Ponies in the Forest - Gilchrist M3 and Smart Dreadnought

[Chip Booth]

I have been having some fun recently doing some recording, and this is the latest. The tune was written by John Reischman. I believe that John recorded this in GDAD tuning, as I can hear an open D drone at the top, but I kept it in standard.

The song was played on my Gilchrist model 3 and a Lawrence Smart mahogany dreadnought.

[billhay4]

Nice, Chip. Keep 'em coming.
Bill

[mtucker]

you've got trees growing out of your porch ...and a beaver ate the legs on those chairs! i do like that pic and your playing Chip.. is that a Smart A in the pic? ..nice finish.

[Vernon Hughes]

mighty fine..

[mandopete]

Nice to hear the Smart Dreadnought - I came real close to buying one myself a couple of years ago at Wintergrass.

Another fine duet recording Chip - I like your taste in music.

5 Stars!

[Don Grieser]

Sounds wonderful. Great playing!

[Ivan Kelsall]

Really nice playing of a wonderfully atmospheric tune Chip. I think that you've given me a reason to 're-visit' John Reischman's CD "Up In The Woods",
Ivan

[Skip Kelley]

Chip, That is some wonderful playing! You have really got the tone!!!

[John Gardinsky]

Sounds great Chip, what year is your Model 3?

[Chip Booth]

Sounds great Chip, what year is your Model 3?

It is a 2006, tone bar braced. It's just starting to break in.

Thanks everyone! I am pretty happy with the sounds I am getting from the mandolin recording, though not so happy with my right hand performance. I have trouble getting a good representation of the larger body instruments such as the guitar, especially when recording by myself.

Nice to hear the Smart Dreadnought - I came real close to buying one myself a couple of years ago at Wintergrass.

The Smart dred is a really great guitar. Lawrence has a nearly identical one that is several years older, and it is even better in some ways. It feels really played in, and has some serious sparkle on the top end. Mine has developed dramatically, especially in the first few months, and it continues to improve and loosen up. Lawrence doesn't get much notice for his guitars but they really are something special.

[sgarrity]

Mighty fine playing Chip.

[tmsweeney]

This is music I can listen too!

I guess I'll have your next album compiled over time through postings

really great stuff

[JEStanek]

Finest kind, there. Thanks for posting it!

Jamie

[Steve-o]

I finally got around to listening to this. Nice playing Chip. Love the photo too.

[Nick Gellie]

HI Chip,

How did you get the tone so smooth in your recording? Is that for real or did you equalise the sound balance in some magical way?
Great recording - it really has a lovely rollicking feel - well done!

More please!

[Chip Booth]

How did you get the tone so smooth in your recording? Is that for real or did you equalise the sound balance in some magical way?

That is pretty much the tone of the mandolin as I play it. I added a very tiny touch of EQ, only to make the recording sound a little closer to the way I hear the mandolin naturally, since no recording system, no matter how good, "hears" the instrument in the same way our ears do. There is also a little bit of mastering compression to keep the volume from spiking in any way and clipping the recording. All of these processes are minimal, and done with the intention of keeping things as close to reality as is reasonable. A lot of that smoothness can be attributed to playing a very nice mandolin, and also I have worked hard at my right hand technique. I still have a long way to go, but the goal I always keep in mind when I play is to get as full a tone as I can, and to hear the sound of the vibrating wood of the mandolin, rather than the sound of the strings or the pick.

Thanks again to everyone for the kinds words. I am glad you are enjoying the recording. I hope to keep after it regularly for the next month or so and have some new things to share.

[Nick Gellie]

Chip,
To get that woody sound, what are you doing with your right hand that is creating the tone of your mandolin in the recording? Also what pick and strings are you using to reduce the metallic aspect of the tone?

[Chip Booth]

Chip,
To get that woody sound, what are you doing with your right hand that is creating the tone of your mandolin in the recording? Also what pick and strings are you using to reduce the metallic aspect of the tone?

I currently have J74 string on the Gil, though I have also used J75. The strings on the recording are not brand new, but are only a week or two old. I would use a fresh set for any recording for a special purpose, such as a CD, as I actually value the brightness and clarity of new strings. I usually use the Jazzando ProPlec, a large rounded triangle about 1.5mm with very little bevel on it. For this recording I used a shell pick that is roughly the same size and shape and the PP, though it is a little thinner. It also has essentially no bevel, just a smoothly rounded edge. The PP has a sound that tonally is very similar to the shell, though it is a bit darker, and not quite as "organic", though I think it is heads and shoulders above most fancy, expensive picks when it comes to naturalness of tone. It seems to me that most beveled picks made of a hard material create a "clicky" sound, so I avoid them to help get rid of pick click. A pick that is too thin or that has sharp points can also generate a lot of click. The ProPlec was dark to my ear when I first started using it, but once I got used to it I found much to appreciate about it. That is my standard pick, and I only pull out the shell for special occasions.

As for right hand technique, please understand I am learning, and am not the final word on technique. I worked with Mike Marshall several years ago and he converted me to his standard method, where the pick is an extension of the side of the thumb, grasped by the side of the first finger. Motion is mainly up/down from the wrist, unsupported. I struggle with this technique daily, and still find myself going back to old, bad habits every time I play. The difference in power and depth of tone is quite noticeable though, so I continue to work at it. Compared to a "pencil grip" or something like that, you get less pick click, more low end, and generally more volume. The next thing I do is to practice with the intention of pulling as much bass out of the mandolin as I can, making it as dark as I can. This is all about how you hit the string, varying the angle of attack just a tiny bit, until you hear the full depth of the instrument. I expect that this is different for everyone, based on hand position and more variables. I roll my arm over back and forth until I hear as full a sound as I can make, and as little pick noise as I can make. I find I tend to play the middle strings almost straight up and down, but roll my arm over to hit the strings at an angle on the outside strings. Also, I often pick maybe a little bit farther up towards the neck than some bluegrass players do. I play more or less over the area of a fingerboard extension, or just at the end of one that is abbreviated. Mike Marshall plays a little closer to the bridge that I usually do.

Keep in mind, this idea of making the mandolin as dark as I can is an exercise. In performance I may vary the tone. I find it much easier to make the mandolin brighter and thinner, so I practice for the difficult extreme, then use whatever technique the music calls for.

[almeriastrings]

Nice picking. Nice recording. Nice mandolin and guitar!

Well done all round.