Mandolin DVD Ideas

[jmcgann]

Some of you may be familiar with my Rhythm Tune Up DVD. (http://www.johnmcgann.com/books.html) My production partners and I are planning to do a few more. I am interested to hear what folks would like to see for mando instruction. A few ideas we are kicking around is an intro to jazz mando that would cover the basics of soloing on standards and Django style Gypsy jazz, a "mandolin for guitar players" guide, and maybe a Celtic mandolin feature.

The visual medium of DVD is great for helping with technique/tone production issues (a picture being worth a thousand words), so that's another one we are considering

Let me know what you'd like to see. I'm not likely to do a pure bluegrass mando DVD as the ground has already been very well covered.

[mandopete]

Lotsa close-up's ! #And show both left and right and position hand technique. That's where a visual medium of the DVD would shine IMHO.

[David Horovitz]

An intro to jazz mando would be fantastic, including creating solos on standards as well as rhythm playing over the changes to tunes in a variety of keys. DVD format would be best for the reason you stated - both audio and visual.

[WJF]

How about distilling the concepts you teach at Berklee into a series of "progressive" DVD's that would take the student from the "beginning" of what you teach through some of the more advanced topics/ techniques?

[jmcgann]

I'd have to charge $25k a year for that http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif We wanna keep them at $24.95

just kidding!

[J. Mark Lane]

Ah...another medium for torturing John McGann. <g>

John, the rhythm tune-up dvd is great. I get a little lost when you start talking about reverse-triangular 11/27 time...but hey, it gives me something to work toward. <G>

Seriously, I think a jazz thing would be great. This is one area that really isn't covered. I know Ted is coming out with a Mel Bay book later this year, and I will be one of the first to buy it. But something in video form would be very welcome.

As far as I can ascertain, one reason there isn't really much for "beginners" in jazz is that there seems to be a prevailing...philosophy among jazz players that "you just have to learn it on your own." Or something like that. So something as mundane and "lowly" as a bunch of tabbed out standards with chord charts and an accompanying cd would be...well, frowned upon. But...that's just what I would like to have! Once I learned the basic tunes, then I could focus on expanding my abilities. It's much more fun that way (although I will admit it is also easy to get stuck in "tab mode").

Another thing I would really like to see, and this is more fundamental, is something that really "explains" the tunes we all study. Your book on fiddle tune variations, along with Tom Ohmsen's book and a couple of others, ventures into this area. But something visual, with someone talking and explaining it all, would be *very* welcome, I think.

For example, just take say six tunes that we all know -- things like Soldier's Joy, maybe a jazz standard or two, a Celtic thing, something in a minor key, etc. Play the tune through fairly straight. Then talk about how it is structured, why it sounds the way it does. Break it down. Talk about how each section of the tune follows the notes of the scale of whatever chord, and why the tune moves from one section to another, why particular chords work well together and how the notes used work with the chords and in the tune. Do this with a half-dozen tunes that are good examples of different kinds of tunes.

With that approach, you could just touch briefly on how one might go about improvising with the tune. That might segue nicely into a second dvd, maybe taking the same tunes and expanding on them.

Another thing that would be great would be how to work up new arrangements of tunes.

Jeez, I could go on and on. A wish list of instructional material.... But I'll stop now. The above would be enough to keep me busy for longer than I will trouble this small planet.

[jaydee]

How about an introductory applied theory video. Something that covers key signatures, the circle of 5ths, chord construction and basic chord/scale relationships on the instrument. That creates a nice introduction to Jazz, and is helpful for non-Jazz players too.

I think if you choose something like this, you need to include some reading. Music theory doesn't work unless you're using standard notation and that ought to be reflected in the material (I'm bracing for the arrows now).

Good luck with the new video
Jeremy

[SternART]

How about two.......one as an into to jazz/swing .....and a second as a Django intro.
Then in the future you could add more tunes to each series. I know you advocate standard notation,
but to get the most mileage & make the information available to more pickers, I'd like to
see tab included. Another thing that would be helpful is having a rhythm section play through
the changes several times, for practicing the head and/or practicing improvising.
BTW John, I found you rhythm DVD helpful & I've recommended it to others.

