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pettyman
Oct-04-2005, 10:59am
Hey guys, me again!!

I'm starting to find my way round my mandolin, My left hand is picking up scales and basic melodies as well as a few chords. However I have always struggled to pick notes with a plectrum on my guitar and have always reverted to finger picking - what's people's technique on the mandolin? do both come into play??

Oh yeah, and if plectrum picking - do you pick both strings or try to pick just the one?

Sorry for the beginner questions!

Matt

250sc
Oct-04-2005, 11:38am
Hi Matt,

the flat pick is traditional for mandolin but you might establish a new standard if you develop as a finger picker. If your having problems with a flat pick remember to use the alternate picking method of Down, Up , Down, Up. (If your picking quarter notes pick all down strokes, with eighth notes, (1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &) = D U D U D U D U.

Good luck.

glauber
Oct-04-2005, 1:08pm
Matt,

i think fingerpicking hasn't caught on the mandolin because there isn't enough space between the strings to let you really dig in and pick hard with the fingers. There are a few people using finger-picks (like they use for 5-string b*njo).

Flatpicking is not too bad - it takes a while to get comfortable (i come from a classical guitar background). The most important thing is to "grip" the pick as lightly as possible. The F1 (http://www.f1pick.com/) pick helped me, may help you too (i don't have any connection with them, just use their product). Although usually i stay away from nonstandard gadgets, i like this pick.

Normally you pick both strings. You don't have to think about it, it just happens. Just treat the string pair as if they were one string and don't obsess about it.

Eugene
Oct-04-2005, 1:09pm
That said, there are a number of fingerpickers on modern mandolins, Radim Zenkle and Il Troubadore (http://www.troubadore.com/) come to mind. #It was the status quo before ca. 1750 on instruments like those with the pegboxes and fixed bridges pictured here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/builders/early.html).

pettyman
Oct-04-2005, 1:21pm
Cheers guys.

I guess I'm in for the long haul - enjoying it though - getting more used to it already. Got a cheap mando http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif and a lot of time. I guess it's a long but fun road ahead!

I want to learn a lot so will be putting the necessary time in!

Matt

P.S. Anyone else with any more help, still give it!!
Thanks

arbarnhart
Oct-04-2005, 3:39pm
On Nile's catalog page (http://www.btinternet.com/~john.baldry/mando/hokkanen.html), there are listings of old Mandocrucian Digest issues with Niles writing something called "clawhammer mandolin" which I assume is playing mandolin clawhammer style. Maybe Niles will weigh in.

John Flynn
Oct-04-2005, 3:53pm
I have tried fingerpicking, which I used to do pretty well on the guitar, but on mandolin I much prefer crosspicking. I can hit all the same notes to the same effect, but it has the advantage that I can switch from that to strums, and to up and down note picking, at will.