Hi you have recieved a lot of interesting information on your question that seems more about another question "what is old tyme music".scgc.om: Is it really possible to make a mandolin sound like a fiddle???
Here are my four answers to your OP because you asked a question of great interest to me -- keep in mind I am not qualified to answer but I have cosidered the question -- so what the hay:
1) listen to the version of Grey Eagle by Bill Monroe that Evan Reilly posted -- it is great and Evan is right -- it tells you a lot -- he posted earlier -- a year or so ago an I have listened to it about 100 times since then I learn something new every time -- thanks Evan!
2) get a fiddle and spend an additional $30 to buy a "fiddle fretter" (Google it) it is a cool device that sticks with adhesive to the fiddle fingerboard and gives you tiny "frets" -- you put you finger ON the frets not between them -- then you can bow a "fretted" instrument and after a while you can get a feeling for how the fiddle sound is made;
3) work on shuffle sounds -- using accentuated back picking to do it "Gery Eagle and also Jenny Lynn are good songs to practice on.
4) get in touch with David Long he has been working on this question for a while and he is a great mandolin player -- as suggest Skip Gorman knows a lot about this too.
Good Luck -- I really do not think you can make a mandolin sound exactly like a fiddle but you will make some great sounds that will certainly work in Old Tyme and you will have fun. That is the main thing.
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