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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaNesaqBFGM The definition of a gentleman: a man who knows how to play the banjo, but doesn’t. Welcome to the mandolin thread. In here please find basic information and the most frequently asked questions about the finest little instrument around. Just what is a mandolin? The mandolin is a fretted, plucked instrument tuned the same as a violin (from bass to treble G D A E) in fifths. This makes the mandolin more intuitive to learn than the guitar with its 3rds and 4ths, and transposing keys is a snap. Just as there is a “violin family” (violin, viola, cello, bass) of progressively lower tunings, there is a mandolin family of similar tunings (mandolin, mandola, mandocello, mandobass). There are also additional instruments with tunings between these: so between mandola and mandocello there is an “octave mandolin” which is tuned the same as a mandolin but a full octave lower. (*Please note these names are North American—in Europe these names can vary somewhat). Tenor guitars kind of fall into this family too. Then there are weird things like bouzoukis with the treble courses tuned to octaves.  An F-style mandolin above a F-style mandocello, both by Gilchrist Acoustic mandolins have paired strings tuned to the same note. Theoretically, that is, because it is impossible to keep a mandolin in tune. This pair is called a course. Pairing the strings helps to increase the tone and volume, but increases the difficulty of getting it tuned exponentially. Because the mandolin is tuned to the higher end of the scale, the instrument’s strings are under a great deal of tension, which means it can be a pain to fret cleanly, especially if the “action” (the height of the strings above the fretboard) is too high. Mandolins are played with a plectrum, or “pick”. These little buggers can have a huge impact on tone so most mandolin players have huge collections of different picks. Generally, you want a thicker, inflexible pick. I play with a pick that is a 1.5 mm thick piece of plastic. I also have lots of different types of plastic, some organic derivatives (milk protein, cow horn) that can sound like the holy grail tone imparted by picks made from the shell of hawksback turtles. Please don’t use tortoise shell picks, even if from antique sources. You can get equal tone with other materials without harming engendered species. Lots of mandolin players love picks from Bluechip, which are spendy but never seem to wear, easily glide through the strings (you play both courses at once) and sound pretty nice. Other common brands are Wegen, Red Bear, Dunlop, Fender. I use a Dunlop ProPlec. Picks also come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Generally, mandolin players like large triangles. I prefer a teardrop. Experiment and find what you like! Mandolins come in all shapes and sizes. The first mandolins were lute-like in construction, and we refer to these as “bowl-backs”, “Neapolitan”, “tater bugs”, among other names. Despite this antiqued design it is still the preferred style for classical musicians.  Bowl-back mandolin with cant top Mandolins can also have a flat back and top, similar to most guitars, and they are the cheapest. (Sadly, mandolins as a whole cost more than larger sized guitars.) Examples of these include old Martins (yes, the guitar company) and Mid-Missouri/Big Muddy. These mandolins are popular among folk and blues players, and are a good choice for beginners. Some of those mandolins can also have a canted top (a bend at one end). This increases string tension and thus volume. Martin and Vega do this, but you can also find it in some bowl backs like Calace. In the late 19th century Gibson of Kalamazoo, Michigan revolutionized mandolins by introducing to a mass market the carved top and back mandolin. The arched top, carved by hand from solid wood, helps to increase string tension while allowing for a thinner top, and improves both tone and projection. Most mandolins seen in your local bluegrass jam are carved, arched top, models, but you also commonly see them in celtic sessions. Mandolins are further divided by shape. Round symmetrical instruments are referred to as A-style, although that is specifically a designation of the Gibson company. The mandolins you see bluegrass players use with the points and curlie scroll at the top is an F-style (for Florentine, although this is a development of late Victorian garishness and again a Gibson designation). The extra bits cost more money and add nothing to tone, but some folks like the look. Others want to “be like Bill”. The points do help keep the mandolin in good playing position. I have even played one of the infamous “watermellondolins” made by Old Wave Mandolins builder and notorious smart rear end Bill Bussman. He has also developed an A-style with two points in the front that he calls a C#-style (half way between A and F).  