Bagpipes | Bells | Bodhr áns | Bouzoukis | Brass Instruments | Cellos | Clarinets | Double Basses | Flutes | French Horns | Harps | Harpsichords | Mandolins | Lutes | Ocarinas | Orchestral Percussion | Recorders | Trombones | Trumpets | Violas | Woodwind Instruments - An Overview | Unusual Musical Instruments
The mandolin is a small stringed instrument about the same size as a violin. It has steel strings and is played by plucking the strings with a plectrum. It has a very sweet sound. The mandolin was originally an Italian instrument, where it developed from a small member of the lute family. The name means 'little mandola'.
In America, many Italian immigrants brought mandolins with them and it became a very popular instrument in the late 19th Century, leading to a new design which is now the standard in America. It continues to be popular today, although not as much as in the past.
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