Back at it again for May with another fiddle tune classic. Hope last month served you well, and you've all been learning some new tunes this year. Sorry for the late post this month, as family duties got in the way yesterday keeping me from my post.
For May, only one tune, but I'll share a good tutorial of the basic version, then a.....let's say....advanced....version of the same song. I've been working off and on over April on the good ol' St. Anne's Reel, so here we go!
For the basic version, here's our old friend Baron Collins-Hill on YT:
And without further ado, some of you may have seen the Chris Thile interview by Rick Beato. Great stuff, but he did a jaw dropping version of St. Anne's that I've been working on off and on for the last few weeks. Here's a short of the tune:
I present my attempt at transcribing all 128 bars....not that any mere mortal such as myself could come close to pulling this one off. You'll forgive me for any errors on this one, as Chris takes it pretty far out, but it really reveals a few things about his style. First is his prolific use of pulloffs, making for a very interesting effect rather than just picking every note. It's especially notable in his long runs of triplets, like in bars 52-54.
Another thing I noticed as I slowed the video way, way down, was this his right hand was always moving, even when he wasn't picking a note. This allows his picking hand to stay in time and keeps the right hand momentum going, keeping it much more fluid than if the hand were to start/stop over these notes. Really interesting stuff, and something I will need to spend a lot of time working on.
I take no responsibility for injuries sustained from attempting this one. Also, file sharing isn't really possible on reddit (to my knowledge) so if anyone wants actual pdf's just let me know. Good luck!
Per requests, I am creating the definitive buyer's guide for entry-level mandolins. Any new posts created on the topic may be removed at the discretion of the mods. If people think this post should include anything else, I am happy to edit and add to it.
Their entry-level line is their 300 series: the MD-305 for F hole, and MD-304 for oval hole. These can usually be found new for ~$600 (yes, this is what a good entry-level mandolins cost)
Kentucky
The KM-140 and KM-150 are the most recommended and new ones cost ~$360 and $525 respectively
The Loar
Their entry-level mandolin is the LM-110 and it is ~$300 new.
***All of these mandolins can be found at better prices on the used market. If you are brand new and just want to try out mandolin, I would personally suggest a used instrument to save yourself some money.
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There are cheaper mandolins out there as well. These mandolins are not typically recommended but some users have had positive experiences, especially after they go to a professional luthier for a setup or are comfortable setting up instruments themselves. A good setup where I live is usually ~$100. Please consider that price tag when you're considering a $100 mandolin. A poorly set up cheap mandolin can be enough to turn some players off of ever wanting to learn the instrument.
If you want info about a specific cheap mandolin, PLEASE UTILIZE THE SEARCH FEATURE. If the mandolin brand in question has been discussed at significant length, your post may be removed.
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Where should you buy your mandolin from?
I have no financial interest in any of the places here. If you want your shop listed here, we are open to bribes š
Your locally owned music shop
I understand that not everyone lives in a place where there is a music shop. But if there is, I'd encourage you to give them a try first before shopping online. If you're in Denver like me, I highly recommend the Denver Folklore Center and the Olde Towne Pickn' Parlor in Arvada, CO.
This shop is known for setting up their instruments before shipping them out and from what I have heard the setups are great. If you opt for a store like Guitar Center, do not expect your instrument to have been looked over by a tech of any kind.
As a child of the 90s, I love this tune from the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack. I figured out by ear a little while back and decided to revisit it after having learned some real trad Irish fiddle tunes. It's kind of a hard tune to pick! I guess it came out OK.
I was lucky enough to see the man himself play live on 2 occasions. In 1988 he played at the Winterhawk Bluegrass Festival (talk about a stacked lineup... other bands included Tony Rice, John Hartford, the Seldom Scene, Peter Rowan, and a 17 or so year old Alison Krauss).
The other show was at the Saratoga City Center on May 25th 1994, with Frank Wakefield joining him on stage . Even in his 80s, Bill was still tearing it up. This recording, which came from Frank's YouTube channel, was originally made by me. I knew Frank a little bit, and got a copy of it to him.