Old Gibson A-style with oval hole Tone is a by product of a lot of factors. One of the major ones is the shape of the sound hole in the top. Round holes tend to have an open, full sound. F-holes, like in a violin, focus the sound and help project it to fill a theatre. Typically, folk and celtic players prefer round holes, and bluegrass F-hole, but this varies by individual player preference. (In fact, keep this in mind with all things mandolin, that any instrument can play any role, so don’t get too worked up about it!) F-style mandolins can have round holes or f-holes. Same with A-style mandolins. Tone is also affected by wood species. Most mandolins are designed like violins with a top (also called the soundboard) of spruce and sides and back of maple. The most coveted mandolin, the Gibson F-style signed by acoustic engineer Lloyd Loar between 1922-1924, is specifically Red spruce from the Adirondacks (also called Adirondack spruce), and Red maple from Michigan. Other common top woods are Sitka spruce, Engelmann spruce, redwood, Douglass fir, and cedar. Back woods vary more, including maple, walnut, rosewood, cocobolo, koa, myrtle, mahogany, and other exotic species. People can get pretty magical in their thinking about how much a certain species of wood has a certain tone, but bind tests put most of this to lie. Buy what sounds good to you. The most important single factor is that it is solid wood, and not a laminate (i.e., plywood). Most cheap beginner mandolins are laminates. Most of these with arched tops are steam pressed into that shape, not carved of solid wood. Again, you really get what you pay for, but what is most important is that you play so don’t feel bad about having a laminate. Some builders market their mandolins via association with European locations of wood (making an indirect comparison with the old violin makers of Cremona, Italy), so you will see “Carpathian Spruce” (Lynn Dudenbostel’s famous mandolin played by Christ Thile had this) or “Italian Spruce” (my Ratcliff has one of these), but these are not species of spruce. They might not even be from those places. Old wood butcher Bruce Harvie (Orcas Island Tonewoods) has discussed how he has sold wood to Europe to see it marketed back to him as “Italian” (when it was Sitka he harvested himself in Washington). A brief word on “opening up”. Some folks hear changes in the quality of tone as a new mandolin gets played in, and the wood forgets about being a tree and starts to be a musical instrument. John Reischman, master of tone, once told me that he believes you can “play the tone into a mandolin”. To me, a few months of playing made the tone of my mandolin sound more relaxed, or “open”, like it had the sound holes stuffed with socks before, and now these have been pulled out. This subject sets off threadnaughts on the Mandolin Café like no other. There is general agreement that it only happens with carved, solid wood soundboards. The takeaway: buy a mandolin that sounds good now, and don’t hope it will get better eventually, lest you be disappointed.
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Dec 2, 2017 23:40
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Okay. I am ready to shop. What is a good instrument for a beginner? Mandolins are a big investment to make when you aren’t sure if it will stick. Don’t get the cheapest thing just “to see”. Buy the best you can afford, but be reasonable. What is important is 1) solid wood, 2) straight neck, and 3) well set up. -Set up is absolutely critical for comfortable play. Your fingers will hurt until you build your calluses up. A bad set up will make them always hurt, and you will not sound good, will feel bad about yourself, and probably take up heavy drinking. -Consider buying used. The Mandolin Café has a great classifieds section. -Buy an A-style. You get more bang for your buck that way. I usually recommend folks get a Kentucky 150 from Elderly Music in Lansing, Michigan. These are solid wood, sound decent, and come professionally set up. Other brands to look at are Eastman, Michael Kelly, Big Muddy, Howard Morris, The Loar, etc. Do not expect the teenaged metal head at Guitar Center to know anything about mandolins but getting out to a shop that has some mandolins in stock is a huge plus. Remember though: solid wood. Strings Thicker on arched tops, like the D’Addario J-74 phosphor bronze set I use. Light on flat tops. ALWAYS light on old bowl backs—a heavy gauge string can warp the neck. Classical players love Thomasticks. Some folks swear by stainless steel but I think they sound dead out of the package. Change your phosphor bronze strings when the brightness disappears. See this page on how to do it. Prepare to bleed. How to hold the mandolin Let’s just let Mike Marshall handle this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmagoBQunZI OK, I have a mandolin now. What do I do with it? Geez, play music! Get with folks. Go to jams, go to sessions. You can play any genre, not just old time, folk, celtic, or bluegrass. Loose your Religion! Mug a Mumford! You are only limited by your creativity. But I don’t know how! Take a lesson. Lots of players give lessons locally. High profile players will often do Skype lessons. I do video exchanges with Mike Marshall via Artistsworks. I strongly encourage you to get a lesson or two when starting out, to avoid bad habits. Bilirubin fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Dec 3, 2017 |
