how to get better volume at high picking speeds

[DavidKOS]

I've never found the 'rest stroke' to be of much relevance to mandolin picking. It may be a valid technique for guitar pickers, but I daresay it would create a lot of inefficiency for the speed at which mandolin picking needs to be done. Double courses of high tension strings, using a thick rigid pick as most people do, requires a different approach than people who play long-scale, lower tension instruments with single courses of strings, using floppier picks.

Some good points here - but not all of us use those thick, thick rounded picks, and the experience I have with guitar includes acoustic F hole guitars with heavy strings at a pretty high tension, not rock and roll .009's.

As I said, most people think you really have to come to rest full against the next string, but that's not necessarily the case with those downstoke-style picking techniques. It's more about the follow-through of a very small but strong and focused movement that includes the thumb and 1st finger, not just the wrist and arm.

Personally I can't do much of my picking work with anything but a pointed pick shape. The round ones feel like I'm brushing the strings, not really plucking them.

For those that like the big rounded hard picks, that rest-stroke style of picking may not work at all, nor can you really circular pick with a rounded tip.

Anyway, it's almost like there's two camps of picking on mandolin - the old Italian sharp-point picking style, and the more modern style using those rounded thick picks.

Obviously what's "right" is what works best for you.

[Tobin]

Anyway, it's almost like there's two camps of picking on mandolin - the old Italian sharp-point picking style, and the more modern style using those rounded thick picks.

Hmm, I wouldn't necessarily agree that those are the only two camps. In fact, I might venture to guess (and it's just a guess, mind you) that most modern players - especially the bluegrassy ones who feel the need for speed - are using a hybrid of the two.

I've tried super-pointy picks and really round ones, but couldn't make either shape work for me. Like many, many players here, I use a Blue Chip pick (TAD 60 is my preference), which has just the right amount of point to the shape without being too pointy. And the speed bevel lets it move through the strings easily, while still getting full tone. I'm not trying to hype Blue Chips here, as there are other brands which offer similar shapes and options (I like Wegen TF140s as well, which have a similar shape and bevel). I wouldn't call these round, and I wouldn't call them "sharp-point" either. They're the best of both worlds, and they are incredibly popular.

[DavidKOS]

Of course there will be all sorts of shades in between, but I was pointing out the 2 most widely divergent styles.

That pick, the TAD60, looks at least useable in a pinch to me.

On the same website I saw these, though:

http://shop.bluechippick.net/products/Jazz40-LG.html

http://shop.bluechippick.net/td80/

I still would like a sharper point on the TD80, though.

However, for 35 bucks or so I can buy bags of the .73 Dunlop Ultex or Clayton Ultem Spike picks.

Fortunately the world has enough picks that everyone can find something they like.

[bart mcneil]

I tend to agree on the relevance of the "rest stroke". Until I read this thread I had no idea what a "rest stroke" was. Or perhaps I paid no attention when it was discussed. It is probably only useful for a beginner to maintain a sense of rhythm during silence. But I suspect most players will drop it once they become comfortable with the mando and their skills.

[JeffD]

In the Mike Marshall hangout video, on the front page of the café, Mike talks about this, (or did someone already mention this?). There is one part about this very topic, a question from the audience, and Mike takes it from the other side, why can't I play faster when I play louder, how to get better speed at higher volume.

I thought his comments were brilliant, and his remedy, or approach towards a remedy was brilliant as well.

Any summary I give will not do it justice, do check it out. Hint: the secret is in the "other" hand.

[Rush Burkhardt]

Maybe it's just me: 45 years playing the mandolin; the first 25 or so, in a band, playing in bars and the likes 3-4 nites a week; loud, banjo driven bluegrass! No one had trouble hearing my mandolin playing; the environment forced me to be ready for the volume and speed.

For the last 20+/- years, other things have taken priority...family, business, etc. Most of the playing I do is around the house, noodling. Even when I take the time to be proactive enough to learn a new tune, I'm in a comfortable setting with no one driving speed or volume.

I believe one who wants to develop speed and volume must practice with the "gusto" desired in performance. An old lacrosse coach of mine said "Perfect practice makes perfect!"