I've been playing mandolin for about a year with a focus on blues. I at first resisted tremolo as being an unnecessary embellishment. It didn't take me long to realize its value in blues (or probably any other style of mandolin playing). It has taken me roughly the entire time (using tremolo perhapes two to three hours per day) to begin to feel really comfortable using tremolo. At this point I am working on tremolo on two string pairs. I don't mean to say I am really proficient but I am comfortable with it and can break into or out of it at will. I suspect I am well on the way to being able to use it effectively and think of it now as a positive technique in my (rather small) bag of tricks.
If anyone doubts the value of tremolo I would suggest listening to Jacob de Bandolim (hope I spelled it right).
I don't mean to suggest that tremolo is more effective in blues than other forms of music but I am at the point where (to my own ear at least) I can make it sing and it seems to take on a life of its own certainly different from conventional picking on guitar or mando. To my ear it seems to give special meaning to the term "wail". That (usually high pitched)sustained vibrating voice. Maybe I am being theatrical but off hand I can't think of another instrument which does it as well as the mandolin.
So I guess I have nothing new or profound to offer anyone, except to say that when all that effort begins to pay off in proficient and controlled expression it is a mighty satisfying feeling.
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