Scales & Chords

[lbracale]

HELP! I am confused. I have been reading this message board for a while now and everyone said to play Aonzo's scales and memorize them forward and back. I understand scales. I printed out the scale sheet and started to play it and Im getting it ok. The problem I am having is i dont really know what the heck im playing. I dont know one note from the other and I think if Im playing scales I should know what the notes are. Can someone please help me out?

Also: I heard some sample of different kinds of mandos such as : Mandolin, Octave Mandolin, Mandocello, Mandola...if you learn one can you play all. I would assume so.

Im sitting here right now having some great coffee learning to play my mando and reading this great board! Thanks to all of you! This is a great place.

javascript:emoticon('http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif')
smilie

[gnelson651]

Its easy to figure what key you are playing in the Aonzo scales (major scales). When you start on the open G string, that is the root(1st note) of the scale (so you start at G, followed by A,B,C,D,E,F#). So if you put your finger on the 2nd fret of the G string, you are playing the A scale(A,B,C#,D,E,F#,G#). Since the Aonzo scales move every 1/2 step, the 3rd fret (going up toward the bridge) is A#(or Bb).

As you move up each fret, you are playing the next note of the major scale. The Aonzo scales teach you how major scales are constructed, as in the 2-2-2-1-2-2-1 pattern (remember this address). You can move this pattern anywhere, such as starting on the D open string to play the D major scale (D,E, F#,G,A,B,C#).

A Mandola is tuned a perfect 5th up so your strings are CGDA low to high instead of the GDAE of a mandolin. A mandocello is tuned C'/C G/G d/d a/a, where the a is a minor third below middle C. #An octave mandolin is generally tuned to GDAD.

So knowing how to play mandolin does not easily translate to the other mandolin families in that the notes are not the same at the fingerboard.

[MandoJon]

Also have a look at the FFcP (aka Four Finger closed Position) scales. You'll find a lot of info in the Mandolin Cafe Lessons section or find the appropriate section in the Jazzmando (http://jazzmando.com/) site.

The FFcP and Aonzo scales should complement each other.

A Mandola is tuned a perfect 5th up ...or down, depending on how you look at it http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif the mandola being lower in register than the mandolin...

Where you have tuning in fifths (like the mandolin) all the patterns you learn for Aonzo and FFcP will transfer but, like Glenn said, a given fret on a given string will not give you the same note. You'll just have to locate your root (tonic) somewhere else. You'll also have to get used to the different scale lengths. I don't play an Octave Mandolin so I'll happily be corrected but I thought it was more usual to tune it GDAE (exactly one octave below the mandolin - hence the name) and not GDAD (was that a typo?).

[TeleMark]

OK, I had downloaded the exercise chart a while back (on my work computer), but now when I click on the link, it takes me to Microsoft.com. When I go to the PDF directory, I don't see that file anymore. Any clue where it went?

There is a file there, but it's 1 page. The one I downloaded was 4 or 5 pages.

[Celtic Saguaro]

Yes, Mandojon. OMs are mostly tuned GDAE. 'Celtic bouzoukis' which are similar but have a longer scale are more often tuned to GDAD and other variants than OMs.