Mandolins in country-pop music

[Cue Zephyr]

Howdy folks,

(might not be entirely appropriate here but I couldn't think of any other place to post this)

I was wondering - is the mando the most often used 'not-so-standard' instrument in country-pop music? To me it kind of belongs in that part of the arrangement along with the banjo, lap steel and the dobro. I think I'm more often hearing mandolins than any of the other instruments mentioned. This is also one out of a few reasons why I want to learn mandolin. I like to produce music for people and like a slight country feeling to it and I think a mando does that quite well, but isn't as obvious as a banjo or dobro.
Well, I don't really know what my point is, but I just wanted to say that! :D

CZ

[onestepahead]

I was talking about this with someone the other day. One of my friends told me Keith Urban uses the mandolin some. I'm sure others do too, but I'm not familiar with them right off. Very new on the mandolin scene and who plays it, along with everything else. I think the mandolin adds a beautiful sound to just about any genre of music, including country!

[catmandu2]

This seems right up journeybear's alley--he seems to be an avid observor of mandolin prevalence, generally, and I believe his interest particularly is in pop/country music. I'm sure he'll post and be able to give you some feedback.

[Perry Babasin]

Dixie Chicks, Sugarland, Brooks & Dunn, Little Big Town and many more. Mandolin might not be played on every cut but it is one of the "defining" instruments that sort of makes pop songs into country now-a-days. I have a Dixie Chicks DVD that features Adam Steffey ripping it up. A lot of commercial country is basically Pop music with vocal twang, pedal steel, fiddle, dobro, banjo and mandolin in various combinations along with a basic Rock band configuration.

[Jim MacDaniel]

I think one of the guys from Blackhawk play mando on a song here or there, but I'm not too much of a fan so can't remember the titles.

[Capt. E]

I was listening to an interview of Ray Benson, leader of "Asleep at the Wheel", and they use mandolin in their Western Swing repertoire. The Bob Wills classic "Roly Poly" is one example.

[Cheryl Watson]

My Williamson F5 did a tour with Taylor Swift's band. Love her or hate her, there is at least some mandolin used in her music, banjo too.

[Michael Richmond]

Cowboy Junkies use mandolin extensively. An oval hole Gibson from the 20's and a Gibson EM-200.

REM uses mando on a few numbers.

[Elkhorn1]

I've recently had my mandolins (Elkhorn Mandolins) touring with the Zac Brown Band and Joey and Rory; top country husband and wife duo. I also have another one of my mandolins in the hands of Barry Waldrep who has recently done stuff with Randy Travis and Zac Brown. I think mandolins are a very prevelent and up and coming instrument in the country music industry. I think they're a perfect fit.

[allenhopkins]

Depends on the definition of "not-so-standard instrument." If you're assuming that "standard" covers the rock-n-roll arsenal of guitar, bass, drums, and sometimes keyboards, I'd say the pedal steel's the next most popular, with perhaps fiddle after that. Country acts that show a bit of bluegrass or "trad country" influence may have a banjo or mandolin. Bands that don't carry a pedal steel may have a Dobro, occasionally. You can hear harmonica, occasionally an accordion (Cajun or piano-keyboard). Oddly enough, although a huge percentage of country singers carry and strum acoustic guitars, it's noticeable when the acoustic's actually mixed high enough to be heard...

Mandolin has an advantage over banjo, in that it's useful in slow and fast songs. Banjo players often stand around looking lost when the band starts a ballad, although the really good ones have always known how to play behind a slow-tempo number.

Seems to me that a lot of current country really is rock-n-roll with a twangy vocal and a touch of pedal steel or some such. Heavy drumming, loud rock-influenced lead guitar, rock tempos. In that environment, other instruments are often used mainly for accents or a particular textural voice on a particular song. I remember Norman Blake saying that when he pulled out a mandolin from its case, in a Nashville studio, the reaction was as if he'd pulled out a rattlesnake. There may be less orthodoxy now, and Nashville producers may not be as worried about sounding "hillbilly," but I sometimes have trouble telling country from rock.

If you'd like to add a "country feel" to non-country music, mandolin's a good choice, but doesn't sound "unmistakably country"; there are other types of music, Italian, Celtic, classical e.g., that a mandolin may evoke. A nice little "country touch" could be added though. If you want everyone to know you're adding "country," well, there's always the banjo...

[catmandu2]

Allen's right: the seminal "country" instrument these days is a Les Paul, or a six-piece drum kit with as many cymbals...maybe even timbales for a reggae beat.

But, if you want a rural sound, then fiddle; mandos/banjos/dobro often impart a bluegrass feel; and pedal steel is "old school."

One band I play in concentrates in blues, rockabilly, and some country, but the players don't have a "real" country aesthetic--sounds more like SRV or Albert King playing country. I whip out a lap steel and play trad licks to make it sound "country."

[Jim Ferguson]

I agree CZ.......I am hearing a lot of mando in country-pop music. As noted by earlier poster.......Sugarland, Dixie Chicks, Little Big Town, & others are regularly featuring the mando in some of their songs. Jewel's recent Alice in Wonderland song had a nice mando flavour to it too. I love to see this trend in country-pop.......the mando really does add a wonderful richness to the music.
Peace,
Jim

[Cue Zephyr]

My Williamson F5 did a tour with Taylor Swift's band. Love her or hate her, there is at least some mandolin used in her music, banjo too.

I'd say about 50% of her songs if not more. I thought her new album was going pop, but the mando is holding it back quite a bit (banjo in just one track, if I remember correctly).

I would agree with that the 'contemporary country' is really a rock band with some of those instruments added in.

Mando is my first step, banjo or dobro will be my next. Pedal steel I find very interesting as well - but I have to go one by one because 1) I can't learn multiple instruments intensively all at once and 2) I don't have the cash! :D

Fiddle is great too, but I'm a bit afraid of it - mostly because it's bowed and not picked. I've read that you really have to start early or do it a lot in order to get that bow to work. Then of course there's the no-frets but that seems like something nice.

I'm not yet familiar with the bands/groups mentioned in the post above or a few posts back, but I listen to a lot (too much, rather) Taylor Swift and also have Jewel's latest album which I really like too. There's a few mando bits in songs on there as well.

I think it's really that richness it seems to add that really appeals to me.