[BeauB]

Here's a second on the closeups of left and right hands.. take advantage of the alternate angles capabilities of dvd's to all the watcher to switch back and forth (angle one - zoom out playing, angle two - split screen showing both right and left up close, angle three - totally focused on left hand and angle four - totally focused on right).

[luckylarue]

Yes, another vote for jazz/swing/django dvds.

[freshlyplucked]

I would like to add another vote for the idea put forth by J Mark Lane- breaking down the musical concepts involved in several tunes, showing the building blocks, then moving into improvisation. #That sounds like a nice meaty DVD I would get a lot of mileage out of.

I also like the technique/tone production theme- I'd buy that one too. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Fretbear]

I also vote for "Beginner's Jazz"...not for beginner's at all, but for intermediate and advanced 'grassers who want to expand farther out into swing and Gypsy jazz...new chord progressions, how to play them in a jazz context, standards, jazz and swing improv theory...with TAB....I'd buy it....

[8strings]

I would love some pieces by Miles Davis included in this project. Accessible for the intermediate player and not unobtainable for beginners either. Great to learn about your intentions to create a new mandolin related DVD. The market has stalled a bit in this regard. There are so many talented players around that could talk hours about their instruments, playing styles and mandolin material in general.

[steve in tampa]

The "mandolin for guitar players" idea might be the most commercially viable.

[Perry]

"Playing back-up on the mandolin"

Variations on the chop
Partial chords
Voice leading
Rhythmic variations according to genre
Single line accompaniment
How to write harmony lines
Connecting chords with single lines
Chord substitution
Chord melody
Etc…

A neglected topic and would be a great compliment to your metronome DVD

[otterly2k]

I'd have to charge $25k a year for that #We wanna keep them at $24.95

Sell a thousand of 'em, and there's your $25k!

(ok, I know you won't see all of that... so sell 3 thousand!)

[stixx3969]

If you include any TAB, how about them being stills we can put on the big TV screen instead of a little booklet/ My eyes would thank you!

[ledmandlin]

John, I look forward to your distillation of all the proffered ideas and the much needed series that comes from that. Can't hardly wait.

Bruce

[j-hill]

I love J. Mark's idea about how a tune is structured and why it sounds like it does. To build on that, I think a visual of a D scale (or the D pentatonic, whichever is more pertinent) and then playing Soldier's Joy. Linking up which notes are in the scale and which notes are off the scale. That would provide context to the notes in the song. Also, if there is a logic to which 'other'/off scale notes to throw in that would be great as well.

Along the same lines, it would be nice if one of the chapters would take that same song - show the scale visual - and then only play fills or kick-offs. For example, have the song playing in the background and then throw in a different fill at the end of each verse/chorus and explain how the fill was constructed.

A separate idea would be to develop a player's ear. Pick a song that stays on a scale (or pentatonic scale) and tell the view, this song is in the key of D. Therefore, it will be on these notes (showing a visual of the D pentatonic). All of the notes will be on this D pentatonic. The viewer would then hear the music played (maybe at 2 or 3 different speeds) and try to pick out the notes playing by ear. Then they would also see the right notes on the screen to check how well they did picking it up by ear.

I'm a pathetic player....which means I have a lot of ideas.

Jason

[Eric F.]

What Perry said. Please? This is such a neglected area of instruction. Most instructional material gives you some chords, maybe tells you about the chop and leaves you to figure the rest out.

[gnelson651]

"Playing back-up on the mandolin"

Variations on the chop
Partial chords
Voice leading
Rhythmic variations according to genre
Single line accompaniment
How to write harmony lines
Connecting chords with single lines
Chord substitution
Chord melody
Etc…

A neglected topic and would be a great compliment to your metronome DVD

I second on this one. I'd be the first one to buy it.


I love J. Mark's idea about how a tune is structured and why it sounds like it does. #To build on that, I think a visual of a D scale (or the D pentatonic, whichever is more pertinent) and then playing Soldier's Joy. #Linking up which notes are in the scale and which notes are off the scale. #That would provide context to the notes in the song. #Also, if there is a logic to which 'other'/off scale notes to throw in that would be great as well.

