Devil's dream

[Dan Krhla]

Hi I'm working on the great Devil's Dream and I am getting stuck kinda on one part.

How do you guys (and gals) finger the
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---&#124;----2---2---2---2-&#124;--2---2---
---&#124;--5---2---5---2---&#124;5---2-----
---&#124;-------------------&#124;----------
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part. Esp the F# on the E. Do you barre it with the B on the A or do you cheat with one finger per note? Sorry for the TAB, dunno an easy way to post notation without a scanner and I'm at work thinking 'bout this. I can do it but it always sounds muddy. The two people I asked who "play" this said they have the same problem. I've tried it a couple ways, anyone get it to work cleanly? Much thanks in advance

[AlanN]

I just lay my first across the 2nd fret, get both.

[Dan Krhla]

Thanks for the quick reply! That's the way my hands want to do it, and the way I was going for but the B on the A always sounds bad coming off the D on the A. I guess it's just practice, practice, practice.

Thanks

[picksnbits]

I can't do it cleanly on the mandolin yet, either. I think I've had the best success with barring, though. If I recall correctly, my daughter's fiddle teacher instructed her to kinda roll here index finger back and forth from the A to E strings. I never got the chance to ask if that was just a good learning exercise, or an interim measure until her fingers get bigger or if she just thought that was the best way to do it. I found that I could cover both strings with the finger tip on the fiddle if I kinda squished the finger out flat. I would think a person could cover both pairs on the mandolin if they had big fingers and/or a narrow neck (I don't have either).

[Dan Krhla]

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I *do* have one mando that frets / plays easier than the one I bring with me to work everyday. I'll try again on it on my "good mandolin"* when I get home tonight.

&lt;*Brand names withheld to avoid the jacking of this thread into a Brand A is way better than Brand B thread&gt;

[JeffD]

Once you can get it reliably, a lot of cool tunes become easier to play.

[Dan Krhla]

Sorry to be a pest on this but do you leave both 2's barred the for the whole time and just come on and off the 5, or do you finger 2 & 5 and then quickly switch to barre and then back and forth? Either way sounds ###### when done by me right now and I want to practice it the 'right' way. I know 'right' is a personal thing a lot of times, so maybe not 'right', maybe 'more common'

Thanks!

[Jim Broyles]

d_t_b, yes, leave both 2's barred and basically "hammer" your ring finger onto the 5th fret of the A string for the second and all subsequent D notes. Don't play it as a hammer-on, but just fret and lift, fret and lift... It is a LOT easier if you shift your thumb to the back of the neck to give yourself some strength to hold the first two strings down. The strings are difficult to fret cleanly simultaneously without some way of pinching or clamping the neck.

[Dan Krhla]

Cool, thanks, I'll try that after warm ups tonight!

[jmcgann]

Another trick to try is to imagine a string in the middle of your A and E strings and 'finger that one'- you can catch most of the A and E strings at the outer corners of your callous and a slight rocking motion will add clarity if you need it. My fingers are not very thick but it works for me- just make sure you have 'arch' in the finger and don't come in flat (parallel) to the fret...

[evanreilly]

This is one of the few instrumentals recorded by Bill Monroe where he did not take a break on the mandolin. Brad Keith and Kenny Baker carried the tune, recorded in Bb.
I have worked on it a bunch, both in G and Bb. A great tune, IMHO.

[picksnbits]

GRRRRRR...... I've been hammering away at getting Blackberry Blossom clean at speed with the metronome, now I'm gonna have to add Devil's Dream, with John's rocking finger technique and in G and Bb. I really don't have time for all that. Could we please stop discussing this tune? Then again if Monroe refused to play it in Bb I guess I can too.

[swampstomper]

Evan, are you sure about that Bb? I am sitting here listening to the record (Decca) and it sure sounds like Baker is fingering in A, and Mon takes a break, also obviously in A. Of course with the b*nj* it can be capoed anywhere, so that doesn't help. And this one is pitched about at standard (not Flatt&Scruggs standard +halfnote). Are you talking about the studio recording or something else?

[Peter Hackman]

Evan, are you sure about that Bb? I am sitting here listening to the record (Decca) and it sure sounds like Baker is fingering in A, and Mon takes a break, also obviously in A. #Of course with the b*nj* it can be capoed anywhere, so that doesn't help. And this one is pitched about at standard (not Flatt&Scruggs standard +halfnote). #Are you talking about the studio recording or something else?

I'm pretty sure he confuses it with Sailor's Hornpipe, which is, indeed
in Bb.

I understand that Monroe developed a solo after the recording.

[evanreilly]

Mr. Hackman is correct. I was thinking about 'Sailor's Hornpipe', in Bb. Late night postings should be avoided!
Mea culpa! Mea Culpa!
I don't beleive I have heard a live recording of Bill playing 'Sailor's Hornpipe'. Might be one out there, tho.

And, for the record, 'Devil's Dream', as played by WSM & TBGB is in the key of A. And I try and play it barring the A & E courses.

[jmcgann]

Ah, the old trick of the (unintentional) sped-up recording leads one down the Flatt and Scruggs Highway Of Almost Ab

[picksnbits]

Thanks, Evan. I worked on it in G and Bb last night. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it sure works a lot better in A.

Oh well. It was a nice exercise. Maybe I'll stick with it.

[swampstomper]

Wow! I never realized Sailor's Hornpipe was in Bb. Now that will be challenge... I'll get working on it tonight. I've practiced it in G and A before, also C and D on the guitar.

As for the "almost Ab", it sure makes the sound "pop". I just bought the first volume of the F&S TV shows re-issued by Shanachie and it sure is some powerful, tight stuff. Too bad Curly just chords in the background (at least on these two shows). He seems to have some unusual chords, when I can see them, with three fingers really stretched out on the lower 3 courses. I am going to try to figure them out.

[Peter Hackman]

Wow! I never realized Sailor's Hornpipe was in Bb. Now that will be challenge... I'll get working on it tonight. I've practiced it in G and A before, also C and D on the guitar.

It sits very nicely in Bb with the open d an a strings as
phrase turns. A is harder.