the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world
When playing in public I use the freed up part of my brain to consider how to connect more with those listening. Catch their eye perhaps, or play louder, or look over at others on stage playing with me to try and keep us together.
When home alone, playing a tune I know well, I sometimes use the spare synapses to look down at my hands and marvel at how they just go on like that.
Short answer is to play and play and play.....eventually this all becomes guided by intuitive flow. Maybe you’ll have a split second thought here or there about a certain lick you want to throw in, but for the most part, mastery means you don’t have to think about all those components. Remember when you learned to drive a car? Had to think about EVERYTHING. Bet you don’t have to think about it much any more.
Gilchrist F5 Mandolin #273, 1993, built for Tom Rozum
Apitius Vanguard F5 Custom Mandolin 2019
White Mandola (custom build, expected April, 2023)
Sumi Sullivan F-5 Mandolin 2003
Weber Diamondback Octave F-Style Mandolin 2014
Flatiron Cadet “Army-Navy” Flat Top Mandolin 1987
Martin HD-28V Guitar 2004
FFcP has provided source material for muscle-memory practice (many thanks to Ted!). Local lessons from an inspiring teacher offered insights into double-stops, and a complete overhaul of right-hand mechanics (many thanks to Scott!).
In conjunction with a listening ear, those concepts put my fingers into double-stop positions supporting chord tones/scales, and either raking or hovering around tension notes until the song goes where it goes... lather, rinse, repeat.
Edit to add: Everything above is what's NOT going through my head; these things are well practiced. Phrasing and dynamics are where my mind exists during performance. How to add variation and interest in the moment... what I really do.
Last edited by Michael H Geimer; Oct-01-2019 at 4:43pm.
If I know what I'm planning to play for a break, I generally focus on my right hand touch and listen hard to what's coming off the mandolin so I can adjust.
If I don't know what I'm gonna play, I try to mentally process the chords I'm playing over in real time, which is not something I'm used to doing but if you can manage it, it does provide a map with a few (or many) ideas for you to fall back on. I'm not very good at it, but then it is only recently that I realized it can be helpful.
Often the only thing on my mind is "oh crap here we go" - in which case I just try to find a few notes in the key that work for the situation, and keep it simple.
Clark Beavans
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