Re: Sitting posture for taller players...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gary Leonard
That's what many classical mandolinists do.
The whole body forms a fist gripping the mandolin, and if you happen to have the type of body for that plus have all your limbs supported in just the right position (a gynecologist's chair comes to mind), it can carry you over a certain stretch before back pain is starting.
But a tall thin player (Ted Cassidy) or a potbellied short fat player (Danny DeVito) might have a hard time forming that "fist".
Re: Sitting posture for taller players...
I use an Italian style where the whole mandolin is held high and it is really solid, but completely independent of whether you’re sitting or standing & even which type of mandolin you hold.
The interesting thing for me is how the position of the arms remains the same for both bowlback and carved top instruments and there is no damping of the back either.
The difference being the longer scale instrument sits further in towards the crook of the elbow, with the lower curve just below the tailpiece being the only point of contact, where the deeper bowlback sits with the peak of the curve just in the hollow between the sternum an top of the belly. The angles of both arms seem to remain the same for both instruments and they stay very stable even when getting enthusiastic; which makes me think how much experience went into the design choices made by those developing the mandolin. If only they’d written down their thoughts behind the choices made and rejectd rather than losing it to word of mouth transmission.