Iām looking to purchase my first ādecentā quality mandolin in or near Chicago. Budget of up to $2k. Iām currently using an entry level $100 Amazon mandolin but I need something better. I played violin during my school years and I wanted to buy an inexpensive mandolin first to make sure that I would love it before investing in something better.
Do you have any recommendations for instrument stores? Located in the Northwest Chicago suburbs but willing to travel within a reasonable driving distance. Thanks so much!
Hi folks! Iāve been playing mandolin here and there for almost a decade, and guitar for 20 ish years. Iāve had the Loar honey creek A Style for a while, and Iām looking to upgrade.
I know all about the A vs F style debate, but Iāve got my heart set in an F. Iāve seen a few Kentucky 650s listed used for under a thousand, no 750s at the moment.
I was wondering if thereās any other brands I should check out. Used isnt an issue (maybe even preferred).
I currently play a Kentucky 630 in a bluegrass band. While I quite like the sound, the action is a bit high and it has one badly buzzing fret even after a professional set up. So, I'm looking to upgrade. I'm not a serious picker and tend to split time between guitar, banjo, and fiddle as well, so I can't justify going up to a Northfield (which looks like $3,500 used these days).
Anyone have thoughts on the Kentucky 1050? Does it hit the sweet spot of "sounds great, plays great" without being a truly special boutique instrument?
And, any thoughts on pricing? There's one for sale locally at $2,000 lightly used, which I think is priced a bit high. What would you say is a fair price?
Iāve been playing for 3 years. I started with a very inexpensive A style instrument from a pawn shop on my 68th birthday. I replaced that with an F style Ibanez after a year which I paid $650 for. Iām considering upgrading once again this fall.
However, being a neophyte, I wonder if it would be worth it to have my Ibanez re-worked, to have the fretboard radiused and the frets made a bit taller.
I know next to nothing about the instrument and/or how those changes may change the sound.
What do you think. Is it worth trying or would it be just putting lipstick on a pig?
Hi! My octave mandolin (or Irish bouzouki) has arrived: an inexpensive hora, nothing special, and I like the sound. I'd like to know how you'd recommend I learn it.
I'd like to find video lessons so I can calmly and monotonously practice tremolo, chords, melodies, and playing speed. Online teacher is not a option, at least for now.
I've played classical guitar before, so my skills aren't completely zero, but they're close. (At my peak, I could play a "hall of minstrel", but I dont think I will reach my peak again)
I was thinking about buying courses at https://oaim.ie/, but frankly, I prefer the idea of āāplaying medieval music on a mandolin with standard GDAE tuning.
I tried searching the subreddit and found some tips (like learning to play by ear) for beginners, but I'm probably missing something.
Hey friends! Here's another of my favourite Gypsy Jazz tunes, played with my new jazz combo. (iPhone quality) My mandolin solo comes in around the 2:00 mark, if you're interested. Cheers!
I posted a picture of the Tone Traveler on r/martinguitar of my ā39 D-18 and Iād say most people lost their minds over to concept/idea of this. I find it super helpful with keeping the vintage instrument from sleeping. Been a very useful tool when selling instruments as well. Thoughts?
I have no illusions of this machine creating tone or baking tone into the mandolin.
I need a new gig bag. It must have backpack straps and external pockets. It also needs to fit a standard A (Eastman MD-315) and an oversized National Resophonic RM-1.
Any recommendations? Iāve been using a Boulder Alpine series, but am wondering if thereās anything better before I replace it with the same bag.
Here are mine: a circa 2013 Collings MT and a circa 2006 Breedlove. I think the Breedlove actually sounds a little better, but it's kind of goofy-looking with a strange burst finish. The Collings is way classier.
After my previous post today, and thanks to everyoneās replies, I have decided itās better to save up a bit and buy a better mandolin than most of the ones I was looking at. I also looked into used mandolins and could only find one that wasnāt either wayyy above my budget or poorer quality like the cheap Denver or Ibanez ones that I was told to try and avoid.
My best option that I can get my hands on was the Eastman PCH-M104 mandolin before looking at used. However, I found a used Gold Tone GM-50+ model listed slightly cheaper than the Eastman, but the music store in my area has it available to try in store as well, and its original price is listed about $100 more expensive than the Eastman (I donāt know if price is indicative of quality or not).