If you can read standard notation, this would soon become obvious. I believe that John's "Developing Melodic Variations on Fiddle Tunes" goes into this type of explanation. (Perhaps a DVD on "Melodic Variations" would be great). Also, if you read standard notation, you will find this information in "Hokum: Theory and Scales for Fiddle Tunes and Fiddle Improvisation" by Leon Grizzard which is written for fiddle but easily translates to mandolin. (Interesting aside: Why are fiddle books almost always written in standard notation but mandolin books have to include tab?)

The jazz thing is also a nice idea. Whatever you do John, I'm sure it will be worth having in a any mandolinist's music library.

[J. Mark Lane]

If you can read standard notation, this would soon become obvious.
Well, I can read standard notation, and have done so for...uh (sigh)...about 40 years. #Don't do much of it these days, and I'm sure that's partly because of all the crutches we have to lean on now. #But I don't think the reasons for a particular structure, or the wisdom behind particular variations off the scale, etc., are "obvious" from merely reading notation. #Sure, if you spend enough time breaking down various kinds of tunes and thinking about it, you could probably come to some good conclusions. #But part of what I look for in instructional materials is to save some time, frankly. #I remember when I played tennis a lot...weeks and weeks of constant playing would lead me to conclusions about certain fine points...but one hour of lessons with a pro and the same things could be beneficially pointed out to me....Some people would say learning the hard way is better....Others, me included, would welcome short-cuts.

[jim_n_virginia]

Hey John even though I am mostly into Bluegrass, Irish and Old Time I have always been itersted in jazz.

One thing I have always loved to hear is when someone will take an old standard and convert all the major chords to jazz chords. A great example on guitar is the James Taylor version of Old Susannah.

How about a book, CD, DVD etc that explains how to do that?

[gnelson651]

If you can read standard notation, this would soon become obvious.
Well, I can read standard notation, and have done so for...uh (sigh)...about 40 years. #Don't do much of it these days, and I'm sure that's partly because of all the crutches we have to lean on now. #But I don't think the reasons for a particular structure, or the wisdom behind particular variations off the scale, etc., are "obvious" from merely reading notation. #Sure, if you spend enough time breaking down various kinds of tunes and thinking about it, you could probably come to some good conclusions. #But part of what I look for in instructional materials is to save some time, frankly. #I remember when I played tennis a lot...weeks and weeks of constant playing would lead me to conclusions about certain fine points...but one hour of lessons with a pro and the same things could be beneficially pointed out to me....Some people would say learning the hard way is better....Others, me included, would welcome short-cuts.
I learned standard notation for about the same number of years as you. I did have to relearn it for the mandolin.

OK, knowing how to read standard notation along with understanding chord theory makes it easier for me to connect the dots in the musical structure, especially fiddle tunes.

That being said, this post was to help John with suggestions for his next Instructional Project, not a diatribe in the standard notation vs tab debate. Sorry I got it off track, my bad. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[Avi Ziv]

Not every idea is viable from a business perspective. However, we seem to be listing what each of us would want to have. So here is my idea:

For me – getting a theory lesson does not require a DVD. I get get it from books. If I need someone to show it to me on a mandolin, I can get a teacher to give me a lesson, and even tape that lesson. I would want a DVD to capitalize on the video/audio capabilities as well as show me things that even a lesson with an excellent teacher can’t give me. What I have in mind is a

presentation and explanation of tone possibilities on the mandolin. #

Topics could include:

Various types of mandolins and their tonal possibilities
Right/left hand technique and how they can affect tone (classical, jazz, blues, rock, Celtic, BG, etc)
Special #acoustic effects (bending, vibrato, acoustic distortion (I think Niles once talked about it), and much more)
Acoustic amplification of a mandolin and the tonal possibilities there (different amps, pickups, mikes, processing)
Technique for controlling/extracting tone out of electric mandolins (both single and double strings)
Amps and effects for electric mandolins
Controlling mandolin tone through the recording process

This DVD would not be about which notes to play, why we should play them, or how to play them fast. It would be all about tone.

