Mandolins

There are eight strings on a mandolin but they come in unison pairs. These unison pairs are very close together and can be fretted with one finger. This means that, in terms of playing the mandolin, you can think of it as having four strings.

No, mandolin and ukulele chords are very different. Ukuleles have more in common with guitars because they are tuned in intervals of fourths. Mandolins have more in common with violins because they are tuned in intervals of fifths.

The best mandolins for beginners would be the A-style Mandolins as they have basic design and are said to be easier to play compared to other styles.

Mandolins can be hard to play due to their size and string spacing. This requires accuracy in picking and good finger dexterity while fretting, to produce clear sounding notes.

Some may say that a Mandolin is easier to play than guitar due to its size, making it good for smaller hands to manage and learn on. Also Mandolin's initial playing style is simpler as they tend to use single note strings to create music while guitar usually requires chords with multiple strings to be held down.

Yes. Mandolins can be strummed and have been used to produce a rhythmic sound. This can be heard throughout Bluegrass music to make an accented sound that works well to build texture.