# Music by Genre > Celtic, U.K., Nordic, Quebecois, European Folk >  Mandolin at sessions

## Gusten

I was wondering... Do you people play the mandolin as your main instrument at sessions, or do you bring it along but mainly play banjo or guitar or something else?

In larger sessions, I have a problem getting heard on the mandolin. Small sessions - no problem, and at medium session I can usually get through with a little effort, but I get completely drowned at larger ones. The Gypsy Spirit that I bought from a café-member is rather loud, and I use a hard pick, a pretty hard attack, and try to keep the mandolin away from my body to produce more sound. All in all, I think I sound relatively loud, for a mandolin.

Recently, I've picked up playing the concertina, and I'm having a blast with it. I still enjoy playing the mandolin, and I know a whole lot more tunes on it, but I play more and more on the concertina at sessions. Also, a friend of mine has a tenor banjo, and even though I think the mandolin sounds alot better, I can understand if many mandolin players would bring a banjo to sessions instead.

I'm just curious how you guys reason here.

Best regards
Gusten

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## Randi Gormley

Mandolin is my primary session instrument but since i'm an intermediate player, i don't mind if nobody can hear me but myself.

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## JeffD

I only bring my mandolin. 

Are you using a thick enough pick? That might help the volume.

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## Woody Turner

Though you wouldn't normally think of it for TIM, the daily featured mandolin on the Cafe's main page is one possible solution to your problem. I don't own one but have heard Rich Del Grosso play one. The National may be the loudest mandolin out there, and many find the tone to be sweet.

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## Gusten

Jeff, what mandolin are you playing on sessions? Do you feel comfortable with the volume your producing, while playing at a large session?

The picks I use are just bellow 1 mm thick, and rather stiff. I suppose it's been a few months since I changed strings, which has some impact on volume (and overall tone of course). I use D'addario J74 strings.

Hrm, I feel I'm getting myself on a side-track here, I was mainly interested if people here bring their mandolins as main instruments to sessions.

Edit: Oh, and yes the Nationals seem to be mentioned alot when discussing volume. Maybe some day I'll try and get my hands on one, but probably not within the near future. Never had the oppurtunity to try one.

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## steve V. johnson

I'm a zouk guy, mainly, and I take a guitar.  Rarely I take the mandolin, but it's more about my level of proficiency than being heard.  The one I take is a Rigel A+.  My '36 Kalamazoo KM-11 is louder, tho, but I haven't tried it in a session at all.  Yet.  Real different instruments...

Our sessions used to be up to twenty folks, but are now rarely more than eight or ten.  Some mandolin anecdotes...

One of our longtime session players (just retired and moved away) played concertina and fiddle first but then picked up mandolin because of a shoulder injury that made fiddle and 'tina painful.  The mandolin, a Flatiron Army-Navy style, was quite audible.  

Another of our regulars has a Chris Baird Arches Flat-Top mandolin (spruce over walnut, which I found some years ago for this player) and doubles on button accordion.  The Arches Flat-Top is really heroic in the session, but it can get overwhelmed with more than about eight players.

Probably the best session mandolin I know of belongs to Erik Peterson who lives in Indianapolis.
It's a spruce/rosewood Joe Foley.  It can be overcome a bit by a box and several fiddles, but not completely.  Nice.

Session sizes...  a difficult topic in a way...  When our session was really big, folks used to drop out and talk, drink, eat, hang out... Not by arrangement, but spontaneously, so that it didn't sound like a bloody orchestra and everyone could get some quality time.  That was really nice.
I was so happy to know and play with such considerate folks.   I know of other situations in which sessions have grown large and a smaller group would go to another room or agree to meet another time and place so they could have a smaller session.

Good luck with your 'tina, too, Gusten!

stv

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## Eddie Sheehy

I bring one of my mandos an an OM or zouk.  They don't need another guitar player, and my banjo playing is only so-so...  I'm not too pushed about being heard over the banjos and fiddles...

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## JeffD

> Jeff, what mandolin are you playing on sessions? Do you feel comfortable with the volume your producing, while playing at a large session?
> .


