Rhythm Techniques

[Bluebird]

What are your favorite, different rhythm techniques you use for backing up tunes. try to explain your technique maybe it can help me and others out. Thanks

[John Flynn]

My two favorite rhythm techniques are:

Syncopated Stums on the Offbeat: Strumming is most commonly "started" on the downbeat, or first beat of a measure. When playing with a group that is steady on that course, the mando is a great instrument to break off and start its strums on the second or third beat of a measure. It seems really awkward at first and if you mess it up, it just sounds bad. But done well, it really adds texture and depth to the rhythm. Also, it's probably not something you want to do all the way through every tune. If it is a verse/refrain type tune, I may do it on the refrain and go back to the down beat on the verses, for example.

Crosspicking: Holding the chords with the fretting hand, while picking individual strings in a roll pattern with the right hand. Again, this is one that needs to be used sparingly or at least "changed-up" at major points in a tune. It can get monotonous if you do the same roll all the way through a tune.

[Bluebird]

Does anyone know what Bush uses to get the full sustain sound of some of his rhythm licks. Does he use barred chords or maybe a double stop type chord while dampening the the open strings.

[mandomiss]

What Sam Bush does is completely beyond my comprehension.

[Bluebird]

Your right, He is an amazing player! I was just wondering if by some slim chance, somone may have noticed how he did some of the rhythm stuff. I would like do do somthing besides the good ol chop... not that I don't love it! just somthing to break the routine a bit that sounds cool. any ideas?

[sandcastlefaith]

To put it simply, Sam throws in a ton of offbeat chops, triplets, and other intricate things that are almost like "fills" that a drummer would do. It takes practice with a metronome, and a lot of wrist workouts to get to the point where you can accurately throw in things like these and stay on beat. Sam's technique is impeccable, but with practice, it can be attained, it's not so out of this world that the common human being can't do it.

[Undercover Brother]

This is a great thread!
I have been wondering the same thing.
Roland White is supposed to have a "Bluegrass Mandolin Rhythm" book out sometime in 2004-2005. If it's like his other bluegrass mando book it should be killer!
Does anyone know any books, cds or tapes that deal with mandolin back-up?

[250sc]

Most of the conversation about playing 'Rhythm' has been discussing timing issues. I'd like to suggest changing your rhythm playing harmonically.

I love the sound of playing swing chords over simple 3 or 4 chord songs. When you lock in with a good bass player you can really drive a solo without increasing tempo. (speeding up makes me crazy!)

I have found people either love this technic or hate it. ("That's not the right chords to that song!") :-)

[JiminRussia]

In his CD/book Sam starts out teaching a shuffle played on double stopped adjacent strings that is pretty neat too. I finally get to use some of those two finger chords! It is a down, down/up kind of stroke that mimiks a fiddle shufle.

[doanepoole]

There is a serious lack of good mandolin ryhtm instructional material available. #"Chop-chop" is basic and easy, but alot of beginning instructional material doesn't even teach that.

Mando rythm is one of the few things Bill Monroe isn't a great source for, though he's a master at turnarounds, but I consider that more ornamentation than driving ryhtm. #To increase your variety of ideas, if not execution, I'd listen to the rythm greats like Sam Bush and David Grisman on the Bluegrass side, Norman Blake and Peter Outroushko for Old Time stuff, and (gulp) Chris Thile stuff (did I just plug Eddie Van Thile???)

I am also a big fan of Tim O'Brian's rythm playing.