Connecting mandolin to ear and brain...

[Ivan Kelsall]

From SincereCorgi - ".... you just have to spend a very large amount of time sucking at it before it gets better." That's exactly where my 'noodling' comes in. However,i don't go at the same tune for hours at a time in one 'lump'. If i do that,i tend to loose touch with the first bits i've worked out. I'll work on a tune & if i come up with something that i like,i'll play it over & over until i can't forget it. Only then will i work on another bit.

I love working on tunes by picking along to them. I especially like it when i can work a harmony part out to a banjo break or something like that. Very often just a simple melody line away from the 'main' melody line is all it takes. It's something that i'm sure all musicians do,it's part of being a musician & great fun.

Those folk fortunate enough to be able to play with other (live) musicians, should be able to put their musical thoughts into practice. I'm doing my best picking along to CD's etc. - but i'm getting there,
Ivan

[UsuallyPickin]

Well .... dadsaster .... Everybody's brain works more or less the same way but we all learn in particular ways ..... repetition is a strong candidate... something has to be played for a person to learn how to play... songs sung or one tone or word at a time.... tunes melodies memorized and then picked apart to understand why a tune hangs together musically.... humming then playing then naming the tones or recognizing pitches and identifying them with notation or TAB..... for me it's a little bit of theory and understanding what works in what keys.. what building blocks form coherent melodies .. what adds tension and what resolves it.. Mary ha a little lamb to Mozart is all 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 C D E F G A B C Learn what tones make what chords and what arpeggios and scales fit where .... You can learn it out of a book or by ear ..... I suggest both. Play with the radio or a favorite recording and listen to what you are doing and what your favorite musicians are doing. You will find you style emerging and merging with your understanding ..... Enjoy the ride.... play daily and be patient . R/

[Ivan Kelsall]

From UsuallyPickin - " Play with the radio or a favorite recording and listen to what you are doing and what your favorite musicians are doing. You will find you style emerging and merging with your understanding .." Absolutely !!. As for 'building blocks' - ALL the great composers have used the previous generation's composers' work as a foundation for their own. Ocassionally,as in the case of Beethoven,they'll break the rules & forge their own musical identity - for others to use.

Bill Monroe himself did exactly that - took existing music forms & melded them together 'his' way, to make 'his' brand of country music - ''Bluegrass'', which bands like ''Greensky Bluegrass'' & ''The Infamous Stingdusters'',to name 2 of my favourite bands,are using as a basis for 'their' brand of Bluegrass music,
Ivan

[Joel Glassman]

Yes --Sing what you play and play what you sing. Just for practicing and
playing George Benson songs I got more "musical" after learning to do that.
It takes a lot of practice though.

[sbhikes]

I am no master of improvisation by any means, but I have found that #1 just keep on playing by ear and #2 sit next to someone who improvises a lot, listen and just let it sink in. Try to copy something you hear them do. This works better in old-time than bluegrass because in old-time you're not playing all by yourself, you're all playing together so you can try stuff out without the spotlight being on you.