mixing strumming and melody help

[ianbarton]

Hey all, I was curious if anyone had any tips or tricks as well as exercizes for mixing strumming and melody? I am still fairly novice, but am inproving pretty steadily and want to be able to give my plaing a little more color and dynamics. any suggestions?

[Tobin]

It's all about the double-stops. A simple melody has a very "plinky plinky" sound when played as a bare-bones part. But it can really come to life when you start using double-stops and incorporating a strummy way of playing it. Utilize the open-string double stops where possible, and learn all the chord shapes so you can immediately snap to any part of a chord at any time (which is all a double-stop is: a two-note portion of a full chord).

Here's a good starting point on learning and using double-stops:
http://www.petimarpress.com/pdf%20fi...le%20Stops.pdf

[Beanzy]

Along with those double-stops, Chord Melody and Duo-style would be two terms to search on.
Depending on the style of music you want to do they both can achieve the melody with backing effect from one instrument.

[David L]

Do you mean mixing strumming and melody at the same time, or in the same song? If it's the former, then the above suggestions are right on. If it's the latter, then you can practice adding little melodic (or double stop) runs in between chord changes. This is what guitar players do when they put a bass run in between chords. Any changes in position, pick grip or attitude between chords and melody have to be instant. All of these can add to your playing.

[ianbarton]

Do you mean mixing strumming and melody at the same time, or in the same song?

I suppose i meant the latter, but im happy people are helping with both! I feel like when im strumming and want to play a lick or something, i have a hard time switching from such a free motion to a more measured and precise motion. Thanks Tobin for the link, Ill check it out when I get home.

[Ky Slim]

I feel like when im strumming and want to play a lick or something, i have a hard time switching from such a free motion to a more measured and precise motion.

This is tricky for me as well and seems to be even trickier when I'm really "getting into" the rhythm that I'm playing. I think that it helps to practice some kind of a loop with maybe a few bars of strumming followed by a lick. I like to loop my chop rhythm from the turnaround chord change into my pickup lick to the melody. This has helped me gain confidence as far as getting into the motion of picking from strumming and I flub less pickups and intros now.

[JeffD]

Depending on the jam, I might play the melody, or play the melody when it is my break, or sometimes alternate melody and chords with another mandolinner, or just play chords if there are more than enough fiddles and not enough guitars.

Mixing strumming and melody playing at the same time... well I am not sure when I would do that. But sometimes I play the melody with lots of double stops, and I might tremolo the double stops. That can be a bit like strumming, I suppose.

[Pasha Alden]

Double stops really liven things up.

Happy playing

[bigskygirl]

Hi Ian, pick an easy song like Banks of the Ohio, I Am A Pilgram, or Boil Them Cabbage Down and practice picking the melody and adding double stops for some strummy stuff. I think of it as playing a bit on the sloppy side and letting the open strings or double stops fill out the song.

Jesse McReynolds has a cross picked version of Banks that sounds nice or just strum some chords on the longer beats like guitar players do. Chord melody is a method I like on any stringed instrument BC it fills out the song when playing solo.

Jesse Cobb has a CD out named Solitude, where he's playing solo and by using strums and such he fills out the songs.

[bart mcneil]

There is nothing wrong with strumming full four string chords, but it generally requires a voice or other instrument to give it a little variety.

But I think the next step up from strumming might be to develop your skills at chop chords and chopping.

When I first started playing I mistakenly felt that full chords were the only way to go. But I later realized that three and two string chords added variety and tonal focus. Using double stops is an especially effective means of maintaining rhythm and variety in your playing, It sounds simplistic, but it can be very effective. I may not be stating this well but I think that strumming can be effective but boring if done exclusively or too much.

[Beanzy]

In terms of switching between single not and other strum or picking techniques you can practice playing a single note scale alternating pick, strum, pick, strum etc. with both notes getting equal duration, then do every 2nd note 2 strums every 3rd note 3 strums, then every 4th 4strums etc.
So do note, chord, note chord etc. with the chord starting out as a double-stop 1st/5th then just expand. If you do jazzy scales you'll play loads of great sounding chords too.