Well I switch off. I bring the Gibson A2 a little more than half the time (see avatar), and I bring my Weber Aspen II the rest of the time, (except the one or two times I bring my Washburn bowlback.)

On the Gibson and the Weber I use the J74s as well. The Gibson is pretty loud, a tad louder than the Weber I think, (at least thats what it sounds like from where I sit.)

I use the Wegen TF140 pick when playing at a jam, as it is a louder brighter pick than the Red Bear or the Blue Chip, which I prefer in small groups or performing solo.

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## Bertram Henze

Being an OM player, I bring only that. With that, I can do most of what others do on mandolin or guitar, so I have no reason to carry several instruments. Besides, I find it hard enough to protect one instrument from damage in a crowded session (falling glasses, musicians stilting their way to the restrooms...). I have no more volume problem, since my OM recently took to a final (?) phase of opening up (after 5 years, go figure). The right combination of strings, bridge and pick eventually will carry you above the din.

Bertram

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## Gusten

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences! Sounds encouraging, so I'll definately keep bringing my mandolin to sessions. There is usually a banjo player or three, and I'm often the only mandolin player, so I feel that I (when heard) contribute to the sound. Maybe I'm preaching to the choir here, but I really love the sound of the mandolin. Such light, beautiful sound - works very well with fiddles, flutes and concertinas, and adds a bit of attack to the tone without drifting too far away from the overall sound.

Anyways - thanks!

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## Bruce Evans

At our weekly session last night we had about 20 musicians. About two weeks ago we had 6. Instrument content last night. 

fiddles - about 7
hammered dulcimer - 1
guitars - 6
bodhrans - 2
banjo - 1
bouzouki - 1
singer - 1 plus the massed ensemble
flute - 1
whistles - 2
mandolin - 1

I always take a guitar. That's my security blanket. I also took my plectrum banjo for the first time. My friend who plays HD always brings his mandolin and that's what I play for a few tunes. Otherwise I would need a crew of roadies to haul my stuff. 

About "being heard" in a large session. I empathize completely, but I think the desire to be heard can lead to drastic overplaying. It has and does for me. When you are in a big session it's tough to be the star. The best way to be heard is to play a different instrument. That different voice tends to stick out - until there are three or four such intruments, then it gets back to the overplaying phenomenon. 

So, no. I don't usually take my mandolin. I play OPM. (Other peoples mandolins)

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## Avi Ziv

I play mostly mandolin at sessions although I'm playing more and more tenor banjo these days. The volume can be an issue and can lead to playing too hard and sacrificing tone and technique. However,  many of the regulars have learned to give me some sonic "space" when I start a set and play a little softer so that they can hear me.

Another thing to keep in mind is that it's surprising how much louder the mandolin sounds when you are in front of it rather than behind. If you have a chance, let someone else play your mandolin at the session and listen. In that case, you have to deal with your own inability to hear yourself well. I have developed a (probably bad ) habit of being hunched over the mandolin so that I can hear it. But then again just look at Angelina Carberry and what her posture is when she is playing her banjo... Some sessions are amplified which can solve part of the problem but our best sessions are not.

I say  - if you like the mandolin stick with it. You will learn to extract more sound and your session mates will hopefully learn to accommodate  you

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## Steve L

I'm playing mostly tenor banjo these days at sessions.  I play mando if there's a set of tunes only 1 or 2 other people know or to weave around the melody on songs (We have a lot of singers.)  I'd like to use the mando and bouzouki more for tunes, but they do get lost easily.

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## foldedpath

I bring a mandolin as my main session instrument. Sometimes I'll also bring a guitar, if I think there's a chance that the regular guitar player or other guitar player's won't show up. 

If I'm pretty sure there will be a guitar player there, I might bring the OM, although this gets into session diplomacy. There is usually another player there who plays an OM, and I'm not sure the session needs two. I'm almost always the only mandolin player at the session, so that's one reason to focus on it. Another reason is that I can lead off a tune on mandolin when my turn comes around in a "round robin" circle. It's a chance to have some input on the tune selection. I couldn't do with guitar, since I haven't learned the fiddle tunes as melody lines on the guitar fretboard. 

The mandolin is a Lebeda F type, strung up with J74's. I actually prefer the sound of TI Starks, but they don't have enough "cut" for this sort of thing. The Lebeda is loud enough to contribute to the music if there aren't more than about three fiddlers in the group. The main session I've been attending has an occasional concertina or flute player, but the core group is mostly fiddlers. If there are five or six fiddlers, then the mandolin can get lost in the mix, and I'll end up tilting it up and leaning forward so I can even hear myself (I see Avi just mentioned something similar).  

There's another tricky thing that I've noticed when playing mandolin in a fiddle-heavy session. The note duration on mandolin is short, the fiddle notes are longer sustain, and we're all playing exactly the same notes. So, the better I "meld" with the other players in session and really lock into the tune, the more I tend to disappear in the overall sound. It's self-defeating, in a way. I can hear myself much better in a big group of fiddlers when I'm hitting clams left and right.

I suppose I could try a resonator mandolin for the larger sessions, but one nice thing about the Lebeda is that I can back off and play very quietly, when I'm learning a new tune "on the fly" and don't want to disturb the other players. I'm not sure how well that would work with a resonator.

Anyway, I haven't felt any strong desire to switch to a different melody instrument for Irish (or OldTime) sessions. The only one that would be remotely tempting is the fiddle, and I don't have another lifetime available to climb that learning curve.

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## mikeyes

Whenever I travel by plane, I usually take my mandolin.  I play mandolin and banjo in our local session and there are times when there will be three mandolins (out of 9 people, usually) at the same session.  

It is likely that you will be heard in the session.  If there are twenty people in a session, even the banjos don't get heard - the O'Flaherty Retreat will have that happen sometimes, but since the teachers are all at the same session it is worth the hassle.

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## KCrook

I play in several jam sessions which vary by skill level and the number of people playing. One of those jams is a "Beginner's Slo-Jam," and I try to play the Mandolin at that jam. The other jam that I play regularly in is more of an ‘intermediate,’ level jam, where I tend to be the only guitar player, so I play the guitar almost exclusively at that intermediate jam. 

As I begin to gain confidence in the Mandolin, and if we can add another guitar player to the intermediate jam, I may well begin to play the Mandolin more and more in that intermediate Jam.  But, for now, it is all fun. 

While I lug both instruments to both jams, I do find it difficult to 'switch,' between the two instruments, especially at the intermediate jam where we are playing tunes up tempo, as my fingers become used to the guitar's fretboard, and switching to the Mando can result in some sour notes until I get used to it.

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## Eddie Sheehy

KC, exactly where is that jam located?  What kind of music?

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## steve V. johnson

Tangent to the thread...

"... session diplomacy...", indeed.  

Often when we have multiple banjos, guitars, OMs, accordions (rare, to have more of those), we
end up having folks take turns.  Depending on who it is, sometimes I can play zouk with another zouk/om player if one us capos up, or we capo differently.

Another thing that works out nicely is if a (say) trio of folks have a tune or set that they have in an arrangement, they play it just as the trio once thru and then another time thru so that all can join in.  

I love sessions...

stv

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## JeffD

> but I really love the sound of the mandolin. Such light, beautiful sound - works very well with fiddles, flutes and concertinas, !


I would only modify by saying that the mandolin does not have to sound light. My Gibson can sound pretty thick and creamy, lots of body, especially when the strings are about two weeks old and I us the wegen pick, and play loud with lots of tremolo. On slow airs and laments for example.

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## Jim Yates

> At our weekly session last night we had about 20 musicians. About two weeks ago we had 6. Instrument content last night. 
> 
> fiddles - about 7
> hammered dulcimer - 1
> guitars - 6
> bodhrans - 2
> banjo - 1
> bouzouki - 1
> singer - 1 plus the massed ensemble
> ...


Bruce,
   Does your group play from a tune book?  If not, how do you all play the same chords?  In a session, I've found that one chording instrument is all that is needed. (Some would say that none is the ideal number.) There are so many different "RIGHT" chords for fiddle tunes and though each set of chords sounds fine by itself, they can sound awful if played together.

