Mandolin instruction

[sachmo]

Hello all, I'm wondering if there's an instruction cd/dvd that will help to learn intro's and breaks to popular bluegrass songs. Even how to figure them out would be helpful.

I can and have learned a bunch of fiddle tunes, being a reformed guitar player I already know hundreds of instrumentals and can transpose them to the mandolin but when it comes to jamming and kicking a song with off a song with WORDS i'm lost.

Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance

[jim simpson]

sachmo,

I am an ear player so that means I'm too lazy to try to figure out tab or notation most of the time. I had a great teacher many years ago that pretty much asked me what and how I wanted to learn. The first thing was learning to play out of all the key positions but the other was kick-offs. Learning your double-stops is one of the traditional ways to start your melody or turn-around. Turn-arounds are often more generic and can work till you build more of a vocabulary. I do find that if I listen to a particular recording, I can usually figure it out. Recently I did try Kentucky Mandolin (B.Monroe)from tab. The kickoff/turnaround on that is simple but haunting/cool. I guess being in a minor key helps and I need to learn more minor stuff.
Just a few thoughts..
Jim

[sachmo]

Yea, i'm also an ear player. I can read tab but I think my fingers work way faster than my brain and its just easier to listen to a recording and do it that way.

I appreciate the advise, I'll spend some time on the double stops and see what happens. Its a little intimidating when you see some of these guys just pull this stuff off and know that I "could" do it if only............

thanks

s

[rlw]

If you can hear it in your head then you should be able to play it on your mandolin.

I've only been playing the mandolin for a couple of weeks but I've played the guitar for about 40 years and actually have gotten good enough to enjoy my own playing http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

What I've been doing alot of with the mandolin is recalling all those classic old fiddle intros you hear in the old country western and emulating them. I think that is what
I like best about the mandolin especially my oval hole
It sounds so much like a fiddle it's scarey.

Long live the key of G and D isn't bad either http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[chovie d]

Im a rank beginner but I am already tired of hearing "taters" and "shave and a haircut" for beginings and endings. Well ok, I lied...I actually like the sound of "taters"...but man that shave and a haircut lick is like nails on a chalkboard to me and everyone does it all the time it seems. BTW can anyonme tell me why its called "taters" ? (yes i realize that "taters" is short for potatos...hehe... but why potatatos? why not broccoli or cabbage or whatever?")

[gnelson651]

Im a rank beginner but I am already tired of hearing "taters" and "shave and a haircut" for beginings and endings. Well ok, I lied...I actually like the sound of "taters"...but man that shave and a haircut lick is like nails on a chalkboard to me and everyone does it all the time it seems. BTW can anyonme tell me why its called "taters" ? (yes i realize that "taters" is short for potatos...hehe... but why potatatos? why not broccoli or cabbage or whatever?")
"one tater, two tater, three tater, four..."

Next time ask if they would like fries with that kick off http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[chovie d]

ah thank you Glenn!, now that i know where it comes from the "melody" makes more sense, heck the whole thing makes so much more sense. Its really just counting one and a two and a three and a four isnt it?. I think, now that I know where it comes from, Ive been putting a little "groove" in my taters that doesnt belong. Gonna have to go back and unspice them taters http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[red7flag]

Now I feel like a real newb. What is a "tater"? Give an example please. Thank you.
Tony

[jim simpson]

"BTW can anyone tell me why its called "taters" ? (yes i realize that "taters" is short for potatos...hehe... but why potatatos? why not broccoli or cabbage or whatever?") - chovie d

Not related to music but similar to your observation: Why does everyone always use the grapefruit when they describe the size of a tumor found in some poor souls' body? I think it gives the grapefruit a complex. It's just unfortunate, why not "a tumor the size of a papaya or coconut?

[steve in tampa]

Advice I got was to learn a bunch of the traditional bluegrass tunes, and that will help define the relationships between the chord changes,and learn me some standard bluegrass runs,thus making it come more naturally.

[gnelson651]

Now I feel like a real newb. #What is a "tater"? #Give an example please. #Thank you.
Tony
Its a fiddle thing-you kick off a song with a double stop for the required key. For example, in the key of A, you would double stop by strumming the open A and E strings in a "one and two and three and four..." beat.

A double stop is like a two note chord, although the true definition of a chord is three or more notes, i.e, a major chord is the 1, 3 and 5 notes of that scale. So you would use G, B, D for a G chord. Double stops #uses two of these chord notes, usually 1 and 3 but also 1 and 5 notes of a scale as in the key of A double stop example above. A triple stop would use three chord notes and in fact may be a chord.

[futrconslr]

Taters--think of the intro to many versions of "Soldier's Joy"