The triplets starting in bar 11 are mostly phrased in the Sam Bush fashion- down/slur/up, which allows you to retain the flow of right hand alternate picking, while breaking up the articulation so every note isn't picked (and sounding like typing!) He is also the transcriber of choice for publications such as Mel Bay, Hal Leonard, Acoustic Disc, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, and many other noteworthy publications. Many octave mandolins are large instruments with a long scale length that make them difficult to play. Hello, my question is most likely one of varying opinions but I love playing tunes on my Trinity Octave Mandolin and I’m searching for recommendations on what you prefer for this approach to playing melodies. If the fiddle players don’t like it then they can go get another beer, or add in lots of rolls to keep ‘em busy. It doesn’t stand out like a flathead tenor banjo on jigs and reels but is more versatile in that it works better on slower pieces. The point is that some mandolin chords are impractical on octave mandolin because of the finger stretch required. One of the other musicians at my local session plays Octave Mandolin, and he once let me play a tune on it; it was the most satisfying instrument to play melody on, even though it sounds great playing backup on as well. A mandolin is a string musical instrument, belongs to the lute family. Not only will a lot of those camps have a luthier or two there with multiple instruments you can try, there will be lots of players with instruments that you can hear in sessions, and possibly swap with the players to give different instruments a whirl and see how they play before you go spending lots of money on an upgrade. My Weber Gallatin OM (archtop, f-holes, long scale) seems fine to me for playing melody in a session. I play mandolin and octave mandolin (and banjo). If you are new to the octave mando, the first thing you'll find is that it is nearly impossible to use traditional mandolin fingerings without stretching your hand into oblivion. Holy Cow Steve! There is no hard-and-fast rule. It’s also a lot better at playing backup too. My opinion and not worth much. CMO thanks, I see what you mean - although both my banjo and OM are sufficiently short scale I can reach the 7th fret with my ‘pinky’, "… you might want to aim hugher …" Callison, there are a lot of folk’s that play ITM in Minneapolis/St. This is standard here (in ireland). As a backing choice it works because they play many notes the melody players aren’t. This can make it difficult to keep up with session tempos. Here is an example of the octave mandolin played in an unusual setting: The Wayfaring Strangers. I play tenor banjo and mandolin, and I’m satisfied with both. Some players (either melody players or backers) might prefer the shorter scale length for general comfort. Simon DS. "Disadvantages" include the much longer scale, which makes four-string "closed" (no open strings) chords difficult to finger. I have heard it stated categorically that an octave mandolin is tuned GDAE whilst a bouzouki uses a variety of other tunings (GDAD, ADAD, ADAE etc.) The octave mandolin really finds it's own sonic space in the band, rather than guitar (which tends to get lost among the banjo, piano and drums) or mandolin (whose range is duplicated by the violin). ‘Cello fingering’ just means using 1 finger per fret rather than having one finger govern two frets - so you would shift to a higher position in order to reach the 7th fret. This does, however, depend on your budget - archtop octave mandolins are relatively uncommon and, unlike their flat-top counterparts, don’t really come in budget models. I find the reach of my OM and tenor banjo to be about the same; the banjo being easier to fret since the tension is less due to it having fewer strings. Most often if you tuned it GDAE you called it an Octave Mandolin, regardless of scale length, if you tuned it something else you called it a Bouzouki, and if you had 5 courses a Cittern. That can give it more of a sound that stands out, and is less "muddy". I play melody on mandolin, octave mandolin, and a bit of flute. Paul. The OM is perfectly capable of being a loud instrument, and it has a beautiful sustain. And, no one bothers you if you put a capo on an octave mandolin. I never took it to a session, I wouldn’t subject any of my friends to the sound. Find yourself a loud one, mine holds out with a fiddle, but at sessions the overall sound is what you’ll hear, anyway. I’ve been talking with a luthier (Siveen Mandolins) and he has given me a few choices on wood types so that’s my next step I guess. Here's an overview on how to balance string gauge, neck relief, bridge radius, action height, intonation and string height to make your mando play great. My tenor guitar is just as loud, probably because it has a lager body than the OM, and the single string seems to stand out better. Description. If you’re after volume and are not into the banjo, the Octave Mandolin is for you. History of Mandolin. ; John McGann on Octave Mandolin John McGann, author of