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Thread: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

  1. #1

    Default Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    Does anybody have anything you do when away from your mandolin that help with your mandolin playing or general musicianship? Maybe hand strengthening or stretching? Working on timing of the two hands? Maybe just listening to intervals for ear training? Even just reading books about music theory or composition? Anything like that?

    Like most of us I'm sure, I never get as much time to practice as I'd like. But I often find myself with some down time during the day - riding on a bus, zoning out in a meeting, etc. Just curious if there is anything helpful to do during these times, because I usually just spend them day dreaming about mandolins anyway. I don't expect a revolutionary way to improve my playing or anything and I don't intend to replace actual playing with any of these things, but every little bit of progress is something!

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    Often I just him the tunes I am working on, sing in my head the variations in the melody and visualize playing it on the fretboard. BION that makes a difference when I finally have the mandolin in my hands.
    Jim

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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    I kept blank copies of the mandolin fret board to use for labeling when I had free time at work.

    ex: find and label the notes of a G triad and then highlight all the double stops and finger chords you could find

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    Registered User T.D.Nydn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    Zen practice,,thinking about mandolin when not playing shows your hunger and dedication..Ive been doing this forever,,I picture scale or chord diagrams in my head,review the fretboard in my mind,,actually practice in my mind,etc..also always stretching my left hand,thru out the entire day,like just placing your left hand down on a table and forcing a wide stretch between your pinkie and first finger while pressing down..I do things like that....

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  7. #5
    Gibson F5L Gibson A5L
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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    Listen to a few of your favorite mandolin songs or tunes and get them into your memory. Study the fretboard layout and where "it" all is. Get a mandolin centric book on how to and read until your brain is full. Then when you can pick up your instrument and play you will have some "new" ideas. R/
    I love hanging out with mandolin nerds . . . . . Thanks peeps ...

  8. #6
    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    "You'll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind." Irish proverb

    There is wisdom to this proverb. That said, I'm with Jim. After all if you can't hum the music (or whistle it), you can't really play it. When I'm working on Baroque pieces, I'll strive to whistle my part to my walking pace. Try to recall the values of all the rests and really try to hear the accompaniment!

    Just keep practicing!

    f-d
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  10. #7

    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Wilson View Post
    I kept blank copies of the mandolin fret board to use for labeling when I had free time at work.

    ex: find and label the notes of a G triad and then highlight all the double stops and finger chords you could find
    I think doing these kinds of exercises with just a mental image—no paper—is even more powerful.
    Object to this post? Find out how to ignore me here!

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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    I keep one of those mandolin finger-exerciser things in my truck (I am on the road about 400 miles/week for my job,) and on long stretches of highway I use it to strengthen my left hand, with particular emphasis on strengthening and making more independent my pinkie. I at least feel like I am doing something useful.

  12. #9

    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    There are some good ear training and voice CDs that you can use. Singing applies to mandolin playing, even if you don't sing. Also, there are some good resources just for ear training. I stream them through Apple music, but I think they are also available on Spotify. You can also buy them from the artist or itunes. I use Singing for the vocally challenged, which has a good section on identifying intervals, Ear training on the run, Music lessons to go. Those are a few examples. Early on in my training, I would just try to identify the beat of music I was listening to. Trying to identify whether the melody starts on the root, 3rd, or 5th is also helpful. Then which direction the music goes, for learning melody by ear. And of course actively listening to what musicians you love do and taking note to try to bring some of that to your playing is also a good use of non instrument time.

  13. #10
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    Very often,if i'm trying to learn a new tune / song,or even trying to get one that i've already learned 'right',i'll play the tune over ''in my head'' whilst trying to mentally visualise,'where' i can find the notes. I've found that it helps me a lot. When i pick up the mandolin,i'm half way there (almost !),
    Ivan
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  14. #11
    en kunnskapssøker James Miller's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    I could offer tips for practicing the didgeridoo even though you do not have one on you. Sadly the mandolin seems different. Have a pocket didgeridoo, aka Didge Box, although am unaware if there is a portable pocket mandolin.
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  15. #12
    Registered User smokinop's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    Been practicing in my head for years. When I started playing bands, I would go over chord progressions we were working on, practice remembering lyrics to songs I was learning or going to sing or any other new thing I was working on. When I started flatpicking and playing mandolin, I changed the way held my pick so for about 3 weeks I carried a pick in my pocket to work on my grip and hand position. I think this is a very important part in learning and playing your instruments.
    Kevin
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  16. #13
    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    Crosspicking patterns for my right hand, using my left hand as the four courses and a pick in my right hand.
    This is just to try out sequences and check if I’ve forgotten any. The spacing is more appropriate to my mandoloncello than mandolin, however I’m used to moving between the two without issue so the patterns stick & transfer well enough.
    Eoin



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  17. #14
    formerly Philphool Phil Goodson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Without Your Mandolin

    Your instrument is your brain. (You can practice anywhere.) All the rest is just mechanics.

    (When you see that 12 year old who can play you under the table, do you really think his fingers are stronger??)
    Phil

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