Chopping on two strings

[Austin Koerner]

for instance, C to F. i would play the C like this- 523x, and the F like this- 23xx. i know plenty of inversions for C and F but it's just easier to move when you're are playing fast.

i saw a great mandolin player do it, but i didn't know if it was THAT BAD, because it doesn't sound as good as a full chord. i am talking about chopping it though, so what is your opinion

[Jim Broyles]

I do it and see it done all the time.

[Ken Sager]

Chop what cha got.

[adgefan]

Many of the top players use this method.

[Gutbucket]

It's not illegal in my state yet.

[Austin Koerner]

haha thanks everyone, i thought it was okay to do, but just making sure

[cooper4205]

I use a two finger chop for certain minor chords

[MandoBen]

That's what I do to get that percussive snare drum sound and be able to play fast. For slower, quieter songs I hit all the strings with a lighter, less percussive attack to get that warm, woodier sweet tone.

[DMC]

IMO 90% of the actual 'chop' cound comes from the bottom two strings so those 2-string chops are fine for most puroposes.

However I would use 53XX over 23XX. To my ears having the fifth on the G string and root on the D string gives a more authentic BG sound and also makes it easier to get a strong, percussive 'chop' sound (if that's what you are after)

Just my opinon :cool:

[Seth Austen]

I often play double stops on the bottom strings as opposed to full chords, they work just fine chopped... or diced http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Seth

[Ted Eschliman]

I've always thought that as a player, it's not about how you sound, it's about how you look. Two-note chops and facial gestures; two of my best secrets.

[AlanN]

Over the weekend, I watched a video of a show the Lost&Found did probably 25 years ago. If you look at Dempsey, he often did 2 finger chords on the bass strings, and rarely stayed on the same shape for more than a measure or 2, even when the song's chord didn't change. He had a very exciting style of mandolin rhythm that really drove the band and made it his own.

I miss that rascal.

[mandolooter]

Its ok as long as ya don't drink scotch onstage...oh, wait, wrong thread. Its not only ok its acoustically pleasing at times! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[sgarrity]

Where I come from, one note is a note, two notes be a chord. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Philip Halcomb]

Two fingered chop all the time here. Sometimes two, sometimes three and sometimes 4. A nice G to try if you don't use it is 452X. It's a nice change from 7523.

[Austin Koerner]

dempsey is one of my favorites, he really inspires me.


i think i'm going to go play now

[AlanN]

He was great. I learned so much from him, on how to be a supportive band member, on how to add spice to a solo and how to chord.

[Ken Sager]

I've always thought that as a player, it's not about how you sound, it's about how you look. Two-note chops and facial gestures; two of my best secrets.
AAAHHHHH! So THAT's how you do it!

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Thanks for the chuckle, Ted.

Best,
Ken

[mandolooter]

[QUOTE]A nice G to try if you don't use it is 452X.

You are right...great sounding G, thanks!

[acousticphd]

I do it and see it done all the time.


I do it all the time, and rarely see it.

Actually, I saw Roland White once at the Station Inn and he did a lot of this (2 and 3 string chopping) - I don't think he once fingered a four-fingered chord. Mike Compton too seems to use a lot of this.

Another 'hybrid' thing I like is to chop (or "fwupp", with an oval-hole mando) #the 2 low strings, while still letting an open, or slightly muffled open string, sound above them,

for ex
750X # # (A)
530X # # (G for occasional use in an A modal tune)
640X # # (F#m in other A tunes)

To me a nice/useful thing about formations like 452X or 45XX formation is just for varying the usual chord voicing, when you would otherwise sit on the same chord for 8 or 16 counts.

[Jim Broyles]

I use the 4-5 G for tremolo, rarely to chop, never use 4-5-2-x, mainly because I don't think of it. The sound with the doubled third isn't that bad. I love the sound of mandolin tremolo in the lower registers with the 3rd on the bottom.

[Walter Newton]

750X # # (A)
530X # # (G for occasional use in an A modal tune)
640X # # (F#m in other A tunes)
I'm a little confused by a couple of these...

750x = D G A, not an A chord - Gsus2?
530x = C F A, not a G chord - F major
640x = C# F# A, OK that's an F#m

(EDIT: Looking at it again, did you maybe mean 970x (A), 750x (G)?)

[Philip Halcomb]

750X # # (A)
530X # # (G for occasional use in an A modal tune)
640X # # (F#m in other A tunes)
I'm a little confused by a couple of these...

750x = D G A, not an A chord - Gsus2?
530x = C F A, not a G chord - F major
640x = C# F# A, OK that's an F#m

(EDIT: Looking at it again, did you maybe mean 970x (A), 750x (G)?)
I'm pretty sure that's what he meant. He probably didn't have his instrument in front of him to check.

[acousticphd]

Woop, you are both (walter and flip) correct; sorry for the confusion. I was off by two frets on the A and G. 970X (for an A) is what I meant. Hopefully you get the idea though, which was to let the open string sound out a little in the chopped chord.

The pinky on my left hand doesn't work so nearly everything I do is two fingered or three fingered. Once in a while I just mute all the strings and chop. Snare drums don't do chords either.

[mboucher]

I have a question - the X on the above diagrams, does this represent muting and I am assuming that the 0 means open.

Mark

[Jim Broyles]

Mark, that is correct. X means you don't play that string, so you either just don't play it or mute it. 0 means play the open string.

[Crowder]

I saw Sierra Hull sit in with a band this weekend and she seemed to chop every chord in the form where an A chord would be 2245. I asked Michael from the Dappled Grays about it afterward and apparently there are a lot of players coming up who do it that way and really focusing on the bottom two strings. The chop was strong but the strings were generally so muted that it seemed to make little difference where her fingers were, it usually sounded about the same. She was playing a well-worn Weber by the way that sounded great.

I still do the "old style" four-fingered chop with the pinky up the neck. I see no problem with playing the F chord as 23XX.

[Austin Koerner]

yeah, sometimes i play bar chords (i guess you call those bar chords, '2245') especially with minor chords.