associate the mandolin with Italian folk melodies because of its characteristic tremolo. This is not surprising, because the instrument in the form that exists today was born in Italy at the end of the 18th century, although its prototype was the Italian soprano lute of the late 17th century.