Beginner mandolin playing question

[dash11]

I recently began playing and I was wondering if it was a must that I do up and down strokes. #For a while I was playing with all down strokes. #I purchased an instructional video and it taught otherwise.

[chuck.naill]

Most pickers use the down and up method.

Chuck

[SpookyReverb]

You know, I hadn't even thought about that until a week ago. I've been playing guitar for years, so the up-down thing came naturally when I started playing mandolin a few weeks ago.

My brother, on the other hand, was having a go at my mandolin, and he could only downpick. I think if you are double-picking/fast-picking, whatever it is called, you can go faster, and it has a much more flowing sound.

[JEStanek]

Dash,
I have the same problem of wanting to downstroke only. #This really holds me back in terms of speed and getting a fuller sound. #A good excercise Anthony Hannigan (of the Hickory Project) gave at a clinic I attended was a drill he said he did everyday for 15 minutes or so. #Just pick up and down on each course until you get a good tone. #Then move to the next until you've done all four. #Then do the G down and the A up. #Then G down D up, mix it up so you skip a course or skip two or skip none.

This will help you build muscle memory and it will eventually feel more natural/normal. #It takes time. #Go slow. #As you get used to doing this excercise build up speed. #As you build speed practice your scales with the up/down pattern too.

Finally, take a tune that you can pick the melody on really well with the downstrokes only (a tune you know really well). #Then "re-learn" it at a slow speed doing the down up pattern. #Give yourself time and patience to try this.

Good Luck and Happy pickin!
Jamie

[stevem]

You're hand is making the upstroke motion each time anyways in preparing to make the next down stroke. It's better economy of motion to learn to hit the strings on the way back up: you'll play quicker with less effort. Plus, you need the upstroke when you learn to tremelo (unless you're REAL fast!)
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[edawg]

that is the most important thing my mando instructor tells me....UP & DOWN...TIMING!!

and i believe him, in just the past week, ive caught a snag on blackberry blossom. i know the tune cold but the turn around was giving me a problem when i practiced it the other day. i slowed it down and realized it was my up/down pattern.

speed is not nearly as important as your timing. i think when i try to force myself to play faster, i pick up bad habits (it may sound nice and fast to me...but it may sound rushed to others)

practice slow & practice patiently.

may the force be with you.

[Hondo]

Up and down strokes can really help with your timing: down, with the beat, up, down, with the beat, etc. Of course that's really simplifying things, but ya gotta start somewhere.

[Windflite]

I highly encourage practicing with a metronome in order to improve timing quality. # Bluegrass(at least) is predominately 'on the beat' (as opposed to Rock/Roll=Slightly ahead of the beat and Blues=Slightly behind the beat) #Combining the method described by Jamie above with a metronome (SLOW at first) will produce measureable results in no time. #If you don't own a metronome, here is a link to a free one! #Free Software Metronome Link... (http://www.pinkandaint.com/weirdmet.shtml)
In my opinion, Your are severely limiting your potential if you fail to incorporate Up/Down picking(at some level) in your style. #The problem with bad habits is that they can sound pretty good up to a point..but then the time to 'retrain your brain' in order to get past that point can be so frustrating that interest is lost...

Good luck and happy pickin'!
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[swampstomper]

While I agree with all the comments, let's not be too dogmatic. WSM got great drive with all downstrokes in some passages. Jesse uses various cross-pick rolls with patterns like DUU. For jigs in 3/8 or 6/8 you get a different sound with DUU (moving back over two strings) or UDD (forward). So yes, to flow with a standard fiddle tune in standard time, DUDU is the way to go. But there are other possibilities!

[fatt-dad]

Personally, I don't there there's much choice - you just have to try your hand at learning both the up and down strokes - good luck.

f-d

[dash11]

Thanks, I'll work on this.

Dash

[Pen]

Down & up is (IMO) the most important element of learning. I remember my teaching being totally shocked at my style. I would pick everything UP (never down). He got some good chuckles out of my "style" till i fixed it. -)

[luckylarue]

Depends on what sound you're after. For some Monroe tunes or classical(I know only one), I use almost all dn strokes. One thing that helps me is playing songs I know well using only UP strokes.

[yann-ber]

as i'm a newbie in mandolin but a former guitarist, the motion came pretty automatically. i used to stop on playing for checking if the motion was right.. and it was right as long as i wasn't tinking about doing it! if you are a guitarist, the best way to use up and down is just to not think about it, and you will do it!

i guess the up and down technique has another purpose than simple economy of motion.
the accentuation of notes depends on the technique too. if you choose to have an attack even, for up and down stroke, no problem, but if you want to accentuate a bit, the down stroke will be a bit more agressive than up stroke. test on a simple tune, a Jig tune for instance : groups of quarter notes will sound easily like : Ta-da-da-da Ta-da-Ta-da if you respect the up and down stroke. try to play by beginnig by a up stroke . it won't sound the right way : da-Ta-da-Ta.. you know waht i mean?