Re: Nut Width for new build - how important, really
Originally Posted by
shaundeane
Scotter - hi, yes in Matt's class(es). Thank you for this feedback. I'm going to stick with the wider nut. It'll be fine. Adaptation makes the species stronger, right?
Well, technically, only through natural selection. Ouch!
Originally Posted by
shaundeane
Recently I was at Fiddle Hell in Massachusetts talking with Baron Collins-Hill and he played my Girouard A5 (wide nut) and so I asked him how the neck compared to his Ellis and his take was "very similar." I'm lucky to live within a couple of hours of The Music Emporium so whenever local, I stop in. I've played a number of Ellis mandolins - and others there.
Interestingly, I also have an Eastwood Mandocaster that I hot rodded a year or two ago. I don't play that nearly enough but this morning, I did pull it out to A/B it's skinny neck with my Girouard. Nothing astounding happened. Honestly, I think my experience - and anxiety - was a result of not being warmed up enough. And finally, I think it's important to consider how often I play those two chord shapes in those specific locations.
As mentioned in the "Brought home a Buckeye!" thread, my fingers typically adapt to just about anything given enough time. But, this was a real learning experience for me. In my case, not only did the new wide fat neck result in an easier playing mandolin but one that was louder and sounded better all around. Playing mandolin tends to be one of my more musically intensive endeavors. Typically I love to sing when playing stringed instruments but I never thought I'd fiddle away hours at a time playing fiddle tunes on the mandolin without even the desire to sing a note. Heck, I even worked my way through Bach Celler Suite No. 1 by the number one sweet feller, Johnny Seb.
Originally Posted by
shaundeane
So may other inversions options, right?
Fo shizzle. It's funny in that I cut my teeth on mandolin learning guitar style alternating bass on mandolin long before I ever took a Flinner class. I love that he teaches that rather than chop chords in his fiddle tunes class. I often incorporate those bass line into crosspicking exercises that can sound more like guitar style Travis picking instead of the more typical Jesse McReynolds style banjo rolls.
By the way, for alternating bass on an E-chord consider the following: x2xx x220 4xxx x220 x2xx x220 4xxx x220
Thus, you grab the root on the second fret on the D string and then grab the fifth with the fourth fret of the G string. All you need is your index and middle finger to pull this off.
Originally Posted by
shaundeane
Anyway, thanks to you for responding and to everyone else. Very much appreciated. See you in class.
I'll be there with my purple shirt on.
Play that which you feel is groovy, get down with your bad self, and shake your money maker if it makes sense for you to do so.
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