Split String Playing

[Kevin K]

I heard a player over the weekend that just sounded incredible. The sound was hard to describe but stood out above the other mando player that night and he was good. After the groups set I went to ask him what was different, he said he had studied playing split string and includes it when he can for a bigger sound. There was others in line to talk so I didn't get to get a whole lot of information. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Thanks! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Tom C]

You can hear Grisman do a little on Vintage Gintage Blues from Tone Poems.
He splits the low G pair and plays the open G on one strings and plays a flatted 3rd and slides to a 3rd on the other string of the G pair.

[Kevin K]

That player said he only played the split string notes on the D and G. I guess I need to study the harmony notes and come up with something creative there.

[Strado Len]

Jesse McReynolds splits the high 'E' string, fretting the outside string with the nail of his pinky and leaving the inside string open. I have a book "Jesse McReynolds Mandolin Style", written by Andy Statman, and published by Oak Publications, which has several examples of songs Jesse plays in this style. I don't know if the book is still in print.

One aid to playing this style is to have a new nut and bridge saddle made, with extra space between the string pair that is to be split.

[Tom C]

The G makes the most sense. If you do what I said above on the D string, instead
you can just use a double stop of 7th fret on G string and 3rd fret on D string.
You still may get a different tone as using an open string can give that drone tone as it can keeps ringing.

[evanreilly]

Frank Wakefield has recorded a bunch of split-string tunes.
I am working on the split-string lick that Mike Compton uses (A & G) on his recording of 'The Dusty Miller' with the GrassCals.

[Eugene]

The very earliest literature for modern mandolin featured virtuosic sets of variations that included split string stuff. #Check out the solos Leone published in the 1760s. #One such solo can be found in Neil Gladd's edition, Three Centuries of Mandolin Concert Solos (http://www.mandolincafe.com/cgi-bin/strings/searchdb.cgi?uid=default&view_records=1&keyword=029). #You should be able to split any course; Leone often split a' and d. G was rarely split in early lit because th G course of the time was strung in octaves and thus already split...kinda. #Leone recommended that the more bass-ward note be fretted normally across both strings of the course, and the higher note be fretted with the nail of the left hand. #It's tricky, but improves your aim and is less likely to interfere with the bass note on the same course.

[Peter Hackman]

I arrived at a split-string technique for certain effects
decades ago - I MAY have been influenced by McReynolds.
Also, I often split the course when playing triplets,
D-D-U: e.g.,
A (D second A string) - B flat (D, first A string) -
A (U, first A or both),

or sometimes D-D-D, first two D:s splitting one course,
next D on the next highest course.

[Keith Wallen]

My favorite one is when playing in the key of A. At the second fret note one G and one D string with one finger. So the G and D that are close together and leave the other G and D string open. Then strum all of the strings. I like to slide into that one too.

[Tom C]

So the outer strings are open and you press on the inside G and D with one finger on the 2nd fret? <span style='color:purple'>Wow, that sounds hard.</span>it difficult enough to split one string no less 2 with 1 finger.

[Flowerpot]

Ronnie McCoury does a split string thingy on one particular song; I think it's "I'm Lonely for My Only" from "Deeper Shade of Blue". The song is in G, and he splits the E string on the 3rd fret (middle finger) and the 7th fret (pinky) while doing a double stop with the 2nd string on the 5th fret (ring finger). Makes a very bluesy intro into the mandolin break. When he does it live, it takes a couple of seconds of "setup time." The nice thing about that position, it allows for the lower split note (3rd fret) to roll back to the 1st fret (using the index finger) without losing the high split note; you can get some interesting blue note combinations that way.

[ronlane3]

Ronnie McCoury said that he learned it from Bill Monroe.

[ira]

could someone please define split stringing. is it about tuning or playing approach or both?http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif?
thanks:)

[squeally dan]

I'm not the best to answer this question, but it sounds like you only fret one of the two strings in a pair.

[Flowerpot]

Or you fret each string of a pair in different places.