If you want to be a good mandolin player....

[Bertram Henze]

That depends on what kind of music you want to play. If you like Irish music you're out of luck since there are no snakes of any kind in Ireland.

But they have creatures harder to come by and boosting mojo much more than dead animal parts:
Lepreachauns
Banshees (bean sidh)
Dullahans
Sheela na'n gig
Stray sods
...
Imprison any of those in your mandolin and say good bye to boredom

[T.D.Nydn]

Yeah,but get realistic,how do you fit a leprechaun or a sheela na'n gig through the F holes?

[catmandu2]

This is why mndln lacks mojo for ITM - can't fit a shillelagh..

[Jeff Mando]

These folks definitely have some mojo goin on.

Interesting video. The band seems a little "percussion heavy" IMHO..............

[Bertram Henze]

Yeah,but get realistic,how do you fit a leprechaun or a sheela na'n gig through the F holes?

That is why mandolins in ITM mostly have oval holes. The biggest problem with the sheela na'n gig is to pry it off a church wall in one piece. The problem with the leprechaun is that you'll need a stronger strap because of the weight of all his gold.

[Tobin]

Some old time banjo players put a sock in there.
That’s sort of creepy.

I use a stuffed bunny in mine. I tried a real bunny, but he squirmed too much. And his mojo was weak.

[Ray(T)]

I think rattlesnakes are in pretty short supply in Ireland - something to do with St. Patrick - and I've never actually come across a mandolin equipped with such over on the "mainland" (by that I mean Europe). The only thing we tend to keep in our mandolins is fluff and dust.

What is this "rattlesnake" thing anyway?

[catmandu2]

What is this "rattlesnake" thing anyway?

With the popularity of *grass, look for them soon at Guitar Center (behind the counter - ask).

Seriously, just google/SEOYC "B.M. and rattler tail" or "bluegrass cajon"...and of course it will bring you back here. And...what was the question?

[Sherry Cadenhead]

To really maximize the mojo, I feel a ceremony is in order.

Darn! I was expecting (mandolin) music here!

[Louise NM]

And then, maybe you could get this gig.

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...our-teeth-into!

[Sherry Cadenhead]

Some old time banjo players put a sock in there.
That’s sort of creepy.

Suppose that's where the saying "put a sock in it" came from?

[Sherry Cadenhead]

Suppose that's where the saying "put a sock in it" came from?

Actually, I think it is! According to Google:

This is a colloquial British phrase that originated in the early 20th century. It is generally used when someone is being so noisy as to annoy others. The imagery behind the phrases is that putting a sock in whatever was causing the noise would quieten it down.

[catmandu2]

For mojo and ritual artifacts/implements, objet d'art, hood ornaments, etc, folks get very creative decorating their boxes, horns, et al - I had an old upright (piano) festooned year round with lights, purple and orange Christmas ornaments, of course paisley fabric, framed photos of hendrix, monk, bird et al, other stuff who knows what what hanging off that thing...new orleans jazz funereal style.. I had a gator playing an accordian I wanted to glue on my box, but it works better as a hood ornament..

[Eric Platt]

Tried it once. The sound was vastly improved once someone pointed out to me I should remove the rest of the rattlesnake.

[Ray(T)]

Actually, I think it is! According to Google:

This is a colloquial British phrase that originated in the early 20th century. It is generally used when someone is being so noisy as to annoy others. The imagery behind the phrases is that putting a sock in whatever was causing the noise would quieten it down.

I suspect that they were referring to gramaphones rather than banjos. Q? "This gramaphone/phonograph is too noisy?" - A. "Put a sock in the horn."

[NursingDaBlues]

A rattlesnake rattle is around 90 rattles per second – or roughly 5400 bpm. I’d be hard pressed to maintain that pace for an entire set. I guess I’m just not in the same league as some players, so I’ll just have to pass on working with a rattle in my mandolins.

[T.D.Nydn]

A rattlesnake rattle is around 90 rattles per second – or roughly 5400 bpm. I’d be hard pressed to maintain that pace for an entire set. I guess I’m just not in the same league as some players, so I’ll just have to pass on working with a rattle in my mandolins.

Wikipedia says about 50 rattles a second,,

[NursingDaBlues]

Wikipedia says about 50 rattles a second,,

I guess the one I saw was a Blue Chip rattle.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Yup. The rattlesnake rattle is where all the mojo comes from. I'm a firm believer myself. I put one in my Ellis within days of purchasing it.

Rattles are easy to drop into the f-holes of a mandolin. Unfortunately, fiddle f-holes are too small to fit a rattle through, so they can only be put in when the back is removed. Hence, none of my fiddles have rattles, and that should obviously explain my lack of mojo when playing fiddle.

Do what I did. Drop a baby snake into one of the F-holes. Feed it daily.

Voila! Before you know it, it'll be rattling all night long!

[derbex]

But they have creatures harder to come by and boosting mojo much more than dead animal parts:

Stray sods

Now that's a name for a band!