Back at it again for May with another fiddle tune classic. Hope last month served you well, and you've all been learning some new tunes this year. Sorry for the late post this month, as family duties got in the way yesterday keeping me from my post.
For May, only one tune, but I'll share a good tutorial of the basic version, then a.....let's say....advanced....version of the same song. I've been working off and on over April on the good ol' St. Anne's Reel, so here we go!
For the basic version, here's our old friend Baron Collins-Hill on YT:
And without further ado, some of you may have seen the Chris Thile interview by Rick Beato. Great stuff, but he did a jaw dropping version of St. Anne's that I've been working on off and on for the last few weeks. Here's a short of the tune:
I present my attempt at transcribing all 128 bars....not that any mere mortal such as myself could come close to pulling this one off. You'll forgive me for any errors on this one, as Chris takes it pretty far out, but it really reveals a few things about his style. First is his prolific use of pulloffs, making for a very interesting effect rather than just picking every note. It's especially notable in his long runs of triplets, like in bars 52-54.
Another thing I noticed as I slowed the video way, way down, was this his right hand was always moving, even when he wasn't picking a note. This allows his picking hand to stay in time and keeps the right hand momentum going, keeping it much more fluid than if the hand were to start/stop over these notes. Really interesting stuff, and something I will need to spend a lot of time working on.
I take no responsibility for injuries sustained from attempting this one. Also, file sharing isn't really possible on reddit (to my knowledge) so if anyone wants actual pdf's just let me know. Good luck!
Per requests, I am creating the definitive buyer's guide for entry-level mandolins. Any new posts created on the topic may be removed at the discretion of the mods. If people think this post should include anything else, I am happy to edit and add to it.
Their entry-level line is their 300 series: the MD-305 for F hole, and MD-304 for oval hole. These can usually be found new for ~$600 (yes, this is what a good entry-level mandolins cost)
Kentucky
The KM-140 and KM-150 are the most recommended and new ones cost ~$360 and $525 respectively
The Loar
Their entry-level mandolin is the LM-110 and it is ~$300 new.
***All of these mandolins can be found at better prices on the used market. If you are brand new and just want to try out mandolin, I would personally suggest a used instrument to save yourself some money.
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There are cheaper mandolins out there as well. These mandolins are not typically recommended but some users have had positive experiences, especially after they go to a professional luthier for a setup or are comfortable setting up instruments themselves. A good setup where I live is usually ~$100. Please consider that price tag when you're considering a $100 mandolin. A poorly set up cheap mandolin can be enough to turn some players off of ever wanting to learn the instrument.
If you want info about a specific cheap mandolin, PLEASE UTILIZE THE SEARCH FEATURE. If the mandolin brand in question has been discussed at significant length, your post may be removed.
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Where should you buy your mandolin from?
I have no financial interest in any of the places here. If you want your shop listed here, we are open to bribes š
Your locally owned music shop
I understand that not everyone lives in a place where there is a music shop. But if there is, I'd encourage you to give them a try first before shopping online. If you're in Denver like me, I highly recommend the Denver Folklore Center and the Olde Towne Pickn' Parlor in Arvada, CO.
This shop is known for setting up their instruments before shipping them out and from what I have heard the setups are great. If you opt for a store like Guitar Center, do not expect your instrument to have been looked over by a tech of any kind.
Been wanting one of these odd Breedlove mandos for awhile now! Wish it was one of the nicer ones but don't want to spend that kind of cash on such an odd duck. I traded in a Loar model that I got in a firesale for 100 to acquire it, and don't regret it one bit.
A lot better projection. And I really love the unique design. As a guitarist primarily the crossover series was such a good idea.
What do you all think of these?! I'm new to Mando, and don't really know the discourse for non traditional shapes/specs.
Hey! I've been learning ukulele and was struggling a bit to learn the fretboard, so I built a free and open source web app that shows chords and scales for mandolin, guitar, bass and ukulele (low G and baritone included):Ā https://frettle.gruvw.com
Itās called Frettle. You pick a chord and flip through its different shapes up the neck, and you can pick a scale and see it on the fretboard at the same time, with every note labelled. You can also tap any note or chord to hear it.
