Why do mandolin players hunch over their instruments?

[Ivan Kelsall]

Well - Here's one of my favourite Violinists,Julia Fischer ( it may be obvious as to 'why'). Watch her as she plays & if not all the time,many times she is looking along the length of the Violin,maybe at her fingers, at her bowing position - or both ?.
I've been to 100's of Classical concerts in the past, & violinists / viola / cello players etc.,i've seen them all look at their fingering
at times - why wouldn't they ?,
Ivan

[dhergert]

Hmmm, through a number of the passages she plays in this piece, she has her eyes closed. A number of times looking away or at the conductor. Often doing so as she plays in the higher registers. Obviously concentrating.

She clearly doesn't have to look at the fingerboard to know where she needs to put her fingers. For some of the faster passages, watching her fingers would undoubtedly slow her down. She also does glance around, she watches the flow of the piece through everyone within her view, including the audience. She even tunes her E micro tuner in at least one brief break from her solos during the piece.

She isn't the only one during this piece who isn't watching her fingers work. For many, like the cellists, the bassists, the flutists, the horn players and with many of the other instruments it just isn't practical from a playing geometry standpoint to watch their fingers working and the score and the conductor at the same time. Most of these people have scores in front of them and are setup to keep an eye on those and the conductor at the same time, their fingers are out of view.

I had to turn off the sound and just watch them all work together on this piece in order to really see this. I couldn't concentrate on eyes and faces as well as I was listening to the piece, it was just too compelling.

Beautifully done.

[Johnny60]

Sorry folks, late to this party. I don't hunch over - I've had back surgery, and if I contorted myself into some of the shapes that some players adopt I'd end up crippled! I sit up straight, use a strap, and just look down at the fingerboard, look across the room to other players, whatever.

I have absolutely no problem with people who wish to hunch right over their mandolins. I just know that if I did it for any length of time I'd be in a world of pain!

[foldedpath]

If we're going to talk violin... I've noticed that most of the prominent Irish trad fiddlers in a solo or duo concert performance have their eyes focused on the fiddle. Kevin Burke, Liz Carroll, Frankie Gavin, they all stare at their fiddle, often with eyes partly closed, with the occasional glance at their accompanist to signal or confirm a tune change in a set, or the set ending.

Obviously with players of that caliber they're not watching their fingers. I think what's happening is that in a performance, you have to be looking somewhere, and looking at your instrument avoids the distraction of making eye contact with members of the audience, or anything else that might be happening in the room. They're focused solely on the music they're playing, and the instrument is a "safe" landing spot for their eye contact.

They'll make plenty of eye contact with the audience between tunes, telling jokes or talking about what they're playing next. It's the Irish trad version of "working the audience." But they don't work the audience with eye contact while they're playing, the way a singer in a Rock band does. It's eyes on the fiddle during performance, with the occasional glance to their accompanist.

This might explain at least part of the reason why some pro mandolin players seem to be looking at their fingerboard when they don't need to. It avoids distraction by the audience.

[Bertram Henze]

As an ex-violinist, it has always been my impression that there is not much to see on the fretboard, no frets, markers or the like to help navigation. And there's always that bow moving in front of your nose, which is about as entertaining as a windscreen wiper.

[catmandu2]

Fiddle - I rarely if ever look at the fingerboard; however I typically meditate watching my bow on the strings (also on arco doublebass but to a lesser extent) - apparently I need the reference for the activating part of playing (also true with flamenco/classical guitar and harp where there is florid movement of the 'picking' hand - NOT so with smaller/narrower fingerboards banjo, mandolins, etc where my picking hand movement doesn't need to range so much)

[dhergert]

As has been suggested, it may just be a cultural thing in many circles... And a loose definition at that.

Personal preferences and needs definitely overrule; the quality of the music is the common goal.

[allenhopkins]

1. Why do some mandolin players worry about what other mandolin players do -- specifically behaviors that arguably have no musical effect? Moving around, bending over the instrument, whatever...

2. Further, why do some mandolin players have to express this interest in a condescending, "whassa-matta-wid-youse-guys" manner -- then bow out out the discussion afterwards? OP, where art thou? Defend the snark!

3. If you want an instrument that precludes looking at fingerings, take up the concertina. When playing mine, I focus on an imaginary object 2.7 meters in front of me, meanwhile furiously reviewing fingerings inside my brain. The "concertinist's stare..."