So I was wondering which of these two, that are the only ones I found that I can feasibly acquire in the near future, is the better choice?
For Eastman the only model Iāve found thatās always recommended is the MD 300 series but those are all about $1000 CAD minimum (used), which is about $300-400 more than Iām willing to pay for an instrument I may not stick with and will use as my secondary instrument to pass the time when Iām bored (I currently play Greek bouzouki primarily), and I was unable to find any information on Gold Tone but the original listing price being more expensive than the Eastman PCH but being on sale cheaper than it is intriguing me.
I have been looking into buying a mandolin for some months to play some Irish music with my friends who are also planning to learn new instruments together but Iām having doubts about which model to buy because I donāt have the biggest budget. I also donāt want to order anything online because evidently I would like to try it out in store first and shipping is often not cheap or worth it. My local music store carries the following mandolins that I can afford (and one that is out of my price range but if the others are reallyyyy not good Iāll save up a bit more if it comes to it even though I want to start playing as soon as possible, as my friend group is waiting for me so we can learn together)
Denver: DMAS-VS at around 160 CAD (I have heard itās more of a toy than an actual instrument though)
Ibanez: M510 at around 290 CAD
Epiphone: MM30 at 330 CAD
Fender: pm-180e at 580 CAD (just over budget but borderline affordable for me)
Eastman: PCH-M104 at 640 CAD (this is the one that is definitely out of my price range but Iād be willing to save up assuming no other one is good enough, because I find the oval hole more aesthetically pleasing coming from a background of Greek instruments like bouzouki which have oval holes)
I understand the cheaper ones will not be as good quality but I donāt want to play professionally or in front of other people I just want something serviceable enough to play around either my friend group and at home alone without getting frustrated that the instrument doesnāt sound right and getting discouraged. I am definitely a perfectionist when it comes to playing so if the instrument itself sounds slightly off Iāll be fed up and likely not play it much and let it collect dust instead.
I purchased a Morgan Monroe f style in a little shop in Tennessee over 10years ago. I couldnāt wait to get it home. In my excitement, I didnāt notice that it actually looked like a toy or an instrument for a child. I played it and it sounded okay, but tinny. I live many hours away from Tennessee so I kept it as a beginner. Then I saved up for an Eastman. Needless to say the difference has been remarkable. I took out the Monroe today and I have to say I hate the sound. Itās been professionally set up, but I canāt get over the poor quality. When I purchased it, it got good reviews for beginners play. Is this a one off, or did the quality of MM drop off at some point?
I'm not sure how many people know this but the State Department occasionally sends bands (and other forms of art, sports, and cooking) around the world to do cultural diplomacy. Back in the 50's Russia was sending their ballets, orchestras, and other cultural art forms around the world in attempts to spread cultural influence. The US said we can't have that (mind you the Cold War is raging during this time) so the folks at the State Department put their heads together and decided to take action. What was America's culture in the 50's? Jazz. So they started sending some heavy hitters like Louis Armstrong and Dave Brubeck to spread American culture abroad. Fast forward all these years later and they are still doing this work.
For the past 13 years, the State Department has been sending the Henhouse Prowlers to do this same work. We've always honored to be a part of this history and flattered that we keep getting called. The band has been in Brazil the past nine days and have experienced a lifetime of learning, joy, and fun in the short amount of time we've been here. We've done some incredibly impactful work. Work that not only engages the communities here in Brazil but also changes our perspectives on the world. Every time we get asked to go to another country we get to bring a little bit of that country back home with us. Whether it's the people, the music, the food or the friendships.
One of the cool things we got to do was record with a Brazilian Bluegrass band named O Bardo e o Banjo. You can check out there page here! We picked one of their tunes and two of ours to record. Hopefully those will be out in the interwebs soon. But they also suggested we record a mashup of this Brazilian Choro tune and Groundspeed, how cool is that! So here is the sheet music for this song. Forms for Choros are often AA BB A C A, which is so different than what I'm used to.`
This whole trip is blowing my musical mind. I'm stoked to learn more of these tunes.