Classical style mandolin

[mighty mandomouse]

My daughter is interested in learning to play classical music on the mandolin. I know that you can play any style on any type mandolin but have never heard what style is best suited to classical music (A, F, bowlback, oval hole, f-hole, etc). She lives about 500 miles away and is currently using my PA-2, which I sorely miss and I would like to buy her a good starter but thought I would ask for some advice first. Also, any input about instructional books or DVDs, websites for classical mandolin will be appreciated. Thanks.

[sgarrity]

There is a Classical section toward the bottom of the board

[billkilpatrick]

the consensus on the "classical" section would be for a bowl-back instrument. a flat-back might be an acceptable alternative - the mid-missouri i play is perfect.

by way of a sampler, have a quick look on "youtube" for "classical mandolin" and see if anything looks and sounds like it might suit your daughter.

[JimD]

Though many prefer bowl-backs, there are those of us who do not.

Marilynn Mair uses a Woodley.

I use a Phoenix Neoclassical.

Many of the Gibsons now favored for Bluegrass were originally intended for the mandolin orchestra (classical) market.

[JimD]

Of course, the instruments that I listed in my last post are not starter instruments but you get the idea.

Concerning books:

I still like the old Pettine and Bickford books -- if you can find them. Marilynn's book is due out soon (MelBay).

[Eugene]

As you correctly allude, the right style is whichever she likes. #Personally, I favor bowlbacks. #Unfortunately, new bowlback builds of quality are not cheap, and playable old pieces of decent quality are cheap but can be difficult to locate and identify without experience. #As mentioned by others, spend some time in the classical forum here. #Also, check out the little list I'd posted in this thread. #Methods abounded in the mandolin's golden era, and my list deliberately avoided trying to list any of the trivium.

[Neil Gladd]

It sort of depends on what you are going to play. If by "classical music on the mandolin" you mean violin music and arrangements, then it doesn't much matter. If you want to play classical music that was written for the mandolin, though, then 99.9% of it was written for a bowlback of one kind or another. (More than one type. NO one instrument is perfect for everything.)

The Gibson F-5 was designed for classical players, but the American soloists of that time had little knowledge of the mandolin's historical repertoire, and were playing primarily violin music and arrangements, anyway. That's why they were willing a accept a radical design that was based more on the violin that on traditional mandolin building.

The Gibson type mandolins are well made and sound good, but it's not what the music was written for. Similarly, the piano is a beautiful instrument in it's own right, but it's a poor subsitute for playing harpsichord music.

Whether you care or not is up to you, but it's something to think about.

[mighty mandomouse]

Sorry to be so slow in saying thanks for the great responses. We've got family in town for the holidays and not much time for other things. There's plenty here to consider and I'll start checking it out and pass it on to my daughter. Thanks again.

[Wilson]

One of my favorite mandolin pieces is Mike Marshall's Bach Gmin fugue on the Modern Mandolin Quartet album "Intermezzo." I presume he is playing his Loar and it (and he) sound perfectly beautiful, pick clicks and all. It therefore seems to me that the best answer is a Loar .

[Ken_P]

One of my favorite mandolin pieces is Mike Marshall's Bach Gmin fugue on the Modern Mandolin Quartet album "Intermezzo." I presume he is playing his Loar and it (and he) sound perfectly beautiful, pick clicks and all. It therefore seems to me that the best answer is a Loar .

I think the best answer is to be Mike Marshall, who would sound great on anything .

That being said, for Bach and other violin transcriptions, I love what you can do on a carved top, F hole instrument. It requires a very different touch than bluegrass, of course, but it's really excellent when you get it. I've been fooling around with Mozart violin concerti on my Eastman 515, and it sounds fabulous!

[Stephanie Reiser]

Regarding the Gm Fugue that Marshall played, I've also witnessed him play the Bach Dm Chaccone (sp?). However these are violin pieces played on a Gibson type instrument.
As NGladd alluded to above, I wonder what classical mandolin music would sound like on the Loar.
Personally, I dont think you can go wrong either way.

[Alex Fields]

I pretty much agree with what has already been said. Bowlbacks and arched tops sound very different. I think violin music and arrangements sound better on an arched top, ff-hole instrument, but the classical mandolin tradition (before the twentieth century at least) was centered on bowlback instruments and intended for their tonal qualities, and I doubt it would sound very good on an ff-hole mandolin. So it is partly a matter of what your intentions are and partly a matter of personal preference. I like the sound of bowlback mandolins, but I much prefer arched top ff-hole mandolins and think the latter are more versatile. Talk to your daughter about what she wants to play and have her listen to some good recordings of classical music on different kinds of mandolins so you can figure out what you want to do.

[Dave Hanson]

Simon Mayor seems to do alright with his Mike Vanden A style, in fact he plays all music on it.

Dave H

[Bernie Daniel]

Nice topic.

It has always been my impression that in the hey-days of the American mandolin orchestras, the Lyon-Healy models were considered "closer" to the classical bowl back sound and were the instrument of choice for many. #But the oval hole Gibsons were excellent and were of course produced in much larger numbers and easier to come by. #The PR blitz of Gibson pushed most other makers to the side.

But what about this point? #The flat-back mandolin is MUCH easier to hold and to play and I think that is a consideration too.

As to sound. #Years ago I used to attend the annual meetings of the Fretted Instrument Guild of America. There were always plenty of excellent mandolinists who played Italian and classical music - in fact they seemed to dominate the scene in those days anyway.

So at these meetings I heard many of these folks playing both classical(i.e., some of those first composed for the mandolin by Motzart, Vivaldi etc.)and Neopolitan pieces on mandolins of all types (bowl backs, cylinder backs, flat backs -- both carved and flat tops, both oval and f-holes, in all kinds of makes Gibsons, Washburns, Vegas, Lyon-Healys, Vegas etc. and even a few Martin flat tops).

There are some differences in sound of course but mandolins sound like mandolins and the most important thing in the overall impression of the presentation is the player not the instrument (IMO and others stated this above earlier). #

Because I feel the learning curve is shallower for a flat back mandolin -- because you can actually HOLD it -- my choice with be to find a nice Gibson A-model from the teens to the 1920's. #I do not see how you could go wrong with that.

Have fun finding a nice mandolin.

[Eugene]

But what about this point? #The flat-back mandolin is MUCH easier to hold and to play and I think that is a consideration too.

Having learned mandolin on Neapolitan types, I emphatically disagree. #It's more a matter of that to which you are accustomed. #I have no problem at all holding and playing bowlbacks, seated or standing and strapless. #However, archtop or flat mandolins tend to put my right arm in a position I find terribly awkward for mandolinning. #(I often joke that I would play my Gibson more if it weren't just so hard to hold!) #I have to be seated and angle the mandolin far from my body to try to ape a Neapolitan position to play more difficult music on archtop mandolins.