livethe question wrote:It is in some ways like playing whistles in different keys. I'm also working on chord formations and how to move those around the fretboard to get to different keys. But mostly I'm playing the songs as I play them on the mandolin and enjoy the sound a fifth lower. As I play with others more, I'm going to have to transpose but I'm already finding the "trying" to be good for understanding the mandolin and the mandola.
Thanks. That's what I figured.
My main concern is been playing tunes with others--even though I don't have any others to play ITM with at the moment.
When I get my mandolin, maybe I'll try playing a bunch of tunes a fifth off, just to see what it's like. In Bluegrass jams we normally only play a few Irish tunes, anyhow.
Mike Wright
"When an idea is wanting, a word can always be found to take its place."
--Goethe
Tell us something.: I've picked up the tinwhistle again after several years, and have recently purchased a Chieftain v5 from Kerry Whistles that I cannot wait to get (why can't we beam stuff yet, come on Captain Kirk, get me my Low D!)
I have a Rose and a cheaper Ibanez mando that I truck around with me everywhere so I don't have to worry about mucking up my good one. I picked up the mando in late 2003, but it was pretty simple to get used to because I used to be a fiddler (not on the roof, though. I hate hights!) when I was young.
“First lesson: money is not wealth; Second lesson: experiences are more valuable than possessions; Third lesson: by the time you arrive at your goal it’s never what you imagined it would be so learn to enjoy the process” - unknown
I bought a mid-missouri mandolin a year or so ago and piddle about with it but haven't really become proficient. All that's needed it time and that has been sorely lacking.
Right now I'm waiting on an
octave mandolin from Davy Stuart, he was putting the body together last time I spoke to him so it's getting close!
Eddie
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx
I'm a mandolin picker too. I've played the mandolin more than anything (nine years), I love it. I have a Washburn A and a Goldtone F, I don't count the broken Samick because it just hangs on the wall. I'd LOVE to have a mandola or/and a bouzouki but I don't have the money now. These days I play mostly bluegrass on the mandolin but I love to play Irish tunes too, though I don't play as much Irish on the mandolin as I used to.
Mandolin was my main instrument from the time I was 13 or 14, but in the past few years, I've shifted a bit toward harmonica, I think. I still play mandolin, but I don't consider myself good at it. I do consider the mandolin one of the finest instruments, period.
Walden wrote:Mandolin was my main instrument from the time I was 13 or 14, but in the past few years, I've shifted a bit toward harmonica, I think. I still play mandolin, but I don't consider myself good at it. I do consider the mandolin one of the finest instruments, period.
I don't consider myself "good" at any of of the instruments I mess with (even the ones I've been playing for 30 years), but I love them all, and I have great fun. And I do TRY to get good...
And whether the blood be highland, lowland or no.
And whether the skin be black or white as the snow.
Of kith and of kin we are one, be it right, be it wrong.
As long as our hearts beat true to the lilt of a song.
Count me in. Though I'm not very handy with it, I have my grandmother's mandolin from the days when she was in a local mandolin ensemble. (Judging by some old photos, there were mando orchestra players on both sides of the family, back when it was a fad.) If you haven't heard the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble's "All the Rage," check it out!
Tell us something.: I've been with Chiff and Fipple since shortly after I bought my first low D. I've learned loads from this community, and I intend to continue to learn and contribute. Many thanks to Dale and everyone who makes this site happen.
Tell us something.: I've picked up the tinwhistle again after several years, and have recently purchased a Chieftain v5 from Kerry Whistles that I cannot wait to get (why can't we beam stuff yet, come on Captain Kirk, get me my Low D!)
ennistraveler wrote:.... I don't count the broken Samick because it just hangs on the wall...
That's probably the best place for a Samick anyways...
“First lesson: money is not wealth; Second lesson: experiences are more valuable than possessions; Third lesson: by the time you arrive at your goal it’s never what you imagined it would be so learn to enjoy the process” - unknown
I play a Fylde mandolin. It's a beautiful instrument specifically designed for delicacy—great for folk but not much use for bluegrass.
I also play bouzouki of the Irish sort, i.e., essentially an octave mandolin. I have a Trinity accoustic and a McDonald electric wired like a Stratocaster. I'd love to get a high quality accoustic but I can't see the funds freeing up any time soon.
Tyler Morris wrote:
That's probably the best place for a Samick anyways...
Yeah, I agree! Having a Samick is much better than being mandolin-less though.
Don't knock a Samick. My 8yo son has a secondhand electroacoustic...hasn't damaged it yet, the fingerboard's narrow for his small hands and he loves to beat me at chords! And it keeps him away from electric guitar...
I have two wonderful Davidsons which I play at....
Having a Samick is much better than being mandolin-less though.