Mandolin Quiz: Places, People and Key Facts

The mandolin's eight strings are arranged in four pairs tuned like a violin, G-D-A-E, and this mandolin quiz explores the instrument from Naples to Nashville. Learn about the Neapolitan bowl-back, Gibson's flat-backed F-5 designed under Lloyd Loar, Bill Monroe's bluegrass chop, tremolo picking, Vivaldi's concertos and Chris Thile.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Strings
How are the mandolin's eight strings arranged?
Tuning
How is the mandolin tuned?
Naples
Which Italian city gave its name to the classic bowl-back mandolin?
F-5
Which Gibson mandolin did Lloyd Loar help design?
Monroe
Who made the mandolin central to bluegrass?
Chop
What is the bluegrass mandolin chop?
Tremolo
Why do mandolinists use tremolo picking?
Vivaldi
Which Baroque composer wrote a concerto for two mandolins?
Thile
Which mandolinist won a MacArthur fellowship?
Rock
Which R.E.M. hit features a prominent mandolin?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: How are the mandolin's eight strings arranged?
Answer: In four pairs
Pairs are called courses.
Q2: How is the mandolin tuned?
Answer: G D A E, like a violin
Violinists find it familiar.
Q3: Which Italian city gave its name to the classic bowl-back mandolin?
Answer: Naples
It is called Neapolitan.
Q4: Which Gibson mandolin did Lloyd Loar help design?
Answer: F-5
Bluegrass players prize it.
Q5: Who made the mandolin central to bluegrass?
Answer: Bill Monroe
He played a Gibson F-5.
Q6: What is the bluegrass mandolin chop?
Answer: A percussive offbeat chord
It acts like a snare.
Q7: Why do mandolinists use tremolo picking?
Answer: To sustain notes
Notes otherwise fade quickly.
Q8: Which Baroque composer wrote a concerto for two mandolins?
Answer: Vivaldi
It is in G major.
Q9: Which mandolinist won a MacArthur fellowship?
Answer: Chris Thile
He played with Punch Brothers.
Q10: Which R.E.M. hit features a prominent mandolin?
Answer: Losing My Religion
Peter Buck played it.

Mandolin Quiz – The Small String Star

The mandolin is a small lute-family instrument with eight strings arranged in four pairs, tuned G, D, A and E like a violin. Its bright, ringing notes fade quickly, so players use tremolo picking to sustain them.

The classic Neapolitan bowl-back mandolin came from Naples, and Vivaldi wrote a concerto for two mandolins. In the United States, Gibson's flat-backed F-5, developed under Lloyd Loar in the 1920s, became the most prized mandolin in bluegrass.

Bill Monroe made the mandolin central to bluegrass with fast solos and the percussive chop. Chris Thile won a MacArthur fellowship, David Grisman blended bluegrass and jazz and R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion brought the mandolin to pop radio.

What This Quiz Teaches

Musicians and folk fans will enjoy these questions.

How the strings are arranged
How it is tuned
Which city gave its name
Who designed the F-5
Who made it central to bluegrass

Did You Know?

Mandolas are larger relatives.
Irish bouzoukis are similar.
Sam Bush pioneered newgrass.
Mandolins appear in Italian folk songs.
Electric mandolins exist.