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## David Currie

I play regularly in a jam session which although small in number - usually between 4 & 6 - has at the core either uilleann (Irish) pipes or Northumbrian pipes.  I have rather a sweet sounding (and reasonably loud) Michael Kelly LFS which can hold its own with the Northumbrian pipes  but with the Uilleanns, if I really want to be able to hear myself, I take along my resonator.  The trouble I have is the resonator is a bit too loud for playing regularly at home and I do prefer the action of the MK.  

I wouldn't think about taking another instrument though.   I play the mandolin, end of!

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## BBarton

I used to only take my mandolin and loved to play it at sessions, but I couldn't be heard (or so some others said). So I solved the problem -- about two years ago I took up Irish tenor banjo.  Now I am heard!!!  And I'm having great fun with it too (and no one's complained)...   Also, I agree with Jim (above) -- one guitarist doing chords is enough, for the same reasons.

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## steve V. johnson

Bruce sez, "Also, I agree with Jim (above) -- one guitarist doing chords is enough, for the same reasons."

This speaks to the limitations of the John Doyle method of accompaniment.  There really can be only one.

However, if there are other ways of playing guitar effectively in Irish sessions...

stv

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## whistler

The mandolin is my main session instrument - it's the one Im most competent on.  I sometimes take a tenor banjo, a fiddle and whistle to sessions. But whether or not they come out of their cases depends on the session.  If I consider the standard to be high, I will stick to mandolin.  If it is of a more intermediate standard, then I might allow myself the freedom to switch instruments for the odd tune.  But I still find the mandolin the most versatile - in my hands, at least.  My local session where I live now has a rather mixed repertoire, featuring quite a high proportion of slower tunes and only a smattering of the Irish jigs and reels that I have the strongest grounding in.  Whilst I am quite adaptable on the mandolin, on the other instruments I am more or less restricted to Irish tunes.  

As regards being heard on mandolin, I don't have much of a problem when playing with fiddles, concertina, whistles, flutes etc. - in a small to medium-sized session, at least.  I might sometimes pick up the banjo when there's a loud accordion to contend with.  But _being heard_ is not necessarily my objective, anyway.  No matter how 'low in the mix' I am, so to speak, I am always an ingredient in the overall sound.  If people want to hear _me_  in particular, they can ask me to play a tune on my own.

BTW, I play a mandolin I built myself (No.1) and I use a trusty Jim Dunlop Nylon .73mm
(a .60mm on the banjo).

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## Gusten

It's great to hear so many people actually bring the mandolin. And yes, being heard shouldn't really be the main objective at a session, but I myself grow a bit tired of not being heard. I'm not talking about blending in with the crowd, but being completely over-run.

I too find that the mandolin is the instrument where I can really express myself. And even if I'll ever get equally skilled... well, decent, at playing concertina, I still love the sound of the mandolin, and will most likely keep bringing it to session.

Thank you all, again, for sharing your thoughts and experiences!

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## BBarton

Didn't mean to imply that "being heard" was the primary objective -- 'sorry about that, as it certainly isn't (and in some cases it may very well be that others really don't want to hear you anyway!!).  I think having a good mix and balance of instruments and having fun are what makes it work, with emphasis on the fun part.  I always take my mando to a session and, at some point, invariably take it out and play it, depending on the tune.

Steve - Point well taken re: guitars -- our regular guitarist does, in fact, play in the John Doyle style (and he's sure good at it).

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## Bruce Evans

> Bruce,
>    Does your group play from a tune book?  If not, how do you all play the same chords?  In a session, I've found that one chording instrument is all that is needed. (Some would say that none is the ideal number.) There are so many different "RIGHT" chords for fiddle tunes and though each set of chords sounds fine by itself, they can sound awful if played together.


Sometimes some guitar players use printed music, some times not. Most rhythm players stick to triad chords most of the time. When there are several other rhythm players I will occasionaly use a color chord which I know will not clash with the triads, e.g., if the prevailing chord is a G major I might play a G6, or on the dominant chord I might play a 9th. 

