Hi, Daniel -
Yes, that B is definitely feasible at a 19" scale. My Apollonio mandola has a 19.5" scale, and it's tuned to DAEB. The B string is a .011.
Pete
Type: Posts; User: ptritz
Hi, Daniel -
Yes, that B is definitely feasible at a 19" scale. My Apollonio mandola has a 19.5" scale, and it's tuned to DAEB. The B string is a .011.
Pete
The idea that a longer scale means higher tension is correct only if the string gauges are kept the same. By shifting to slightly lighter gauge strings, you can keep the tensions on a longer-scale...
The DAEB tuning actually works well for Irish tune-playing. If you're a mandolin player, the fingerings are the same, just shifted over one course, so it's an easy transition to make. One advantage...
Graham MacDonald has a very useful string tension calculator on his website. Here's the link: https://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html Using that calculator, gauges of .38, .24, .016, .011...
I think that stringing it as an octave mandolin would probably be borderline workable at best. The G string would need to be pretty heavy - maybe a .50 or thereabouts - and I expect the tone would...
I'd add Mick Moloney's "Strings Attached" recording to the list.
Just to clarify, the Lakota straps are either bison or elk hide, not cowhide.
You might check out Lakota Leathers. The website is lakotaleathers.com.
You might give Nick Apollonio a call.
If I were looking for a mandolin for playing traditional irish music, I think I might snap up that Keith Newell flattop that's listed in the MC classified ads. The Newell instruments that I've...
One option would be to give Nick Apollonio a call. I'm pretty sure he'd be glad to build one cor you.
Not much to do with mandolins, but another great musician has left us.
https://www.twincities.com/2019/05/30/tony-glover-dies-obituary-musician-little-sun-folk-blues/
Nick Apollonio has also used oak as a tonewood on some instruments. Here's what one of them looks and sounds like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjgAcHZHYJA
If a drive to the Twin Cities area counts as reasonable, Kevin Schwab at St. Paul Guitar Repair would be a good option. https://stpaulguitarrepair.com/
You might try just cleaning the pick with soap and water. The natural oils in skin (or hand lotion, if you use any) do tend to make the pick more slippery, if I don't do this every so often.
The sound you describe is a pretty good description of Nick Apollonio's instruments. You might want to give him a call.
Ummm.... "A-style body"?
Homestead Pickin' Parlor and Willie's American Guitars are the two that come to mind.
If you'd like to contribute, here's a link to the gofundme page. https://www.gofundme.com/peter-and-marge He's got long road of rehab ahead of him, and health insurance won't cover all of it.
St. Paul Guitar Repair would be another good option.
https://stpaulguitarrepair.com/
You might want try browsing through O'Carolan's tunes. He composed a lot of tunes, and almost any one you pick will sound very nice at slow to medium tempos.
Certainly it's possible to play fast and have feeling. In the Irish trad world, Altan's playing is a great example of exactly that. But for some players playing too fast can result in losing...
I have to disagree with the comment that losing a bit of the phrasing isn't serious. The rhythm, the feel, the roll of the tune are central to what an irish tune is. Just playing all the notes but...
Thermal protection is why I decided to get Colorado Case Co. covers for my instruments. Here in Minnesota it gets pretty cold in the winter and pretty hot in the summer, and the case covers...
A number of traditional irish groups and players would meet those criteria. Marla Fibish, Roger Landes, and Mick Moloney are some that come to mind. And Mary Rafferty plays some very nice mando...