Proper Tremelo or not

[rf37]

Hi all. When I am doing my tremelo...I am hittining the strings way back close to the bridge. I have tried to tremelo further away from it but it is always to no avail. Is this a habit I should try to change and be persistant about it or just let it be. I know I get a differrent sound (ie; not as full) doing it this way but a smooth not so full sound I think is better than a rough full sound. I have only played for about 2 months so help me out here. I like to be comfortable but I also know that sometimes comfort has to be sacrificed at first for good technique

thanks
rd37

[Ravenwood]

At two months you are doing well to be able to do tremolo at all. Near the bridge is actually a good way to learn. Over time, and with practice you will learn to move further away from the bridge and how to use various locations for different tones.

The thing you should probably concentrate on at this point is developing smoothness to a very high level, and possibly making string changes in the process. And, be sure to stay relaxed as that is the key. Just as a side note, it takes most people a year or more to learn to do tremolo well.

[Rob Gerety]

Also work on getting in and out of tremolo. I've been playing for a while (in between guitar playing) and I still don't have a tremolo worth talking about.

[bmac]

It took me probaby close to three years for my old reflexes to become comfortable with tremolo. I think as Rob suggests that getting in and out of tremolo seamlessly is the really tough part. To watch and listen to Grisman is a wonderful learning experience.

[Tim2723]

I'll second all the advice above. After two months you sound like you're doing very well. A smooth transition in and out of tremolo is the key to good playing. While tremolo may be an ornament for other instruments, it is basic to the mandolin. Flawless tremolo is one of the earmarks of the accomplished player. It comes with time, practice, and patience. Keep at it!

[Jim Broyles]

Hi all. When I am doing my tremelo...I am hittining the strings way back close to the bridge. I have tried to tremelo further away from it but it is always to no avail. Is this a habit I should try to change and be persistant about it or just let it be. I know I get a differrent sound (ie; not as full) doing it this way but a smooth not so full sound I think is better than a rough full sound. I have only played for about 2 months so help me out here. I like to be comfortable but I also know that sometimes comfort has to be sacrificed at first for good technique

thanks
rd37

Yes, you should play your tremolo exactly where you play the rest of the time and go in and out of it smoothly. Tremolo is not just real fast strumming, it is in time and in tempo with the piece. You can rest your wrist lightly on the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece if you want to stabilize your hand. Keep practicing. Executing good technique takes time and the more you practice the better you will become at it.

[John Kinn]

The late, great Butch Baldassari had a wonderful tremolo. Check it out on his many records and DVDs.

[lenf12]

I've found that adding a McClung armrest has helped me position my right arm at a better, more comfortable angle for tremolo. YMMV

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[bratsche]

Tremolo is not just real fast strumming, it is in time and in tempo with the piece.

This is an assertion I've seen many times lately on the Mandolin Cafe boards, so much that it seems to be a mando-truism, of sorts. But if so, it is a significant departure from the traditions of classical music. In orchestral playing, the only thing that is considered tremolo is playing fast and specifically arhythmically, or "unmeasured". It may seem like a minor quibble, but I assure you it is not. Violin-family musicians may have passages to play with notations of thirty-second notes, or even sixty-fourth or faster, but those are precisely measured, and never considered tremolo. In an orchestral tremolo passage, one definitely does not want to see the bows of any members' of the string sections going up or down in sync with anyone else.

I always previously assumed this to be true of the pick as well, but now I'm not too sure any more!

bratsche

[Jim Broyles]

Well the strumming can be unmetered I guess but the duration of the notes is metered. However, in every example of tremolo in my music collection, (which includes no classical,) the tremolo is played as a subdivision of the type which gets one beat. What I mean is 16th, 32nd or even 16th triplet tremolo in x/4 pieces. It is used as a way to sustain notes and as a "prettifying" technique to a solo in all the instances I have heard. I just found a YouTube violin lesson on "tremelo" (sic) and she explains measured and unmeasured tremolo. The unmeasured variety would seem to be that sound you hear in an orchestrated pop song at the intro of the piece - it just sounds like one long violin note. In the middle of the piece, within a measure, it would be measured, I presume. Maybe I'm all wet.

[Earl Gamage]

This is an assertion I've seen many times lately on the Mandolin Cafe boards, so much that it seems to be a mando-truism, of sorts. But if so, it is a significant departure from the traditions of classical music. In orchestral playing, the only thing that is considered tremolo is playing fast and specifically arhythmically, or "unmeasured". It may seem like a minor quibble, but I assure you it is not. Violin-family musicians may have passages to play with notations of thirty-second notes, or even sixty-fourth or faster, but those are precisely measured, and never considered tremolo. In an orchestral tremolo passage, one definitely does not want to see the bows of any members' of the string sections going up or down in sync with anyone else.

I always previously assumed this to be true of the pick as well, but now I'm not too sure any more!

bratsche

Yes and Butch Baldasarri said on "Bluegrass Mandolin Workshop" it is pretty much just fast strumming. He did not worry about count.

As usual, there is more than one way to skin the cat.

[Jim Broyles]

Maybe Butch didn't worry about the count as in trying to count the strokes in your tremolo, or while teaching the technique, but I'm pretty darn sure he worried about it while he was playing songs and tunes. If you tremolo too long you throw the rhythm completely off. There are more than a few examples of overstaying your tremolo on YouTube. Also, you can play it too fast and it doesn't sound right, either. Slow down some Monroe tremolos. They are always in time and in tempo.

[Earl Gamage]

I agree that he's not saying you can make a 4 beat measure take 4 1/2 beats because you are playing tremolo. He's just saying he does not care how many tremolo strokes he does, he does not count them. It's pretty obvious that Butch Baldassari played in time:)

I just liked his advice because he seemed to make it easy, low pressure and it works pretty quickly.

[Bluegrass Boy]

Dix Bruce suggested that I use a metonome to practice tremolo, suggesting that steady tempo is a key component.

[Jim Garber]

This is an assertion I've seen many times lately on the Mandolin Cafe boards, so much that it seems to be a mando-truism, of sorts. But if so, it is a significant departure from the traditions of classical music.

I don't know about orchestral string music but most of the classical methods I have (Pettine, Bickford, Calace, etc) include as their preparation for tremelo measured exercises. In addition, Carlon Aonzo, who certainly comes from a classical mandolinn tradition, also breaks it down to measured notes in 8ths, 16ths, triplets, sextuplets, etc.

[Jim Broyles]

I agree that he's not saying you can make a 4 beat measure take 4 1/2 beats because you are playing tremolo. He's just saying he does not care how many tremolo strokes he does, he does not count them. It's pretty obvious that Butch Baldassari played in time:)

I just liked his advice because he seemed to make it easy, low pressure and it works pretty quickly.

When I learned about different numbers of strokes in tremolo and that it matters is when I first heard "Bluegrass Special" by Ricky Skaggs, and then I heard it by Bill Monroe. In both versions, the tremolo lick is a specific tremolo - triplets. If you play it as straight 16th tremolo it sounds wrong. Check it out.

[Schlegel]

Some people do not do a measured tremolo, yes. Some of them are very good. I have just started on Classical Duo-style, and it absolutely must be a measured tremolo, no question, the method book is very precise. Actually, it's improving my speed and smoothness quite a bit, I feel I'll get a good tremolo out of it as a bonus.