And sometimes, I don't play at all. And sometimes, it does sound less than perfect. But nobody is keeping score.

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## whistler

UOTE=Bruce Evans;652017]Sometimes some guitar players use printed music, some times not. Most rhythm players stick to triad chords most of the time. When there are several other rhythm players I will occasionaly use a color chord which I know will not clash with the triads, e.g., if the prevailing chord is a G major I might play a G6, or on the dominant chord I might play a 9th. 
[/QUOTE]

Bruce - This still assumes that everyone is playing the same basic chords and chord changes.  Perhaps they are.  But this ignores the fact that there are many possible variations - chords that can be omitted, extra chords that can be slipped in, changes that can be delayed or brought forward...  The full range of possiblities can only really be explored if there is only one backer - or perhaps two, if they can listen to and watch one another very closely (whilst also listening to the tunes).

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## Bruce Evans

> Bruce - This still assumes that everyone is playing the same basic chords and chord changes.  Perhaps they are.  But this ignores the fact that there are many possible variations - chords that can be omitted, extra chords that can be slipped in, changes that can be delayed or brought forward...


I thought I covered that under, "And sometimes, it does sound less than perfect. But nobody is keeping score." It's a session, not band rehearsal.

The rhythm players are usually listening and watching the others hands.

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## woodwizard

I bring my mando only ...about 99% of the time. Never had much of a problem being heard. Guess she's a banjo killer :Smile:  But I tell you what... the best jam/session is when you have a group of pickers that know when to back off so others can be heard. Dynamics etc.  :Mandosmiley:

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## McMandolin

At our regular session I don't stand a chance of even hearing myself with a mandolin.I play an old Gibson melody banjo or a Gibson banjo-mandolin.At quieter sessions I prefer my mandolin.

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## JeffD

The important thing about a session is the playing with other people. I don't take it as a performance where the mix of instruments has to be right. I don't want it to sound bad mind you, and I might do a few things in my power to play where it fits better, but I am not willing to ask anyone else to change anything.

If it were a performance, I would not have four fiddles, seven guitars, three mandolins, a banjo, a bouzouki, a penny whistle, a wooden flute, and a bodhran all on stage at once.

When I was in Scotland years back, playing in sessions, often times you could count the total number of stringed instruments, all combined, add the number of woodwinds, and that would equal the number of bodhrans. Great fun, but with all the incessant drumming I was looking around for the elephants.

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## Mike Bromley

> each set of chords sounds fine by itself, they can sound awful if played together.



Amen, amen, amen.

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## steve V. johnson

For me, the point is ... ahhhh, how to say ...  'community in music'.  For me, a big part of discovering and relishing the stories in the tunes and the spirit of the tunes is playing them in 
community.  But I still hope that, as an ensemble it does sound good, balanced and that folks,
players and punters, can hear/experience the community -and- the innocent and clumsy moments, the experiments, the learning and the virtuosity, too.

That's a lot to ask, but I think it does happen, and more often than not.  Maybe that's just my "pollyanna optimism", of which I've been accused often and regularly.  :-)   Or that I have the great good fortune to get to play with really great folks, and that I know to be true.

It's always really nice to have a mandolin in the mix.

stv

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## John Flynn

On the subject of being heard, I was hoping my friend John L. from Houston would chime in here. He used to play a Sobell at a regular, big session down there, but he couldn't be heard. He acquired a National Resonator mando, put flatwounds on it and plays it with only a medium attack and I gotta say, it sounds great! It blends in very well with the other session instruments, it doesn't sound "reso-brassy" at all, and it can be heard clearly around the room, even when the session is going full tilt. It doesn't hurt that he's a really good player, either.

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## liestman

Thanks John (Sorry, I have been too busy for a while to read the Cafe). Yes, I and I think my session mates love the tone and volume I am getting from the wood bodied National, with Jazzmando strings. Sounds incredibly wooden, just loud, so I can play moderately and retain dynamic abilities and not just slam it hard all the time. My long time favorite Sobell is sitting in the case mostly these days. I recommend the National to almost anyone wanting to play Irish and related music on mandolin who does not want to resort to one of those drums with a neck and strings. (The metal bodied Nationals are not at all the same tone - for me it has to be the RM1.)