The video/sound/equipment requirements for this presentation far exceed the capabilities of books, cd’s, and private lessons. This, in my mind, has to be a thought-out and produced project – perfect for a DVD. It would capitalize on both the visual and aural aspect of the medium. I also think that it can be highly inspiring.

Of course – it could be only myself and 10 others who would ever want it ;) but I can still dream – right?

Avi

[Joel Glassman]

Hi John—
Some thoughts…
Your best audience is probably people who can play fiddle tunes and
bluegrass solos.
Maybe an intermediate level video on soloing and rhythm playing?
*Picking technique: info on how to play up to speed, with close-up view of right hand/exercises
*How to play rhythm more interesting than that endless “chop chop…”sound :^)
With a guitarist or guitar track, you could jam on
*blues
*bluesy bluegrass
*western swing/hot-club music.…

Using transcriptions and if the music wasn’t too fast, we could follow pretty well.
You could spend lots of time playing with less need to explain…
The lessons I took from you were outstanding.
Looking forward to a video whatever it may be.
-Joel

[SandyBarRanch]

I add my vote to the "Playing backup on the mandolin' idea - I meed a lot more ideas on this. Also, just my two cents on the media - I much prefer a CD to a DVD - I don't like sitting in front of the TV and I find that I'll play CD's over & over, but once I;ve heard the talking in a DVD a few times I tend to not play it anymore.

-MD

[wdrysd]

Another vote for mandolin as a back up instrument.

Also a second less mandolin specific one - developing your ears/learning songs by listening. What aspects and tips for transcribing songs would help players learn songs, improvise and/or create shorter connections between ears and fingers?

John's "metronome" dvd takes a very refreshing approach to playing. See it if you can. I'd like to see anything else he does at this point.

W Drysdale

[jmcgann]

THANKS for the input everyone!

In the works:

1) Mandolin Sound Fundamentals- Good Tone, Touch, and Technique in Melody and Rhythm Playing including Making the Transition From Guitar (all levels)
right and left hand options

2) Rhythm Mandolin from Chop Chords to Celtic to Swing (all levels)
The basic chop chord and variants in bluegrass
The "continuum" right hand in progressive bluegrass, rock, and syncopation
muting
Triads and inversions
partial chords, drones, crosspicking, Irish "textural" accompaniment
Texas style swing backup
including standard bluegrass progression, standard Irish tune and trad Texas type tune

3) Developing A Jazz Vocabulary on Mandolin (intermediate/advanced)
Understanding chord progressions and how to voice them on mandolin
Extending triad concepts to develop arpeggiated melodies
Learning to play on standard chord progressions

NO READING NEEDED. There will be slowed down/closeups/etc. to best use this visual learning medium.

[DeamhanFola]

Hi all,

I'd actually like to see an advanced Celtic mandolin DVD that includes (or perhaps concentrates on) alternate/ modal tunings.

In terms of "nuts and bolts" I think Simon Mayor's DVD does it well: when presenting a tune 1) he plays it through at normal speed, 2) breaks it down into individual sections explaining the technique, and 3) plays the tune at a slower pace. All of these can be individually accessed by the DVD's "scene selection" function, which is very helpful.

I'd add a plea to include tab/ notation on paper, as I like to bring it & my mando outside to practice!

[Eric F.]

Yes, I also appreciate tab/notation on paper if there are tunes or exercises to learn. John, I'm looking forward to the DVDs. Now get to work!

[jmcgann]

Well, we got Rhythm Mandolin and Sound Fundamentals (http://www.johnmcgann.com/books.html) at this time. Hopefully we will get the Jazz Mandolin DVD going ealry 2008. Thanks as always for your support and for the ideas to make these DVDs a reality! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Steve Davis]

Ragtime and blues would be cool.

[WJF]

Hi John ... just "PayPal'd you" for the new DVD ... Congrats on putting out what looks to be another "must have" for the library! You won't mind if I "steal" an idea or two from it for my students will you? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[mandogrrl]

How about a DVD on playing electric mandolin?

Pam W. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif