finger play

[arbarnhart]

I play a lot with my fingers at night to learn things and practice quietly. So much that I am really not that good with the pick. I have started to work on it some, but I have also been toying with learning to finger pick louder, doing some claw hammer style and some flamenco (sp?) like strumming. It makes me wonder why I really want to use a pick. I want to learn to do blues finger style anyway. Any pure finger pickers out there? Any pointers? Things I am not considering?

[meskalito]

I've tried Old Time Picking (aka Travis Picking). It works pretty well, but is definitely harder than on a guitar. With only 4 strings, I found it hard to get an adequately full sound.

I also used some 2-finger rolls ala Doc's Guitar (think G-string, A-string, D-string, E-string patterns). They sounded good.

I've heard some players adapt Celtic material to fingerstyle mandolin with some very positive results. They were using 3 and 4 fingers.

Experiment with thumbpicks and fingerpicks. Plastic fingerpicks have a warmer sound than metal.

Good luck.

[glauber]

The main problem to me is that there isn't enough space between the strings for your fingers to dig in properly.

[357mag]

I play alot without a pick. Thought I was the only one. I actually find it easier. But I cant get any real volume so I gotta keep working with the pick I guess. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Ray Neuman]

I dont know what its called, but I use both the pick and the 3ed and 4th finger for some classical stuff. I do get some pretty strange looks when I play "What child is this" on the mandolin classicaly. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif But I adopted that style from guitar.

Anyway, who DOES make the rules about playing? lol

the rather non traditional professir

(Dont tell anyone, but I play some mean blues on the banjo this way as well) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[berkeleymando]

Late at night ...to keep the volume down.

[arbarnhart]

Volume is an issue, but only for licks/lead/melody. I can strum rhythm about as loud or possibly louder. That's because you can "hit it with everything you got", hitting all 4 courses with all 4 fingers. Gives the chords a different sound. I have also found I can "chop" (or at least acheieve a very similar effect) open chords.

[357mag]

Well I use my thumb. I kinda plunk classical guitar a little bit so I keep my nails fairly long and trimmed just for that. My thumbnail acts as sort of a pick and so far it works pretty well. Although if I ever tried to sit in on a jam Id prolly be the laughing stock. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

I gotta go find a pick now.

[John Craton]

Sometimes for effect I will strike a large 4-note chord with the back of the fingernails of the right hand. Don't know if that's considered kosher, but it works for me.

[Baron Collins-Hill]

i do some finger pickin once in a while, mostly chords and doing crospicking patterns on them

Baron

frank wakefeild plays harmonies to his own leads and bass lines by picking with his pinky and a pick at the same time... very cool.

[arbarnhart]

Sometimes for effect I will strike a large 4-note chord with the back of the fingernails of the right hand.
That is one technique I have been playing with. Adjusting the angle of the hand results in different timings (all htting at the same time or in a sequence) that change the sound quite a bit also. Strumming with the whole hand and hitting with nails and then heel of the hand on an open chords produces the moral equivalent of a chop, but I think it has a fuller sound.

[bluesmandolinman]

Ry Cooder does and it sounds great !

[sbarnes]

i sometimes play w/o a pick.....hold my right hand as if there's a pick there but use the nail of my index finger as a pick....i have much more control this way....
still working w/the pick though...
can't get enough volume w/the fingernail ......

[mandocrucian]

I use pick + finger(s) consistantly. It allows you to take things to a different level in your playing.

But use the RH fingers is a variety of methods, not just one, such as up-plucking as in Piedmont blues fingerpicking or banjo rolls. Any finger (or two fingers as a unit) can be used in lieu of the pick with down-up strokes, which is what the sitar players do, albiet with a type of wire pick (mizrab). #Or you can alternate between a couple of fingers (up-plucks) on single lines, or alternate btween thumb and finger (Don Reno, Wayne Henderson).

Then there are artificial harmonics, including "tap harmonics", and RH hammer-on/pull fretting (Eddie Van Halen) aka two-handed tapping.

Chances are, when someone playing mandolin does go beyond the flatpick (only), they've got chops on electric guitar (Ry Cooder, Richard Thompson) or banjo (John McKuen) where it's not considered an abberation, and they are just transferring their guitar or banjo technique onto a new neck.

As far as the volume considerations go.... what is the context in which you are thinking about using it? #I mean, if you are in a flat-out, loud trad. BG situation, you may have to eliminate most of the hammer-on/pull-off slurring technique because it gets obscured and swallowed up in the overall barrage of sound, so the same is likely to occur with fingerpicked notes. But once you are out of that particular situation, it's not an issue.

Also, how valid is a "can't get enough volume" opinion if it is based on a mere 15 minute trial? #Did anyone get control of the flatpick in a half hour? But I'll encounter folks who seem to expect immediate gratification and results in regards to adding RH fingers, and then decide that it doesn't work.

Niles Hokkanen


<span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>Mandocrucians' Digest Back Issues: (http://www.btinternet.com/~john.baldry/mando/hokkanen.html)#25 - Introduction To Playing With Pick & Fingers, Additional thoughts on Mando Backup ("Swinging On A Gate"), Mandos From Finland w/Arto Järvelä ("Seijarin Polska", scored for 2 mandolins and octave mandolin), The Jamming Player's Repertoire Appendix Part 2 (English Country Dance, Czech, Irish, Scottish, Finnish, New England contra-dance, Old-Time, Dixieland, Swing/jazz), Solo Mandolin w/Zenkl (single line melody solo - "Happygrass"), A Look at Playing Greek Music, "George IV" strathspey, 1993 Listening Survey, record reviews.</span>

[arbarnhart]

Niles,

I really hope you will be doing the rhythm camp in VA next spring; I have my sights set on it.

I do play in some BG jams, but largely because that is the local social scene for a beginning player to rub elbows with his betters. I do enjoy it, but I would rather be playing blues or Celtic. I play blues with a couple of guitarists and there is usually some electricity involved or else it is just me and one guitar doing acoustic. In those situations, the volume isn't a problem. And I am getting better at producing volume without a pick, though not as loud as I can with a pick. Trying to play loud without one has had a side effect of teaching me to play much louder with one also.

Jake and his uke (being discussed on another thread) certainly inspire som pick less thinking also.

[garyblanchard]

I hate the sound of picks on instruments when I'm playing, so I don't like to use a pick for chording the mandolin or any of the other instruments I play. I do like the Dawg picks if I'm playing lead.

[mandocrucian]

I'll be doing the Rhythm Mando workshop this fall at a different 4-H center.

Aug 5-7, 2005 (Fri-Sun)
"BLUES & BLUEGRASS" MANDOLIN (Intermediate level)
Round Hill Arts Center, Round Hill, VA
http://www.roundhillarts.org/
rndhill@aol.com

October 23-26, 2005 (Sun-Wed)
Rhythm Mandolin Boot Camp (http://www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/holiday/mandolinbuilding.html)
Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center, Appomattox, VA
Nate Mahanes at 434-248-5444 or nmahanes@vt.edu

(Don Kawalak will also be teaching mando building courses at the same time
period at both centers.)

Niles H