View Full Version : Mandolin "orchestras"
bones12
Jul-17-2005, 7:48pm
Aside from the well known mandolin orchestras associated with some cities, how many of us play with three, four, five or more mandolinists on a routine basis? Do several mandolas or even a mandobass ever grace your get togethers? For me it is really fun to play with others but not use any scores or music. What a great sound 32 or 40 strings sound on a porch against the backdrop of tree frogs, crickets and such. Any others who love layers of mandos? Doug
Stillpicking
Jul-17-2005, 8:16pm
I play almost every week with about 5 to 8 fiddlers, usually several mandos including mine, one of the mandos is an octave (sp?). We also usually have several guitars and sometimes believe it or not 2 stand up basses.
Most folks play off their sheet music a couple of us like myself play strictly by ear.
Lots of fun! we also do gigs during the summer, nursing homes in the winter.
I play with other folks once or twice a month - there's one mandocello, a few mandolas and plenty of mandolins, but I don't think we've had an octave yet. We use sheet music, which is probably a must when playing multiple-part pieces.
August Watters
Jul-18-2005, 8:31am
We use sheet music, which is probably a must when playing multiple-part pieces.
I play with a group that's working on getting away from this:
New England Mandolin Ensemble (http://nemandolins.com/NEME.html)
There are several composers among us, so there's plenty of written material, but it's also interesting to experiment with trading around the melody, harmony, rhythm and bass parts by ear.
I've always been inspired by the Count Basie Orchestra as a model for what a string ensemble can do. In the early years Basie played with no charts, yet since everyone knew the melody and their role in relation to it, each section could play harmonized or unison parts, adding up to a complete arrangement.
Interesting thread. Anyone else want to comment on approaches to group playing?
August W
Well, it's a "must" for me, as I'm an inexperienced, some might say, lousy, player. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif