Mando in today's country music

[wiremando]

Since I have started playing mando, I have noticed that it is used in ALOT of todays country/popular music. Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Sugarland, Sara Evans, etc., etc.

Mandolin is becoming more popular these days, and I beleive it's use in today's popular music is a contributing factor to this.

That said, why is the mando tab/sheet music so hard to find??

I appreciate the fact that the Cafe offers so much tab in so many differnt styles of music. It just seems that todays "air wave" music, is being left out.

In my opinion, many of the songs by these performers FEATURE mandolin to a large degree, and frankly wouldn't have the same feel had another instrument have been used. It just doesn't make sense, to me, how these tabs tabs/sheet music isn't being published along with the guitar.

Can anyone offer an explanation as to why this is, or offer a solution??

[jmcgann]

Because the parts are easy to figure out by ear for someone who has had five years experience playing? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Also, because the publishers will probably sell 1000x more copies of a folio with the artist on the cover and a basic guitar chord/piano/vocal arrangement than something with a very small niche marketed like mando tab...

[Curtis]

Because there isn't an actual mandolin player on those tunes. The mandolin pops in for a couple measures on a verse or on the bridge and then fades out (in other words there's not a guy playing mando from beginning to end). It's production ear candy basically. Probably played by the guitarist who knows how to play the mandolin as well.

I was switching the channels during Prison Break commercials last night and heard some mandolin blues on Wife Swap. I would have never stopped for more than a second on Wife Swap if not for that.

[jmcgann]

Also, probably many of the people who post tab here on the Mando Café are posting solos that are in styles that they like themselves. There may not be a ton of fans of "Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Sugarland, Sara Evans, etc., etc." Some folks are strictly bluegrass listeners; some listen to all kinds of stuff. Probably most of us, when focusing on mandolin, are going to go for music where the mandolin has a more substantial role.

[Mike Bunting]

Funny question since I worked a little gig with a wannabe radio star this summer. We learned 3 songs off his CD to play on a float in the Ponoka Stampede and one had an 8 bar mando intro, the onliest reason why I was hired. Good pay, we played the 3 songs over and over again for an hour as the float wandered the parade route and then back to Edmonton. I found it bizarre since I don't have an interest in that kind of music and it was my first gig of that sort. No more unless the money is that good again. How easy it to sell out! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[Laurence Firth]

I suggest you just get the sheet music for the guitar part and transpose it to the mandolin and / or make your own arrangement of the tune. Most guitar sheet music includes both standard notation and tab. Just play the tune using the standard notation. I do this with a lot of tunes that I want to learn where there may not be a specific mandolin arrangement available. Sometimes all I can find is the piano version. I can get the melody and chords worked out from the sheet music and then once I learn it I can modify it so that it works well on the mandolin.

Best of luck with your playing - have fun.
L

[Curtis]

An interesting point I thought of later. . . these artists are actually not very country to begin with. Basically 80s pop/rock music (thanks to Mutt) so instruments like the mando and banjo, when they make an entrance no matter how short, give it just that touch of twang to keep people believing they're listening to country music. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

I happen to like quite a bit of RF and KU so that shouldn't be taken as a knock.

[Jkf_Alone]

i agree that most mando parts in country music are pretty easy to figure out. although there is some pretty good picking on josh turner's "would you go with me" try getting yourself a lick book (Larry McCabe's is good) and learning a few fiddle tunes (ive noticed a lot of country mando has "sally goodin" type slides) this of course is on top of regular practice, but learning some of those licks has helped my ear a lot and helped me hear note/scale relations far better than any resource I've used.

[DryBones]

the real question should be " why isn't there more country in today's country music?" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

On a side note I use to be a Rascal Flatts fan until I tried to email a question to anybody that would answer through their website but the onyl way to contact them was if you were a member of their fan club and you had to PAY to become a member http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif Why would anyone pay just to be a fan? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[John_Bennett]

I'll agree that alot of todays country music may not be as country as it once was. To me thats a non issue though. Music is music. If I like it... I like it, if I don't... I don't. A rose by any other name is still a rose, ya know??

I disagree that it is not being used all the way through the songs. I can listen and hear it all the way through on quite a few of them. And as far as the other songs go, that do use it in moderation....well, less is often more.

I chose to start playing the mandolin, because I liked the mandolin. Whether it be it's size, or the way the fingerboard lays out, or the sound, or whatever....I just like it. I did NOT start playing it because I'm a huge bluegrass fan. (Hell, I didn't even know it was a bluegrass instrument untill my first real lesson). But now that I have started playing, I recognize it in so much of what I hear on Country Radio. Stuff I used to think was guitar, I now hear as mando.

I think it is GREAT that this somewhat obscure little instrument is getting more and more airtime. I think it is sad though, that in order for one to learn to play, one has pretty much got to pick up a whole new style of music, along with the instrument.

It may be easy for someone with five years mando experience to pick out the proper chords and notes to play along with. But for me (about a year experience with mando, and no other musical skills) it is a bit rough.

Most of todays younger generation does not know alot about BG. So when I go in to work (where I keep a mando in my locker), and a few of the other guys bring in guitars, or harmonica's, etc., it would be nice if I could play some of TODAYS popular music, to play along with them. (yes, they can, and do, call out the chords so I can try to keep up on a rythym.)

Most of my practice time is made up of working the few scales I have been taught, workin on various chord forms and my chop, along with a very simple version of Old Joe Clark and Blackberry Blossum. Recently I started working on some slides, and hammer-on/pulloffs, and some tremolo too. So after all this (maybe a couple hours of this a day) I have little time to sit down and TRY to figure out some of todays tunes. You know, hitting the rewind and play over and over again, fumbling around hoping to find the right notes, and probably totally unfamiliar with many of the chords involved.

It sure would be nice to be able to at least know what I am supposed to play (whther by tab or sheet music), rather than trying to figure it out. Then I could at least call out, and play, something that the guys at work would have at least heard before.

Know what I mean??

Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying my BG experience, but that doesn't mean the other musicians I am around will/do.

[Jkf_Alone]

John, maybe you should alternate days, practicing picking up stuff by ear, then the technical stuff the next. what will help you most with your problem is simply time, it took me about 8 months of constantly playing mandolin before i could really play with anyone else comfortably and actually add to the mix (and this is after playing guitar and bass for years!)

as far as learning to play a popular song, just find a Fake Book with songs you like (they have the melody in notation and the chords right on top). then sit down and just play. there isnt very much in the way of mando- specific chord books in any genre besides bluegrass.

You may be talking about mastering the melody of a song though, if this is the case, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. you are playing mandolin, so most likely you are ALREADY better at picking out a melody than the average guitar player. also, dont worry about calling out tunes for now, its more fun to play along to someone elses lead than to have to hold down the lead yourself .

on a final note: did you learn blackberry blossum in G? if you did, why not find the chords for it and have your friends play a backing for you. if you can play BB well, they should have fun doing that (and be impressed with your skill at the same time). also they should have fun improvising over that chord progression as lots of easy blues stuff can be played over it. (if your nervous just play it REALLY slow and milk that melody, its a great tune at any speed)

[John_Bennett]

Thanks,

I spent most of today "playing" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif by ear. Now I remember why I need to practice so much!!!

It was alot of fun, but I definitely need to focus on the practicing still. Need to learn more scales and recognizing what key the tunes are in (this playing by ear should help me with that, right??). I assume if I knew the scales better, finding the right notes would be MUCH easier. A little doublestop training is needed too.

I guess I am just getting a bit impatient with myself. It took me a long, long time to get that G chop down, and I worked on little else. A little picking, but my teacher wants me to learn the rythym part before the leads, so that's where I have spent most of my time.

I think I'll continue with taking a day or two every so often away from the drills, just to play along.

When working on my chop, I chose a song to practice along with. "High Lonesome Sound" has worked great for my rythym chop. I haven't even touched that lead though. Maybe I can find a tune I'm already familiar with for each of these other technigues I'm workin?? Combine the two a little.

I was unaware of "fake books". I'll look into some of those too. I imagine they can be had for most anything/anyone on the market/airwaves??

Playin with the guys at work is great!! No pressure, and everyone is at a different skill level. I'm starting to get where I can recognize chords from watching the guitar player's left hand some.

I tell yall, I hate that I didn't get into playing music when I was younger.

[Curtis]

There are ear training resources available for free on the internet. Might take some searching but they're out there. And once you get them you may have to tweak them a little bit to get them closer to what you're looking for.

I would say keep up with it. Jamey Aebersold's method would probably benefit you a good bit. Even though it's jazz oriented his process of singing all the roots to chord progressions would help you A LOT in establishing key.