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Dec 2, 2017 23:40
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Notable mandolin players Bill Monroe. Father of Bluegrass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvr1OituOxs David Grisman. Synthesized folk, bluegrass, and jazz into what is known as "DAWG Music". Probably best known for his recording with the Grateful Dead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayk_qQw0XZg Jethro Burns. Jazz master, and Chicago funny person. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J11NV3IjFug Sam Bush. Innovator of New Grass. Wild man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES8tUHUgjLQ Chris Thile. An absolute virtuoso. Former child prodigy, now host of A Prairie Home Companion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3lH_Tevw5o Rhonda Vincent. Bluegrass isn't just for boys. Stunning voice and red hot licks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnAlyNRHfPI Sarah Jerosz. Young up and comer with a really unique take on folk. Here she is on her octave mandolin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWqeMODlW0k Simon Mayor. Celtic mandolin, but here is a little more of a jazzy piece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jni796IFU6s Mandolin references Mandolin Café Mandozine The Session Bilirubin fucked around with this message at 00:05 on Dec 3, 2017 |
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Dec 2, 2017 23:40
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Wanna add some mandolin players to that list to branch it out a bit. Avi Avital, primarily classical mandolinist (his Vivaldi and Bach albums are lovely) but I think he shines extraordinarily on his fusion work combining folk genres. First 2.50 mins are percussion so skip ahead if you're not a fan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLV1i-fVsk4 He's also got my favourite version of Czardas available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zjz6oLuaxw Carlo Aonzo, Italian fella with the worst hipster moustache but a helluva player. Studied under Ugo Orlandi in Italy, and plays mostly Italian folk and Classical, primarily from the 1900s ish Calace era. Fast fucker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMWllhS3lxQ Eva Holbrook. Hoo boy. Beautiful playing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRFzpt0rp_E
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Dec 3, 2017 21:40
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That Eva Holbrook video is fantastic, she's a great player. One thing that I love about YouTube is discovering that some random bloke making videos in his bedroom is amazing. Case in point is this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdCLeST3BvY. I mainly play celtic music, and he's the best mandolin player of Irish tunes that I've ever heard.
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Dec 4, 2017 01:57
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My man. I forgot to include Andy loving Irvine there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJNcEgTTCXY
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Dec 4, 2017 13:05
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Coohoolin posted:My man. I forgot to include Andy loving Irvine there. Yeah I was forgetting his band's name, kept coming up with Väsen, which is a group of Swedes, so I gave up and went with Simon Mayor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g0SwPX0RRU mr.dandelion posted:That Eva Holbrook video is fantastic, she's a great player. --- Pissed with myself, tried to cut the tip of my finger off last night while making dinner. Fretting hand too wouldn't you know. Ah well, callus rebuild delayed a couple of days.
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Dec 4, 2017 15:55
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Bilirubin posted:There are some amazing self recording and producing mandolinists in Irish/Scottish music, Daggar Gordon and Kevin MacLeod being two examples I know. Thanks, I'll have to look into them. One of the main reasons I moved to playing the mandolin is that it's a fairly quiet instrument and so is easy to practice without annoying the neighbours. However, this also means that in any decent sized session it becomes very difficult to be heard. Even using a thick plectrum, I find myself having to hammer on the instrument. At the moment I'm using a fairly heavily built oval hole flat-top A-style Paul Hathway mandolin. I'm wondering if volume changes significantly as you move into 'fancier' territory: thinner tops, carved top/back etc. F hole mandolins do seem to cut through better, though I prefer the oval hole tone. Has anyone played an oval hole that they'd call loud?
