Re: Unlocking the upper octave
I don't use much of the upper fingerboard real estate on my OM because I'm playing Irish/Scottish trad and the melodies sit in first position. There is also a feeling that I bought this thing for the sound of the lower pitch, so might as well stay down there and get my money's worth in the tone, milking the long sustain of the open strings whenever possible.
There are a few exceptions though. I play a couple of O'Carolan tunes that move up the neck a bit to cover the extended range of the tune, like "O'Carolan's Welcome." Or "La Partida," a nice Venezuelan waltz that climbs up the neck a bit.
I also play a few slower tunes with a chord-melody approach on OM where a capo makes the fingering and note choices easier, like "Farewell to Nigg" in B dorian with capo at the second fret, "Galway Bay" (hornpipe) in G dorian with capo 3rd fret (actually a cut-away capo that lets the bottom open G string ring out), and "The J.B. Reel" in F# dorian with capo 4th fret. So I'm using that upper range on a few tunes, but I'm cheating with a capo to get there.
Lebeda F-5 mandolin, redwood top
Weber Yellowstone F-5 octave mandolin
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