Keeping notes pressed until you have to release

[WindinBoy]

It's so basic to getting a ringing sound, but in Leather Britches (http://www.bluegrasscollege.org/fakebook/Mandolin/LeatherBritchesMandolin.pdf) for example, the song really starts to take on life when you hold the pattern in place for as long as you can.

Now I need to make sure I do the same in all the songs I play. The mandolin notes decay quickly, might as well get as much sustain as possible.

I was playing this in the morning and realized my fingers were all over the place. Holding the position really brought something out of the tune.

On this note, anyone recommend exercises towards this end? Somehow I think it is important.

[mando.player]

That's the same tune that made the light bulb go on for me. Once I got that tune up to speed (for me) I started doing the same thing in other tunes without thinking about it much. Now when I'm learning a tune I pay attention to when and where I should be picking up my fingers.

[lenf12]

Give a listen to Sam Bush playing Leather Britches on "Late As Usual" or even better on his Mandolin Repertoire book/CD. On the latter, he is playing alone so there are no other instruments to obscure the sound of his mandolin. He really gets that thing singing with a lot of drive and droning G string sound. He then breaks the song down by sections and plays it slowly enough for you to really hear what he's doing.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0793599504

Enjoy!!
Len B.
Clearwater, FL