Mandolin synergies with other instruments (odd and less odd)

[kurth83]

My mandolin teacher used to say that playing more than one string instrument helps them both improve. In particular guitar and mandolin is a common synergy he sees in his students.

Well I tripped over a slightly less common one.

I play bass guitar, regularly, on Sunday mornings, been doing it for a few years now.

As an aside, I've been known to fake bluegrass parts on it occasionally (real bluegrass players will cringe at this, but yes, we have done bluegrass flavored numbers once in a while). That kind of faking is mostly about lots of root-five's and a sponge near the bridge to simulate a double bass' more percussive sound, not sure I should admit in public I have done that in front of actual audiences, especially to people who know real bluegrass... :-)

But sponge techniques aside, the important part is I have been a three fingered bass player forever (meaning fretboard technique), and never got up the fretboard, because that pretty much requires the infamous four-finger spread. My pinky just couldn't handle bass playing (when joints hurt, you have to stop). I almost gave up bass as a result when I was first learning, but stuck with it because I was the only bass player they had.

Recently, due to a long story involving BEAD tuning on my bass and a decent low-action setup (yes, you can laugh at this, how many years did it take? I don't want to admit it), I became a four fingered bass player, (meaning I actually play bass like you are supposed to at long last), and my pinky is thriving (<<<< YES!!!). I have had trouble with trigger finger in my pinky in the past, but so far so good (been about 3 months so far).

Perhaps not so surprisingly, my weak pinky on mandolin has taken a huge leap forward as a result. Since playing bass is like power-lifting bench-pressing WWF RAW madness for your pinky (even with a low action bass compared to mandolin), my pinky doesn't feel like the weak finger any more. And the past year of mandolin lessons has trained my pinky to actually be able to go where I want instead of flailing madly about and not even coming close to the right fretting position.

So mandolin helped bass, and bass helped mandolin - a lot. But it was all in the pinky (there has to be a joke in there somewhere, help me out guys).

As part of this journey I learned that string bass players (I am not one), use mostly fingers 1,2 and 4, they rarely use the ring finger, and are taught that the pinky is actually stronger than the ring finger when used correctly.

All of this is a big (and welcome) surprise to me. :-)

Well that's it, that was supposed to be somewhat funny, wish I could tell it better. :-)

If you have a synergistic tale to add (or a subject relevant joke), feel free.

[Bad Monkey]

double bass players commonly use the third (ring) finger together with the 4th finger. takes the tension of the tendons and let's you play bass when you're old.

[Paul Busman]

I think that playing ANY other instrument helps my mandolin playing. Certainly playing stretches on a bigger GDAE instrument make those stretches easier on the smaller mandolin. Even playing penny whistle has helped me though. Each instrument adds a different understanding of the music which can't help but improve my playing. I played whistle long before I took up mando, and learning mandolin moved my whistle playing to a higher level too. It's all good.

[jtv]

I can definitely say that chop chords / long stretches seem to be coming a lot easier for me after getting a mandocello recently.

[Nevin]

I am a long time bass player. Playing mandolin has made me a better musician. Being tuned in fifths it kicks me out of the rut of fourths. I find myself trying different things on the bass after I have been spending time with the mandolin.

[JeffD]

Wrestling with learning the fiddle helped my mandolin playing immensely. Struggling with guitar also.

[darrylicshon]

I agree that playing other instruments help , but it can also hurt depending on how much you play an instrument if you go say 6 months without playing your guitar and only playing mandolin it doesn't help your guitar playing. Last time I picked up my violin I felt like I needed practice and I said I would try to practice more and that was at least 4 months ago. I will have to pull them out this weekend

[Mr5150]

I think that playing ANY other instrument helps my mandolin playing. Certainly playing stretches on a bigger GDAE instrument make those stretches easier on the smaller mandolin. Even playing penny whistle has helped me though. Each instrument adds a different understanding of the music which can't help but improve my playing. I played whistle long before I took up mando, and learning mandolin moved my whistle playing to a higher level too. It's all good.

You may find it interesting that after playing my sax for a couple of hours, either at a jam or my jazz class, I can come home and up my mandolin and I feel as warmed up as I would had I been playing it for 15 minutes.

[Voodoo South]

Interesting topic, OP!

My overt crush is, of course, mandolin, but I've a secret love for clawhammer banjo, and in a few years when I feel that the mandolin is safely "under my fingers," I do believe I'll pick up a beginners open back banjer and play around with it. I was planning on going fishing here on this very topic to get advice from the gang in a couple years, but reading this thread has sparked my reply - I got excited!