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## sgarrity

I'm mainly an old-time player (and some bluegrass) but I've been getting interested in ITM.  I played in a session last night that was great fun.  Me on an oval hole A-style, two whistles, two guitars, one fiddle, and one bodhran.  You could hear the mandolin just fine.  It also helped that these folks have a great understanding of dynamics and it's not a volume contest.  I'm definitely looking forward to learning some of their tunes and playing with them again!!

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## Shelagh Moore

These days I much prefer just to take my mandolin to sessions and in most of the sessions I go to it works well. If, however, I know beforehand it is a rowdy session with other very loud instruments, or is in a venue or pub prone to a large amount of background noise, I will reluctantly take my tenor b***o but mainly so I can hear myself play to join in.

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## Gerry Cassidy

> I thought I covered that under, "And sometimes, it does sound less than perfect. But nobody is keeping score." It's a session, not band rehearsal.
> 
> The rhythm players are usually listening and watching the others hands.


I play my mando, primarily. Although, I bring along an OM, or Zouk when I want to just kick back and comp. 

When playing mandolin I try to sit with the whistle, or pipe players, and blend the really cool mando mojo with them. For me, I feel I am contributing more when blending rather than standing out.  

I also bring a guitar along for just the situation Jim mentions above: If there are one, or two other guitarists that have some seasoning under their belts and know how to orchestrate their playing with the other 6 stringers and OM players in the ensemble it can be a blast.

There was a monthly Kitchen Party I used to attend, and there were a couple other guys I did this with. We would switch off guitars, OM's, and just have a blast mixing it up, yet all of us knew not to step on the tune. These KP's were highlights of my seisiun experience.

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## Bob DeVellis

It's been several months since I've gone to a session but I brought both a guitar and mandolin last time.  I flatpick melodies on guitar, just as I do mandolin.  The guitar cuts through better and flatpicking melody is unusual enough in Irish sessions that it seems to get a positive reaction.   To my surprise, at that last session, there were 4 other mandolin players, about half of the folks there!  Its portability and pleasing voice make mandolin a great instrument for Irish music but they can get overpowered by other instruments as we all know.  I have an old Regal/Dobro that is both sweet and loud but I've never brought it to a session.  I can only lug so many with me and guitar and mandolin is quite a handful right there.

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## steve V. johnson

Hey Gerry,

Which mandolin do you take to sessions?  Is there one of yours that works better for that, or do 
you take whichever one strikes your fancy at the time?

Kitchen sessions are the cream.

Thanks,

stv

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## Gerry Cassidy

> Hey Gerry,
> 
> Which mandolin do you take to sessions?  Is there one of yours that works better for that, or do 
> you take whichever one strikes your fancy at the time?
> 
> Kitchen sessions are the cream.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> stv


Hi Ya', Steve,

KP's are definitely my fave. A little less formal with room (and patience from others!  :Smile:  ) for a little experimentation. Usually to the Top O' the Morn...  :Grin: 

I usually grab whatever strikes my fancy. If one of 'em hasn't been out of the case for a little while I will take it just to get it some playing time. If it's a big seisiun, I'm gonna get buried anyway, so I don't let that add too much to the decision of what to bring along.  

I can't wait to get this Arches Flat Top out to a seisiun. I think I may have the same experience your friend did with theirs. You, my friend, need one of these. You will put it to good use, and me thinks youse will enjoy!  :Mandosmiley:

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## Michael Wolf

I nearly always bring my Mando and my Reso-Tenor to Sessions. Sometimes the Bouzouki instead of the tenor. I bring my A5 and not my A4 anymore. The A5 is very good to hear in most cases, except on these evenings when we have five fiddles. Then it sounds like a fiddle orchestra. But I have several sets that only I and one fiddler do play. One mando and one fiddle is nice. 
I had the new National mando at home to try for two weeks. That was a great opportunity, but to my big surprise I didn´t like the sound, though I´m a big reso-fan and really love my tenor. I also didn´t found it to be very much louder than my A5, which is loud and also sounds nicer to me. The things I play on the tenor are fairly good to hear and can also lead a set.
I´m always surprised that when I play a solo-tune-set on the mando sometimes that the mando can fill the room quite good and isn´t such a quiet instrument like it seems sometimes in the mix.

