Mandolin technique

jdogric12 · Post by **jdogric12** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 4:42 am

So who here plays mandolin? I'd like to hear your thoughts on the technique and about any difficulty switching from guitar to mandolin and vice versa.

jeff_ulmer · Post by **jeff_ulmer** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 5:17 am

"Play" isn't what I'd call what I do with a mandolin (or octave mando), although I'm trying to learn my way around it (slowly). I find it not that different than playing a 360/12, trying to cram my fingers in there and hold those strings down, especially when barring. My technique is nontraditional due to lack of training, so I approach it from my own angle.

firstbassman · Post by **firstbassman** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:37 am

I once tried my hand at mandolin. Boy, you think 360/12 necks are slim, try a mandolin. I didn't last two minutes on it. Strings were just way too close together.

Someday I'd like to try out a mandola.

karl_teten · Post by **karl_teten** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:48 am

Think of mandolin as an upside down bass or if you removed your high E and B strings and then played upside down.

Of course the string pitch is reversed.

A mandolin is a fretted violin.

winston · Post by **winston** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:57 am

Here's a great site for beginners.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/tuning.html

wmthor · Post by **wmthor** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:17 pm

Has anyone else tried playing the mandolin parts with their 12 string?

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:36 pm

J, I kind of use it like a guitar. I learned as many chords as I could, and kind of just used it for accompaniment/textural purposes. Sometimes you just need something brighter and janglier than a Rick 12er!

I don't use much of the traditional "tremolo picking", Italian-folk music style of playing. Just kind of mess around on the thing, but to good affect.

You have REALLY got me wanting a 5002. I'm really considering taking the plunge...

jdogric12 · Post by **jdogric12** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 2:09 pm

John, plunge??? Well, DUNK!!! I put money down on an AFG 5002 today. So we'll see how bad I can make this thing sound! It can't be worse than my banjo skillz. Or lack thereof.

Richard - I have often tried to play a RIC 12 like a mandolin, but the action is too low and I end up resting my right hand (your left!) on the bass strings between the pickups and scraping the pick against the fretboard.

jdogric12 · Post by **jdogric12** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 2:11 pm

"A mandolin is a fretted violin."

So, Karl, is a violin a fretless mandolin? ha!

hieronymous · Post by **hieronymous** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:58 am

I started playing mandolin about four years ago (been playing bass for around 25). I really like it. The big revelation for me was tuning in 5ths. Having played guitar and bass for so long, to suddenly play an instrument in a different tuning just opened up whole new worlds melodically. In fact, I've retuned one of my basses to an octave below cello tuning: CGDA.

Of course, the string spacing is narrower, and those teensy little strings dig into your fingers at first if you're a bassist, but with such a small scale length you can really get around on single-note lines.

Oh, and if any of you folks that are getting a 5002 decide that you don't like it, let me know! I would love one of those - right now I've got a weird custom built 4-string and an Epiphone 8-string.