Guide to Octave Mandolin and Bouzouki proposes standardized terminology, and discusses a variety of issues on playing the octave mandolin. The problem with the high A, B & C notes on the mandola can be very easily overcome by playing in 4th & 7th "positions" {as in classical guitar method} where necessary. If you’re just playing chords its okay but for melodies - not so much. I have a Goldtone OM that does not cut at all and is better for backup. That’s basically just a slippery slope down to the banjo. If you can play a reel in the neighborhood of 112 bpm on your OM with ease, then just ignore this part. The other problem as a melody instrument is the combination of low pitch, relatively soft attack with double course strings, and "dark" timbre (especially carved archtops like my OM). I find the opposite Wow, 5-6 sessions a week! The stars lined up for me this week and I managed to make it to five sessions in one week. Some mandolin models have 10 or 12 strings. When designing the Coombe octave mandolin, the overall consideration was to make it easy and comfortable to play, and of course to make it sound good as well. The octave mandolin is often favoured for melody because its shorter scale length makes the fingering more comfortable and gives a slightly punchier sound. *Higher* is what I meant . Models from Eastman, Erin, Agnew, Phil Davidson, Tanglewood, Buchanan, Crafter, Ozark, Countryman, plus other quality makers. Mandolas offer mandolin-like textures in a lower, more guitar-like register. Actually, I am playing octave mando exclusively in the group at this time, as the lineup of piano, bass, drums, banjo and fiddle plus 3 vocalists presents a challenge of how to fit in with so much going on. When I’m playing for a dance, I use the banjo for reels and jigs, and the OM for Waltzes. Most tenor banjo players do this." Don't worry about getting the Django style gliss at the end clean- I didn't! The mandolin is an eight string instrument that is usually featured in country, bluegrass, and folk music. Also, the wider fret spacing and larger neck make it less agile than the mandolin -- harder to play really fast melodies, unless you're quite advanced. I would point out that rather than taking a straight bluegrass approach, I phrased this solo a bit more in a traditional jazz mode- with rests, long notes and syncopation. Tenor banjo players with long scale instruments seem to manage, so take that with a grain of salt. F, for example, covers 5 frets. There are a bunch of different ways to play, but here are some basic chords for tunes in the key of D: My particular instrument, made by Stefan Sobell in the year 2000, has a nice combination of sustaining, round tone with a Selmer (the guitar favored by Django Reinhardt) type "honk". One with very, very good players and generally only one box player - I bring the OM for that. It seems to me that, if you are serious about using the octave mandolin as a melody instrument in sessions, you might do well to get an archtop instrument - these generally have more ‘punch’ than a typical flat-top. If that is well within your budget, then you might want to aim hugher and seek out a luthier who makes archtop octave mandolins. ), and I’m hard pressed to keep up with him on flute. On Octave Mandolin that is quite far. Lower on the register still are octave mandolins (a full octave below a mandolin… What I’m about to say may be discouraging, but it’s just one person’s opinion. Even banjo’s are hard to be heard in that session. Dec-12-2019, 11:10am #9. He plays guitar for accompaniment (very tastefully) and uses the OM exclusively for melody. FWIW. There are 20 tunes included in the book, fully transcribed in tablature and standard notation, from Irish to blues and jazz, even a Venezualan waltz. He started a lot of tunes, he could be heard well, he played melody. As a session melody instrument it has some disadvantages. I know one guy who removed the extra strings to make it a 4-string, which worked well for him and gave it a bit more "cut". "justjim - ‘learn cello fingering’ - you’re not talking about retuning to CGDA surely?" As a smallish person myself, I find that playing long-scale bouzouki-type instruments (without a capo) makes my left shoulder ache after quite a short time. A cave painting in France depicts a beautiful musical bowl which is now known as the mandolin. Over the past decade or so, Boise, Idaho, luthier Austin Clark has established himself as a well-respected builder of mandolin-family instruments. OM is more difficult for me to play at faster tempos due, I suppose, to the double courses of strings and longer scale length. We have 5-6 sessions/week in the Twin Cities so you can get your fill of playing. Your best bet is going to be trying different instruments to see what you like. Later on, I get more eighth-notey, particularly in the last 4 bars. In a session I usually play the banjo unless it’s a session that’s new to me and I don’t want to stand out that much until I know people better. But it’s still a slippery slope down to the banjo, he says, speaking from experience… .