Easy double stop songs

[ngzcaz]

I recently learned " Oh dem golden slippers "
playing two strings ( one open almost all the time )
out of the key of A. If I'm playing it correctly
you can play this with an open E or A string on almost
every note to harmonize with the string thats being
fretted. And the nice part... you can really rip it.
Its almost like cheating : )
Question : is the key of A the easiest for this ?
If not, what is ? How about a couple of easy songs
to experiment with ?

[Jack Roberts]

Many music stores carry "Melodious Double-Stops" by Josephine Trott, published by G. Schirmer. #The tunes don't have names, just numbers, but they are beautiful played on the Mandolin. The first couple of pieces are in G, then one inf F, two in D, and onward through many different keys. Buy it and enjoy!

Jack

[Peter Hackman]

I recently learned " Oh dem golden slippers "
playing two strings ( one open almost all the time )
out of the key of A. If I'm playing it correctly
you can play this with an open E or A string on almost
every note to harmonize with the string thats being
fretted. And the nice part... you can really rip it.
Its almost like cheating : )
Question : is the key of A the easiest for this ?
If not, what is ? How about a couple of easy songs
to experiment with ?

of course, if you play an open string you are not
stopping it. But it's a nice effect if you don't overdo it.

For true double stopping you'll have to move along the
strings quite a bit. Although I don't recall the
tune in detail, one really great piece is Missouri Waltz,
which I play mostly in sixths in the key of D.
Another great piece is Bill Monroe's Lonesome Moonlight
Waltz, in the key of F. I play it mainly in
third position with a few fourths in the beginning.

Double stopping in A almost forces you up
in fourth position. Keys like G, Bb, B, and C
work better.