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Dec 4, 2017 17:22
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mr.dandelion posted:Thanks, I'll have to look into them. I have but it was a Gilchrist so would set you back $8k or so. Actually, I played a really loud Gibson Army/Navy pancake grill style flattop that was plenty loud too. There are others but frankly at large sessions tone is kind of wasted given how loud fiddles are. I know some mandoliners who have gone to *gasp* a mandobanjo or resonator to cut through. My f-hole I thought was pretty quiet sitting above it but folks in front of it said it was fine so it could also be a factor of where you are. Try playing into a wall and see if the reflected sound is any different.
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Dec 4, 2017 18:11
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I can never hear myself at sessions but apparently everyone else can just fine. You can also get a tone guard that will help it project. Also wanted to drop in some book recommendations. I'm entirely self taught, and a lot of the "learn the mandolin" books are very basic and didn't really help me improve, except for a couple. Carlo Aonzo has two books I use a lot. The first is Classical Mandolin Solos, and it's a collection of Calace-era pieces starting with easy practice partitas and getting increasingly difficult. The other is a collection of Italian and Swiss ticino region folk dances, which are a load of fun and teach you new techniques you won't come across in bluegrass or celtic stuff. The Berklee book of classical mandolin has some really good practice methods but it's a serious study. Also includes mind bendingly frustrating techniques like string splitting. I'm currently working with Simon Mayor's books, Mastering the Mandolin and New Celtic Mandolin. He has good practices and his celtic book is great for developing lovely harmony play with one instrument. All of these use staff notation and tabs, but you really should teach yourself how to sight read if you can't. I found it really easy on the mandolin, and now I can use Bach's violin partitas and sonatas as practice methods, which are great.
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Dec 4, 2017 19:09
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Nice! I have Marilynn Mair's book but have not worked through it. I can speak highly for Niles Hokkanen books (he kind of speaks the way I think about music so its a good match for me--I have Bluegrass Up the Neck and the Pentatonic Mandolin), and Mike Marshall's Finger Busters exercise book. The rest of what I have are song books (or David Grisman teaches you to play his songs books).
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Dec 5, 2017 01:40
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You sound really good I have to say--self taught or not. I am jealous!
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Dec 5, 2017 01:42
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Thanks man, really appreciate it. I'm dead set on doing this professionally, even my first application to the conservatoire was unsuccessful (it's fine, I've only been playing for a year and it takes an average of three applications per admission) I practice like three hours a day. I'll have a look at those books, always looking for new ways to improve. I started with the second partita, the Allemande and Courante are fairly easy to play, the Gigue is good finger work stuff, and the first half of the Chaconne is a) beautiful and b) really really good for chord work, fugal voice stuff, and tone focus. Also have a look at the Presto from the 1st sonata. I've started tabbing it out and can finish and upload if anyone's interested. Another great work piece I've found is Telemann's Fantasie 1 for violin. The allegro has really cool sounding double stops and harmonies, and fast arpeggio stuff and because it's in G minor you're forced to play in a closed position which is really good for your left hand. If you want to play some celtic stuff and really work your left hand, the Mathematician and The Bonnie Lass O' Bon Accord are surefire ones.
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Dec 5, 2017 11:26
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If I wanted an f-style mandolin for the looks, is there a commonly recommended model? I’m not sure about price ranges, but I think I’m willing to spend around $700ish.
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Dec 5, 2017 18:01
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Know Such Peace posted:If I wanted an f-style mandolin for the looks, is there a commonly recommended model? I’m not sure about price ranges, but I think I’m willing to spend around $700ish. I'm thinking about jumping for the 615 but the 315 might be just slightly above your price range and an excellent value mandolin. http://www.theacousticmusicco.co.uk/index.php/mandolin-luithers/eastman-mandolins-.html I don't like A styles and it's not because of the look. I find the Fs have a more cutting tone and greater fluidity.
