http://test.mikedodge.com/mvdmusic/MikeD/SongForJohnFinalMix.mp3
And yes, Before recording this I hadn't pulled it out for a year or so, maybe it was two years.
Here's a little tutorial I did for guitarist picking up the instrument...
-------------------------------------------
I can help you here. I picked one up a couple of weeks ago. I was scheduled to teach a guitar and mandolin class. One of the guys fronted me a mandolin. Within 45 minutes I had it down fairly good, and it's kind of become my new drug.
As far as chords, it's just like any string, well picked, instrument. Strumming definitely has it's place as it does with guitar. And, a very common technique is that along with a bass guitar, the bass and the mandolin kind of setup a Kik and Snare thing, with the Bass guitar on beats 1 and 3, and the mandolin where the snare should be on beats two and four. So, with a blusgrass/folk group where drummers aren't always common, the the bass and mandolin make up the drum and rythm section.
The chords they use for this are are commonly refered to as Chop Chords. For the traditional style the would be G, C, and D.
- Code: Select all
G or G C or C D or D
High E--------3-----3--------0----X---------2----X-----
A--------2-----2--------3----3---------5----5-----
D--------5-----5--------2----2---------4----4-----
Low G--------7-----X--------5----5---------7----7-----
The idea of things on the guitar being movable also applies to the mandolin. If you look at the C and D chords above, the fingering are the same between the chords but they are whole-step, or two frets, away from each other. Just like on the guitar between these two chords barre chord fingerings.
Another comparison to look at is: the guitar is tuned in 4th and the mandolin is tuned in 5th's. Not much of a comparison unless you look at the fact that if you move notes up in pitch using 5th...if you move down the sames notes you are moving down in 4th's. Ok, so if you look at the open string names in the tab above you can see that the mandolin's strings are the same as the first four (low) strings on the guitar, except flipped upside down.
IOW, look at these E chords:
- Code: Select all
E chord on the guitar
E-----0-----
B-----0-----
G-----1-----
D-----2-----
A-----2-----
E-----0-----
E chord on the Mandolin
E-----0----
A-----2----
D-----2----
G-----1----
You should be able to see that they are basicly the same pattern, except flipped upside down, using the corresponding strings.
Now any of the chords you learn on the mandolin can also be turned into to movable/barre chords also, just like on the guitar, or any stringed instrument for that fact, except maybe harp. But, the difference between moving chords on mandolin compared to the guitar is you can't always, comfortably, move that chord past the 5th or 7th fret. The fingers just get too crowded sometimes. So, learn a few movable chords and you can play any chord with a few movable patterns/chords.
For bluegrass music I think the scales fall into place quite a bit better and the fingering is easier than on
the guitar. Take a look at these three scales:
- Code: Select all
G Pentatonic:
E------------------------------0--3--5---
A---------------------0--2--5------------
D------------0--2--5---------------------
G---0--2--4------------------------------
C Pentatonic:
E------------------------------0--3--5---
A---------------------0--3--5------------
D------------0--2--5---------------------
G---0--2--5------------------------------
D Pentatonic:
E------------------------------0--2--5---
A---------------------0--2--5------------
D------------0--2--4---------------------
G---0--2--4------------------------------
In a I-IV-V bluegrass, or blues, progression in G (G,C, and D) change to the appropriate Pentatonic Scale for the chord you're play. IOW, Play a G chord = Play a G Pentatonic. Play a C chord = Play a C Pentatonic. Play a D chord = Play a D Pentatonic.
You will find that even if you just play the scales up and down, and change them with how the chords would be moving, you can hear the chord changes move by just playing nothing but these scale. Magic!
Now take what you know theory/scale wise and you can fill in the gaps on these Pentatonic scales and come up with full Major Scale patterns if you wish. But those Pentatonics alone SOUND like the mandolin.
Now instead of just playing them up and down, mix them up a bit, or throw in more feeling, and you sound like you've been playing the thing for years. Not to say that mandolin players have it easy or anything, just like any instrument, most are easy to LEARN but very hard to MASTER.
Post back any other questions, I'd be happy to try and help. It's a wonderful "little" instrument.
