what if chord question

[John Bertotti]

Ok I don't know. Just curious. I see chord charts for gdae, adad, daea, etc. I am building a gdaea mandola 20 and 3/4 inch scale length. if I find a chord off a daea chart I like will parts of it match up with the gdae version. Letting me use if any strings are open all five courses. Kinda vague I know but maybe it will work some off the time. thanks John

[Martin Jonas]

With five courses you're less dependent on having to use every string to make a full chord. So, in addition to coming up with your own GDAEA chord shapes, you can use either DAEA or GDAE chords. If there is a G (or A) in the chord, then just include the bottom (or top) string. If not, leave it out of the strum or arpeggio and you should still have a full-sounding four-course chord.

Martin

[John Bertotti]

Thanks Martin, theory is still real new to me so these simple answers help a lot. Thanks John

[Martin Jonas]

One thing you might find useful is the mandolin accompaniment Music Dial (http://www.musicdials.com/mandolin.html), because it makes transposing chords very easy. Shifting chord shapes up one string is the same as transposing by a fifth, so the dial helps you with sorting out the effect of shifting chord shapes up or down the neck (with a capo or with close shapes) or up by a string. Very useful, even if you're not using the actual chord shapes given on the dial (which are at times a bit peculiar).

Martin

[Bob DeVellis]

If you're tuned gdaea, you can look at any chord for gdae, play that chord on the bottom four courses, and use the same fingering on the high A course as you do on the lower A course. So, if you fret the low A course on the second fret, you can fret the higher A course on the second fret and get the same note, an octave higher. If you grab a chord from a daea chord source, you can omit the lowest (G) course and just play the top four strings. Or, you can identify the location of your finger on either of the A strings and fret the G string 2 frets higher to get the comparable note in a lower octave. So, to take a different example, the note you get on the third fret of an A string (which would be C) will be the same note on the 5th fret (3 + 2 = 5) of a G string (also C). The only problem with this approach is sometimes the reaches may be really problematic. When that happens, the simplest thing might be to leave out the G course and just play the daea chord shape on the top four courses of strings.

As you get more experienced with the tuning, you'll start to recognize which notes in the chord can most easily be played on the "other" course of strings.

Hope this makes sense.

[John Bertotti]

Thanks guys I appreciate it. I am really chomping at the bit for the chord wizard program but they emailed me and said it wouldn't be out for mac to end of next year at the earliest. I'll have to get the dial, it has be recommended to me before just haven't ordered it yet. Thanks John

While were at it could someone explain octave stringing to me. Thanks John http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Bob DeVellis]

Octave stringing is stringing the two strings in a single course an octave apart. So, a G course might have one wound string tuned to the usual G and the other string in that pair a plain one tuned an octave higher. Customary mandolin stringing is unison stringing, with both strings in a course tuned identically.

[John Bertotti]

Thanks is this done to all courses or just a select few. I never considered such a possibility for my mandola five courser but the thought is extremely intriguing. Do you find this stringing becomes old after awhile, as in sick of hearing it? Kinda of like a banjolin is good in short doses? John

[Martin Jonas]

I've only ever seen it done on the lower two courses. I have to say I don't like it -- I don't particularly care for the tone it produces (basically dilutes the full bass notes which are one of the reasons for having an octave to start with), but more importantly, it will inevitably give you intonation problems as you go up the neck. The two strings need different compensation at the bridge, so whatever compensation you choose will only suit one of them. As a result, the two strings go progressively out of tune to each other as you move up the neck. Having two strings almost, but not quite, at the same pitch is much more unpleasant to my ears than having them good and proper out of tune.

Martin

[John Bertotti]

As appealing as it sounds I kind of thought that may be the case Martin. Maybe I'll just go and build a six course mandola next instead of playing with octave stringing. Thanks John HAPPY THANKSGIVING! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Bob DeVellis]

John - too many courses, assuming they're tuned to fifths, can also be a problem because the body cavity can't be the "right" size for the full pitch range. Fewer courses or narrower tuning differences between strings (and thus a smaller pitch range) are ways to avoid this. But tuning to fifths across 6 courses is a huge range.