A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family. It evolved in Italy during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The mandolin has a body with a teardrop-shaped soundboard, or one which is essentially oval in shape, with a soundhole (or soundholes) of varying shapes. Most have 8 strings (although some can have 4, 12, or 16 strings) plucked with a plectrum.
In the first half of the 20th century, mandolins became widely popular in Europe and the America as an easier approach to playing string music.