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Dec 5, 2017 18:55
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Coohoolin posted:I'm thinking about jumping for the 615 but the 315 might be just slightly above your price range and an excellent value mandolin. Agreed the Eastman is a good entry point. There are probably good deals on used ones on the Cafe. There are also some Kentucky models probably worth a look. Disagreed on whether the Fs sound different than As with everything else the same, but lots of folks agree with you so we'll leave it at that 
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Dec 6, 2017 03:35
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Bilirubin posted:Agreed the Eastman is a good entry point. There are probably good deals on used ones on the Cafe. There are also some Kentucky models probably worth a look. I mean hey it might just be my imagination, I just feel much better playing Fs. Then again I've also put .10 strings on mine and lowered the action as much as possible so I might just have a very specific playing preference.
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Dec 6, 2017 12:19
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Couple of weird moments on the instrumental breaks but otherwise a lot of fun. https://soundcloud.com/user-47088428-313963836/coal-creek
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Dec 8, 2017 19:45
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Happy to report that after my most recent video exchange I have slightly altered how I attack the strings and am amazingly now playing faster and cleaner than ever. Really strongly encourage lessons--even remotely done can be a big help!
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Jan 10, 2018 04:59
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Bilirubin posted:Happy to report that after my most recent video exchange I have slightly altered how I attack the strings and am amazingly now playing faster and cleaner than ever. Really strongly encourage lessons--even remotely done can be a big help! Would you be able to demonstrate this technique improvement? I recently increased my string gauge to improve finger strength and it's a pain having to relearn everything at speed again.
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Jan 10, 2018 19:23
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I could do; will give it a try verbally first. So, everything I had read and all my instructions said do not plant or otherwise hanchor your hand, and when you play use a loose wrist. I have been using a fingerrest as a rough guide, sweeping my hand along it to float my hand and play up in the "sweet spot". When reviewing my last video Mike said it looked a bit off, and he suggested lightly setting my wrist so the fleshy part of my thumb/wrist is on or just behind the bridge. He also suggested coming down on the strings some--my arm was coming to the strings around the tail piece, he suggested moving it up around 10 o'clock (assuming the tail piece is at 9) or so, which lifts the neck at a greater angle. He also though my pick was a bit back towards my palm when it should be around the fingernail. This does a few things for me. One, my wrist is now free of tension and can rotate freely, so I am driving the pick through the strings, so I am drawing more tone for less effort. Second, my pick is coming through the strings at a slight angle, which also improves tone but also passes the pick more lightly through as the flat surface isn't catching. I can now play at 200 BPM cleanly, with even tone (same volume down and up strokes) totally relaxed and am thinking I could drive it up to around 220 without breaking up. Also, the old adage "hold the pick lightly" finally makes sense--its essential at speed. It's like I finally broke through an invisible ceiling in my playing.
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Jan 12, 2018 04:39
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That's ace, I'll have a look at my right hand and see if there's anything fixable there. I used to be a guitarist in a metal band when I was younger so I might have some deep seated instincts to relearn. Recently gone up a gauge in strings and it's a little bit frustrating having to bring everything back up to speed, but it's coming along well enough. Bach's partita 2 and sonata 1 are great practice stuff, so just winging along there. Also has anyone ever gotten anything out of the Magnus Zetterlund lessons on youtube? He seems like he knows what he's talking about but it's really slow videos.
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Jan 12, 2018 17:24
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https://youtu.be/0SYYRrrwLIY Would be happy for any constructive criticism of my soloing! Please excuse the unflattering belly angle, I drink too much ale.
