Formerly in Italy there were various kinds of mandolins, of which the most common were the Neapolitan and the Milanese. The Neapolitan had eight strings constituting four pairs. The Milanese usually had ten strings, constituting five pairs. In Spain the mandolin has six double strings. The Turks have a mandolin with seven double strings.

Of the surviving forms of this instrument, the Neapolitan is most in use today. While the strings are struck by a plectrum held in the right hand, the fingers of the left hand regulate the notes as on a violin. Although rather tinkling, the tone is penetrating, agreeable and sympathetic. Among instruments of the pizzicato class the mandolin is well-suited to the production of melody. By rapid repetition of the note  a good sostenuto is obtained, the repeated notes, if performed with sufficient speed and equality, conveying the effect of a sustained sound.