Found a key to improvement

[steadypluckinaway]

I know it's been said many times, but I downloaded all the tunes from co-mando, and I have been playing some of these songs with just the backup, and I have already noticed some great improvement in my speed and muscle memory.

Tunes I have been playing: Land's End, Christian's Creek, Diadem and Bluegrass Romp. This stuff is great. I'm loving every second of it.



#http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Bluemando]

I also found that learning Bluegrass Romp helped my speed tremendously, and its a cool song too.
Now if I could only get some of the John McGann stuff.........

[muzicfreak]

I hear yea! I have been trying to work on my right hand tech. and i have to say.. it's still not there but that program helps greatly! I love Lands end one of my fav songs to play right now.. I'll have to check out bluegrass romp right now:) Do you guys have any tips on pick holding and getting the right hand tech for speed and tone? I am getting aggraviated time to time... which i know isn't a good thing but sometimes it frustrating.. but happy picking:)
cheers
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Gary

[steadypluckinaway]

I followed the advice of one of the cafe members and drilled five 1/8" holes in my Golden Gate, and I found a sweet spot in grip tension that is just a little tighter than falling out. I stopped resting any part of my wrist on the instrument, and that helped. Try the crosspicking lessons, that has also helped me out a lot.

[muzicfreak]

Right on:) I will check out the crosspicking lesson.. Also Where did u drill the holes? just where you thought was comfy to your grip? I am sure it's different for everyone...
cheers
Gary

[steadypluckinaway]

Yeah, I just drilled them in a cluster right in the center, spread out so it doesn't crack. Helped a bunch! I am trying to squelch any bad habits in my right hand technique, and the hardest thing for me is to strike the strings perpindicular. I always seem to hit them at a slight angle and while it may seem faster, I just can't get the tone that way. My wife sure is tired of hearing Fisher's H-pipe, but I love the AABBCC version that I have been playing. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[jstrain]

I second the drilling the pick. I had a big triangle pick that I really liked with my guitar, but I had alot of trouble with it slipping out. I used a paper hole puncher and put two holes towards one end. It really helped alot until it cracked in half!

[Guitdolin]

I like to score a grid pattern on my picks with a knife. It is very easy to hold after that. It wears down after a few weeks of playing though, requiring a new pick.

I'll have to try the holes too.

[muzicfreak]

I have the same problem with strokes.. I either have the pick at a slight angle w/ the tip pointing towards the end of the fretboard or my angle coming down is at an angle.. getting it so it's perpindicular is pretty hard...
i guess its called practice practice practice...

[mando bandage]

I got the first vague sense of the circular picking technique last night where you move the pick in a clockwise motion as you play. You get twice the string contact with each complete up and down stroke of the pick and I was amazed at the speed of crosspicking using this technique. Difficult to control (for me at least) but intriguing. Any experienced hands out there care to comment?

R

[levin4now]

Surprised that all that tabledit can do, can it change the key of the song you are learning? Let's say you have it in G, but want it in B (and you are NOT musically gifted..). It would be sweet if it had a 'transpose to XX' option..

Maybe a different program has that capability.

Learned a few good songs today off alltabs. now looking up land's end, bluegrass romp, and the others you have suggested.

[Guitdolin]

TablEdit can change the key. Just make sure you change ALL measures. When you pull up the box to change, I think it defaults to only the measure that the cursor is currently in. It has a "from" box you need to set to 1 and a "to" box you need to set to the last measure number (whatever that is). You can increase or decrease in half-step increments. If you want to go from G to A, then go up 2, etc...

[levin4now]

I guess I have the tefviewer - is there a difference b/w that and the demo version of tabledit? I don't know if i tried to install the demo. I will check immediately....

Awesome awesome awesome. Learned (or started to learn) wayfaring stranger yesterday w/it.

adm

[Coy Wylie]

Yes there is a difference. Go to www.tabledit.com and download the demo version. It will allow you to change keys. I did this on a tune and it worked great. I discovered last night how to change a melody line too. I was working on "Road to Spencer" from a Co-mando file and a couple of notes just didn't sound right to my ears. The program allowed me to change to notes that sounded right to me.