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Jan 24, 2018 23:18
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[quote="“Coohoolin”" post="“480628812”"] https://youtu.be/0SYYRrrwLIY Would be happy for any constructive criticism of my soloing! Please excuse the unflattering belly angle, I drink too much ale. [/quote] Two things that come to mind: - throw some doublestops in your solos for variety; I’m hearing a lot of fast runs that are real good, but each break sounds stylistically.. similar. One break with lots of single notes, one break with tremolo/doublestops is fun to change things up. - dynamics! the whole song is full blast all the time. This is of course fine, but dropping to like 75% for the last verse and then back up for the chorus would add some nuance. Keep posting! I love kitchen pickin videos.
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Jan 27, 2018 06:14
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Just discovered David Benedict's channel on YouTube. Great arrangements and he's happy to share tabs with anyone who bothers to email him. Check him out!
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Jan 31, 2018 00:50
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Been digging some Brazilian choro mandolin music. Was listening to Hamilton de Holanda earlier and then I stumbled upon this on youtube, and loving hell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdBwOOwcwTU
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Feb 12, 2018 17:07
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Coohoolin posted:Been digging some Brazilian choro mandolin music. Was listening to Hamilton de Holanda earlier and then I stumbled upon this on youtube, and loving hell. I'm eleven minutes in and just  ing so hard. This is so so so good!!So glad to find this thread! I just picked up mandolin back in October, inspired primarily by the awesome roots and/or mando music I'd hear on these two fantastic Western Australian radio shows I discovered not long before (Rockin' The Roots and Plucked Strings on RTRFM, based in Perth, AUS--I'm such a fan, they are so good, check them out!!) and I've been learning as I go, primarily by playing in nearby open Irish trad sessions, with the occasional bluegrass session in there too. While I grew up with music (primarily voice, though I also play traditional Korean percussion and bits of other things here and there), this is my first string instrument (since my four years of viola in elementary/middle school, anyway) but thanks to my giant ladynerdboner for music theory and a good ear I'm able to keep up/catch on pretty quickly, though I'm still definitely thinking faster than my fingers can move! I'm still getting a handle on playing basic chords with precision and speed, and just starting to try my hand at some of the easier melodies. What is primarily tripping me up right now is figuring out what the "right" fingering position and/or picking directions are for particular melodies. One tip I got is that you're generally picking down on the downbeats, which makes sense and all, but there's only so much mileage I can get out of that, especially for pieces in triple meter. Similarly, how do you know when you "should" be playing in 1st position versus further up the neck? And/or how do you "properly" reach the odd note or so that you can't reach from the position you're hand is currently in--do you slide your whole hand up the neck and back really quickly? I suppose the simpler question is: Do any of you know of any good online tutorials for picking (and picking direction, specifically) and/or fingering positions, and how to determine the most "appropriate" way to handle either or both on the fly/when playing new pieces/improvising/just jamming? Oh, and chop chords! I have to break out of my two-finger-chords-for-everything safety net sooner rather than later. Anyone have particular favorite resources for fingering for those as well?
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Feb 15, 2018 02:25
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blinkeve1826 posted:I'm eleven minutes in and just Practice alternate picking chromatic exercises for EVER and eventually up and down won't matter. EDIT: As for chop chords I never actually looked them up but if you start from double stops you can figure out instinctively where the other two fingers should go. Can't be more helpful, sorry.
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Feb 15, 2018 02:57
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Coohoolin posted:Practice alternate picking chromatic exercises for EVER and eventually up and down won't matter. Those are good places to start in any case, thanks!
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Feb 15, 2018 03:29
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blinkeve1826 posted:Those are good places to start in any case, thanks! Actually that was last night and I'd had a bit to drink, I CAN be more helpful! I don't know what level you're at exactly so apologies if some of this sounds patronising and obvious. I count strings from G to E so if I say 1st string I mean the G, not the E. So I play a few different shapes of chop chords depending on where my tonic note is. So for example of you take A, most books and online chord charts will give you this: 5 4 2 2 That's great- you've got an A major double stop with the A and C# on the fourth and third string, and a perfect fifth between the low A and E on the bottom two strings. So your root note is both the 2nd fret on the 1st string and the 5th fret on the 4th string, for A major. Move that up and down the neck as long as its comfortable for root notes on the G string. Play that shape two frets up and it's B, three frets up and it's C, etc. Move the note on the 3rd string (C# if we're playing A) down one fret and it's a minor chord. Easy as: 5 3 2 2 That's one shape. The other main one I like to use is this, starting with G as an example: 3 2 5 7 There's a bit of a stretch with your pinky but I find this quite comfortable. It's a bit more melodic than the previous shape because you're not resting on a low fifth interval, even though you've got the same major double stop (btw, notice how major double stops are always tonic note+one string and one fret down; minor double stops are one string and two frets down). Your root notes are on the 4th and 2nd string. Play this two frets up for A major and compare the sound to the previous shape we used for A. 5 4 7 9 So that second chop chord has our root note on the second string, the first one has the root note on the first. For minor chords, there's two things we can do. One option is to stretch even further and turn the high double stop into a minor one by pulling the note on the 3rd string back one fret. That would give us a Gm chord of: 3 1 5 7 Bit awkward to play. An easier way might be to find the root note on the 2nd string, in this case the 5th fret, and build up a minor shape based on the first one we looked at (mute or don't play the first string: 6 5 5 X Those same shapes can be used for some chords with roots on the first string, like C, where we have all the options: Cmajor 1st form: 8 7 5 5 Cminor 1st form: 8/X 6 5 5 Cmajor 2nd form: X 3 2 5 Cminor 2nd form: X 3 1 5 You'll notice that almost all of this have a major or minor double stop: C: X 3 2 5 G: 3 2 5 7 A: 5 4 2 2 I'm pointing these out because they're handy reference points for slipping in 7th chords on the fly. Find your double stop, and add a note below it on the same fret as the root note: C7/m7: X 3 2/1 3 G7/m7: 3 2/1 3 X A7/m7: 5 3 5 X Ok. That's the main ones. There's a couple of extra ones that I don't mentally classify in the same group: F: X 3 3 2 D: X/2 5 4 2 Dminor: X 5 3 2 D7/m7: X 5 4/3 5 E: X 7 6 4 Eminor: X 7 5 4 E7/m7: X 7 6/5 7 Fminor, F7 and Fm7 are the same as the E ones, just one fret higher. If you're playing a tune in F use the low chord on the 2nd and 3rd frets, as the switch from there to Bb is an easy one. OK! Picking and hand position. It's mostly up to you. If you're more comfortable with sliding your whole hand up for changes or just a finger, entirely subjective. Position shifts will come naturally- you'll find for most bluegrass and celtic stuff you won't really need to move up much, but if you can read music check out some easy Calace pieces for pretty instinctive shifts (maybe try the Rondo:) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yry4JKBDM3s As for position shifting, if you're comfortable enough playing in closed positions it won't really matter, and a big boost to playing is when you can fluidly use open strings to transition from different positions. Carlo Aonzo has recommended scale practice for position training: http://www.mandozine.com/techniques/scales/aonzo_family_scales.html Basically it's just down to practice and playing a lot of different stuff. I've been forcing my way through very tricky Bach sonatas and it's doing wonders for me- at the beginning everything is slow and I have to stop and work out every single passage and which position to play it in, but the more you do it the more instinctive it becomes. Just keep playing as much as you can. If you want some fun tune resources I'd recommend Carlo Aonzo's book of Ticino and North Italian folk music and Simon Mayor's Celtic Mandolin and Mastering the Mandolin books. They all come in standard notation as well as tab. The Aonzo book in particular is loads of fun. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Northern-Italian-Ticino-Region-Mandolin/dp/078668741X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518695978&sr=8-2&keywords=carlo+aonzo https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simon-Mayo...+mayor+mandolin https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Celtic...+mayor+mandolin
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Feb 15, 2018 13:00
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Coohoolin posted:Been digging some Brazilian choro mandolin music. Was listening to Hamilton de Holanda earlier and then I stumbled upon this on youtube, and loving hell.  Edit: also your post on chords was helpful. Planet X fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Feb 17, 2018 |
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Feb 16, 2018 14:56
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blinkeve1826 posted:I suppose the simpler question is: Do any of you know of any good online tutorials for picking (and picking direction, specifically) and/or fingering positions, and how to determine the most "appropriate" way to handle either or both on the fly/when playing new pieces/improvising/just jamming? Early on its best to do lessons to avoid bad habits. Pick direction however: scale exercises with a metronome. Down on the downbeats; up on the upbeats. I usually play 8th notes to 2/4 timing so its D-U-D-U-D-U-D-U-D-U-D-U-D-U-D-U per two clicks. Start slow, and practice! quote:Oh, and chop chords! I have to break out of my two-finger-chords-for-everything safety net sooner rather than later. Anyone have particular favorite resources for fingering for those as well? https://www.elderly.com/niles-hokkanen-s-guide-to-mandolin-chords-and-how-to-use-them.htm And just practice alternating between the 1-3-5 chops; eventually that stretch doesn't seem so bad.
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Mar 9, 2018 08:52
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Sharing a tidy piece of info- was mandolin shopping online the other day and came across Big Muddy who are offering a "primitive" option on all their models, which is basically a mandolin sans finishing, sanding, lacquer, hickory neck, etc for 200 dollars less than the listed price. I'm gonna get myself their celtic model, which will cost me 365 instead of 565 and that's just dandy. My gf is an artist and she's looking forward to doing the finishing for me.
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Mar 12, 2018 23:19
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New demo recording from my folk punk band, we had some fun with it. Stripped down cover of Streams of Whiskey. https://soundcloud.com/cominupthrees/streams-of-whiskey Coohoolin fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Mar 20, 2018 |
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Mar 19, 2018 21:43
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Coohoolin posted:Been digging some Brazilian choro mandolin music. Was listening to Hamilton de Holanda earlier and then I stumbled upon this on youtube, and loving hell. I'm a big fan of choro, and play quite a few brazilian instruments. I made a few of my own music-minus-one recordings if you want to play mandolin over them. http://chorosemvoce.com/
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Apr 1, 2018 12:39
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Slimchandi posted:I'm a big fan of choro, and play quite a few brazilian instruments. I made a few of my own music-minus-one recordings if you want to play mandolin over them. Sweet, I'll give it a listen tomorrow (travelling all day today, Aberdeen to Milan 12:00 to 00:00, ouch). In the meantime here's our latest recording and my favourite one so far. https://soundcloud.com/cominupthrees/tom-paines-bones
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Apr 1, 2018 14:34
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Another player here, just wanting to say thanks for putting the thread together and I look forward to being to contribute more eventually. I got my first Mandolin maybe 8 months ago, I found a deal for a used MD505 locally for about as much as a new 305 would cost. I also play Irish tenor banjo and wanted to give the mando a shot. I really love playing it, but I've found that playing melodies alongside other Irish instruments it tends to get drowned out. I have been really impressed with the Eastman so far. I went to look at a Kentucky 150 that was up for sale locally, and while it was a serviceable instrument and played well, I enjoyed the Eastman so much more, I think mainly because of the radiused fretboard. I'd say if you're considering a first mando and your budget allows for an Eastman (or a nicer Kentucky perhaps) over the 150 it may well be worth it. Try to play both at least if you can. I want to get started exploring it as a rhythm instrument and start learning the chords, but I haven't gotten around to buying that chord book yet. It is on the list, along with, well, all the other music you can play on this wonderful little instrument.
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May 18, 2018 02:03
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I bought a 615 from an American shop at the start of the month and it's been stuck in customs since the 4th, bloody parcelforce haven't even invoiced me for the VAT yet the bastards. I'm so excited.
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May 19, 2018 15:53
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It's here! https://streamable.com/9mxvf
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May 27, 2018 12:54
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Very cool tune Coohoolin - I really enjoyed listening to your playing.
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May 28, 2018 07:58
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