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## steve V. johnson

Hey Gerry,

We had an Old Group session, they all played together for about a decade and so experimentation happened whenever, wherever and we still integrated new folk pretty well, too.  Then retirement and success took some of our elder (musically elder) players off over the horizons, so now, yeah, the K's are a fine treat and the public sessions are different.  Alas.  The cycle will come around again.

My lust for an Arches is completely unreasonable, and I'm scrambling to see if I can cash out on some audio stuff and hire out for jobs I wouldn't otherwise take ;-) to fill the bag with $$ for one.
Chris rocks.

Let us know how that Arches does in the thick of a rollicking session?

stv

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## Gerry Cassidy

> Hey Gerry,
> 
> We had an Old Group session, they all played together for about a decade and so experimentation happened whenever, wherever and we still integrated new folk pretty well, too.  Then retirement and success took some of our elder (musically elder) players off over the horizons, so now, yeah, the K's are a fine treat and the public sessions are different.  Alas.  The cycle will come around again.


Yeah, it kinda evolves for all of us, huh? I left an outstanding group of friends, and musical kin when I left Az. Still working on creating the latest version here, in Va. There looks to be a great group of folks. I just haven't been able to get out and meet them yet.




> My lust for an Arches is completely unreasonable, and I'm scrambling to see if I can cash out on some audio stuff and hire out for jobs I wouldn't otherwise take ;-) to fill the bag with $$ for one.
> Chris rocks.


Tally-Ho, Mate! Raise the flag and bang the drum for this righteous purpose!  :Smile: 

You're absolutely correct: Chris does Rock. 




> Let us know how that Arches does in the thick of a rollicking session?
> 
> stv


It's going to it's first seisiun this very evening. It's my first visit with this group, so I'm not sure just how much playing will be happenin', but I'll give it my best.

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## Rick C.

> Thanks John (Sorry, I have been too busy for a while to read the Cafe). Yes, I and I think my session mates love the tone and volume I am getting from the wood bodied National, with Jazzmando strings. Sounds incredibly wooden, just loud, so I can play moderately and retain dynamic abilities and not just slam it hard all the time. My long time favorite Sobell is sitting in the case mostly these days. I recommend the National to almost anyone wanting to play Irish and related music on mandolin who does not want to resort to one of those drums with a neck and strings. (The metal bodied Nationals are not at all the same tone - for me it has to be the RM1.)


I'll second that, and this is the only reason I own a National- bought it in 2006, s/n 012.  I called National about the tuners (they kept the mando in tune but were hard to turn, even with adjustment/oil, have since replaced them with Grovers), and they were very surprised someone had bought a National to use for Irish music.  

The RM-1 can sound strident and metallic if played close to the bridge, particularly on the E strings, but if played up near the neck it has a very nice, ringing tone.  

The biggest problem to me in playing mandos in sessions is that many people start playing harder in order to be heard (or to hear themselves), become fatigued, lose all the diddlies, and resort to a thick pick in order to gain volume-- which loses articulation in the tradeoff.

With the National I use a .50 white Clayton (which I've since learned both Scahill and Moloney use) and play with about the same force as I use on a Telecaster-- a welcome relief.  I just use the factory recommened Pearse strings (M2500 maybe, I'd have to go look) and they work well.

 On the Fylde I recently got (and really like), I've just about settled on the normal J-74s and a yellow Clayton .72, though that's still being sorted out.  

 A couple of years ago I was in a Mick Moloney workshop in Atlanta and had the National-- which he eyed with great interest/suspicion during the workshop without saying a word.  At the end I handed it to him and asked if he'd like to give it a whirl.  He played about 10 seconds, looked up, and said, "I want one".

He may have one now, I don't know.

Sorry to be coming to this party so late, I've been slammed at work.


Rick

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