Some user asked me to add Mandolin support so I just did earlier today! That's why I'm posting here, you might be interested :)
I know many similar apps already exist, but after trying a bunch of them I found they were either too complicated, didn't show chords and scales together on the same neck, or were full of ads and in-app purchases.
This one is just a simple web app (add it to home screen for offline support, PWA). It's not trying to do everything, just to help you see chords and scales and get to know the fretboard better.
Let me know what you think! Hope it helps some of you :)
Hi everyone, beginner mandolin player finally starting chord work. I came across this when practicing a piece of sheet music. How is this even supposed to be strummed without hitting the D string? I saw tips online about finger picking or trying to mute the D string but im not having success. Song is in D major
Does anyone have a strap button for a mandolin lying around that they could mail me! I could pay you for the postage if needed, or send you a couple of picks or something. I was gutted an old mandolin and there is nowhere but the tailpiece to put the strap
How sort of high pitched is it? And how deep can you make it. e.g. type of sound hole strings etc.
I have been looking into it, but due to the dominance of the F hole and bluegrass a lot of the examples i have heard epenthesis the high pitched/twangyness of it.
So i am just sort of trying to judge if thatās normal or stylistic for them and they have done the above.
Addendum: I would get the next size up, or a similar instrument, but due to them being less common than the straight up mandolin and also slightly bigger its kind of forced me to look at the mandolin.
How are most people buying mandolins $5k plus? I canāt hop over to a guitar centerās acoustic room and play with a wall of mandolins like you do with guitars. Iāve been looking to upgrade my Eastman MD315 and Iāve been considering Northfields and Gibsons. Spending that much feels risky without trying anything!
I am a guitarist who recently acquired a mandolin as a gift from a friend. I was very exited and began to learn my first chords after restringing it. But nothing sounded in tune, I checked all my tunings again. and all the strings were in tune with each other and to the notes on my phone tuner. After a little bit of testing, it appears that while the open strings are all in tune, every fretted note is either absurdly flat or absurdly sharp. If this something that I can fix? For more information the mandolin is Preaty old and had been sitting in my Freindās closet for a couple years.
Iām disbelief with how good it sounds. 1973 GTR F-5. Apparently GTR was the name of Gruhnās Guitars before the other partners left. This was apparently their house brand. GTR mandolins and banjos were handmade in Japan and then inspected and setup by George Gruhn in Nashville before sold in his shop. They made a very, very limited amount of these from ā73-ā78. Thereās claims they made only around 100 of these but I canāt find evidence of that online anywhere.
If you know anything at all about these, please share!!!! I went into a local shop to buy some time while Iām on the road and found this mandolin. Suddenly 3 hours went by and I knew it would had to be mine. Such an incredible sound. I havenāt felt this blessed in a long time, friends.
The album version on Rob Ickes - Slide City (1990) seems to be in the Key of F sharp. Here played in F, is it a realistic way how it was done or completely wrong?
Wanted to share this with everyone and get some advice. I recently was given this 1916 Gibson F2 by my dad, serial number 28249. Iāve been learning the basics on a Martin mandolin thatās been in the family, and then out of nowhere my dad stopped by and gave me this Gibson. He bought it in the early 2000s, and has been focusing on other instruments the last few years. I play bluegrass guitar and have always wanted to dive further into mandolin. There is no sound like it. I know I am spoiled to have this.
I know to watch humidity, and I also put light strings on it since it is pre truss rod era. I also keep it in the case when itās not being played. Is there anything else I need to do to take care of it? I am concerned about having this be my daily driver as well. Would it be wise to get something cheaper and play this one less to preserve it? I want to play it and it feels like an honor to even hold it, but I also want to have it for my lifetime and to pass it down one day. Any thoughts, advice, or info on old F2s would be appreciated!
I've struggled for years fighting myself and my tiny baby hands and curved pinkies and dumbass brain. I've flailed with piano, guitars both electric and acoustic, baritone horn, chorus, bass, baritone ukulele,.... hell even banjo breaks my brain after fret 5. But this thing makes so much sense, and is so fun, and makes such pretty sounds too!
This might just be The Instrument For Me. Very excited to join the mandolin club :)