Regardless, best of luck to you! I'd love to read about you picking up that bass and thumping away! I wish you much success :-)

[Paul Busman]

You may find it interesting that after playing my sax for a couple of hours, either at a jam or my jazz class, I can come home and up my mandolin and I feel as warmed up as I would had I been playing it for 15 minutes.

Yup- I believe that a big part of playing music is about getting your head into the music playing mode. Any and all instruments work. At Irish sessions, I go back and forth between whistle, mandolin and tenor banjo depending on the tune.

[spufman]

Another bass player here, my chosen primary instrument since '78. It wasn't until 5 years or so ago that I added a fifths-tuned instrument (mandolin) and clearly my musicality has gone up from that point. Pure technique may dip a little if I concentrate on one instrument or another, but that quickly comes back. The freedom and flow of rhythm and melody and harmony in the musical space is ever enhanced. I play other things as well, but the bass and mandolin combo sits best with my core. Both lend themselves beautifully to adding subtleties that can both promote and guide the ensemble.

[Fretfet2]

I too feel that playing another instrument has been helpful. I started on mandolin, gravitated to guitar as a second instrument basically to fill in when no guitar player present in the jam group. That has been leading me to learning to play some melody lines on guitar as time has gone on . I have just transferred the mandolin melody to the guitar. Maybe not the best way to develop an instrument solo but that is what it has been so far, already know the tune so just put it on new instrument. I have also transferred some guitar material to the mandolin, strumming and cross picking. Just started goofing around with an old fiddle recently, I could really see the similarity in the holding and fingering technique between the mandolin and fiddle ( the angle of the hand to the fretboard) which has been of help to me as I revisit my mandolin technique. Somehow the direction with the fiddle bow helps to reinforce the pick direction when playing a song, I'm not likely to bow out of the back and forth pattern as a newbie. All things seem helpful. But it does take time to learn more then one instrument, time that could be put into a single instrument.

[soliver]

I've been slowly but surely trying to learn the harmonica in an attempt to teach my daughters music. I have learned more music theory learning to play Mandolin than other instruments I've played in the past. Knowing that has helped me immensely understand what is happening with the harmonica. So perhaps not any technique stuff, but helpful nonetheless.

[farmerjones]

I come from a time where everybody played the guitar. Goofy thing was I bought a banjer before a guitar. I don't remember why? (Cue the jokes) I learnt fiddle & mandolin starting 2003 essentially together. Then piano in 2013. It does all come out of the same place. Not really sure where, but it's between the ears , roughly.

Oh btw, I believe the ring and pinky share a tendon, that's why digital independence can be an issue. Practice bending your index and ring fingers leaving you middle and pinky straight. Now reverse that. Now do the first exercise with your left hand, and the inverse with the right hand. Now switch. Can you go back and forth?

[catmandu2]

As part of this journey I learned that string bass players (I am not one), use mostly fingers 1,2 and 4, they rarely use the ring finger, and are taught that the pinky is actually stronger than the ring finger when used correctly.

On stringed bass, it's primarily a spacing issue (Simandl fingering), especially at the lower positions. Above this, it's more common to find bassists utilizing all four fingers - in fact, in higher positions ('thumb' positions) it's uncommon to use the pinkie at all, as it's hghly inefficacious up there (ergonomically). How low (position-wise) one may employ the third finger is a matter of preference/utility/ability. Check out NHOP for example of someone who uses the third a lot:

[guidoStow]

The theory I know from other instruments is really helpful on mandolin, but it has been hard to unlearn the guitar fingerboard muscle memory (even though it has been many years since I played). But slowly but surely the mandolin patterns are becoming more natural. It is a nice feeling to just reach for notes and have them be there.

[trabb]

Something slightly different- playing mandolin improved my right hand technique on guitar immensely.

[Bonniej]

I just got an acoustic guitar a couple of weeks ago. After hearing all the acoustics in the jams I've been in lately I really missed my old guitar- it finally fell apart after my son started playing it a long time ago. It was very inexpensive but I had a great time playing it. I've been playing my new acoustic and my Mando almost daily. My guitar playing is improving quickly and it's Probably due to my Mando. I'm so glad I have both of them now.
Bonnie

[Toni Schula]

When I was a teenager, I started playing the banjo as my first instrument. But only when I started to play bass guitar for the other band my sense of timing improved to an acceptable level. Till then I always had the feeling that my band mates (and even the metronome, you know) speeded up like crazy in the complex parts of my solos and played way too slow in the easy parts

Then there is the synergy between bass and mandolin, as they are "mirrored". From G to D you go up one string on mandolin and down one string on bass. This somehow supports the counterpoint.