[colorado_al]

2. Further, why do some mandolin players have to express this interest in a condescending, "whassa-matta-wid-youse-guys" manner -- then bow out out the discussion afterwards? OP, where art thou? Defend the snark!

I think the OP was just using this thread as a bait to push his gigs. Not quite sure why this thread has kept going in that case...

[Denny Gies]

We all have back problems, some as severe as Igor.

[catmandu2]

Why...?

Believe this was answered in post#13

A lame-ish attempt at sardonic humor, I confess.

I think the OP was just using this thread as a bait to push his gigs. Not quite sure why this thread has kept going in that case...

(it's the internet)

[JeffD]

She clearly doesn't have to look at the fingerboard to know where she needs to put her fingers. .

And that, it seems to me, is the key. Looking at your fingers is fine. Having to look at your fingers in order to put them in the right places, not so much.

[Steve Ostrander]

A Les Paul is a very heavy guitar. I can see how it could cause someone to hunch over.

[Astro]

I have a hunch about the hunch.

The obvious answer is 'cause they're itty bitty.

Sitting in your lap or thigh without strap means most of us will be hunching over it and the bigger you are, the more you'll hunch.

Even when standing, they are so small, there is a tendency to to hunch unless you're a small guy or you wear it up real high.

[catmandu2]

Everybody 'hunches,' or has hunched, from Buddy Rich to Julian Bream...

[MikeZito]

I hunch because:

1. All of those rock concerts I went to in the 1970's left me half-deaf - so I have to get close to the sound hole to hear what I am playing.

2. I am lousy player who constantly gets caught out-of-position - so I NEED to look at the fret board to TRY to play the right notes.

3. Because I am a lousy player, hunching over allows me to hide my face so that nobody will recognize and berate me after the show.

4. I am not very good-looking . . . so, (along with the other hiding reason in answer #3) the less people see of my face, the better.

[Bertram Henze]

4. I am not very good-looking . . . so, (along with the other hiding reason in answer #3) the less people see of my face, the better.

Just to be clear: the bells of Notre Dame don't count as musical instruments

[fatt-dad]

Item 1: "Why" questions are confrontational, whether you intend that or not.
Item 2: Bass v. Base
Item 3: Sometimes looking facilitates technical improvements. The fretting hand, the picking hand, the audience.

Carry on. . .

f-d

[jaycat]

. . . Item 2: Bass v. Base . . .

Steve Larkin is rounding third and headed for home.

[Tobin]

Item 3: Sometimes looking facilitates technical improvements. The fretting hand, the picking hand, the audience.

Good point. Plus, if you have "flying fingers", it's a good idea to watch your fingers whilst playing just in case one flies off. Then at least you'll know where to go pick it up.

[bratsche]

Why do mandolin players like to post threads asking why other mandolin players do this or that?

bratsche

[Bertram Henze]

Why do mandolin players like to post threads asking why other mandolin players do this or that?

bratsche

New thread! I love recursive topics.
Such as "what are your top favorite reasons for asking what our favourite reasons are?"

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Steve Ostrander - "A Les Paul is a very heavy guitar.". As a 'once owner' of one i agree,but it didn't come close to the almost 17 lbs of brass,bronze & wood of my Stelling banjo. After playing mandolin for close to 12 years now,it scares me just to look at it !!,
Ivan

[Tom Haywood]

Bad postures abound, especially with musical instruments. Some of it is just attempting to look like a professional player who happens to have bad posture in their playing or otherwise. Some is taught, as in the classical way to hold a violin - clinched between the chin and the collar bone with the head and the rest of the body cranked and twisted to one side for hours at a time. Some is the result of our own postural issues and the need to find work-arounds to achieve the necessary mechanics for the instrument. And people are willing to continue the bad postures knowing (but denying) they will have serious, painful consequences later in life. A regular gentle yoga practice is a good way to correct the posture, prevent or undo the damage, and bring greater awareness to our postural decisions.

[Mark Gunter]

I like to watch my fretting and picking hand, it's like watching a tennis match the way my head swivels - unless I'm stretching to find a higher degree of musicality or relaxation into a tune, then I tend to look away and upward - or if have an audience, in which case I look out there for signs of life. But mostly, hunching on down and swiveling my head for no apparent reason from picking hand to fretting hand.