# Music by Genre > Old-Time, Roots, Early Country, Cajun, Tex-Mex >  Cajun Mandolin Resources

## Rick Lindstrom

Can anyone point me to cajun mandolin resources, or information on playing cajun style on the mando?

I've searched but not turned up much yet  :Smile: 

Thanks-

Rick

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## catmandu2

> Can anyone point me to cajun mandolin resources, or information on playing cajun style on the mando?


Yes.  Cajun mandolin is called = fiddle (half facetiously   :Wink: )

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## Paul Kotapish

Hey Rick,

Mandolin really hasn't made many inroads into the traditional Cajun music scene. It's fiddles, button accordions, guitars, and triangles, mostly. Sometime a bass. For bands that cross over into zydeco, add a rub board and plug everybody in. I've played mandolin along with Cajun musicians on a number of occasions and it's a lot of fun, but not really a significant part of the scene. For one thing, much of the essence of the music depends on the subtle rhythms of the traditional bowing or bellows work played against more sustained notes, and that is pretty tricky to emulate effectively on the mandolin. 

I'm guessing the reason you haven't found much is that there really isn't very much to find.

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## Paul Kotapish

Let me add that Niles Hokkanen has probably done more in this area than anyone else I know, and has recorded with Mike Doucet on at least one occasion, so perhaps he'll chip in his $.02 here.

http://www.discogs.com/Michael-Douce...elease/1896909

And Michael Doucet plays mandolin on mandocello on a number of tracks on his large discography, as well.

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## Rick Lindstrom

Paul-

I was sort of thinking that. I mean that there wasn't a tradition for mandolin in cajun music. 

I did however run into the Al Berard Cajun Combo, which evidently makes extensive use of mandolins of various types. Also, I know from listening to "Al Berard and Friends" that he is a very legitimate cajun musician. However, I don't think his Cajun Combo has recorded anything. At least not for sale.

I think mando can probably pull off a lot of that stuff, and it has a percussive second nature that would really add to backup. I guess I'll just have to figure it out for myself.

 :Smile: 

Rick

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## Paul Kotapish

Interesting. I have one Al Berard recording--straight Cajun twin-fiddle tunes with Seattle fiddler Karen England (one of Dewey Balfa's proteges).

Here's more info on Al's current project with Mark Trichka and Lisa Brande, which definitely is mando-centric and pretty darn cool sounding:

http://www.cajuncombo.com/




This is making me rething some of my prior assumptions.

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## Paul Kotapish

More MP3s of that band here: http://www.cajuncombo.com/Listen.html

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## catmandu2

Cajun-grass!

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## Rick Lindstrom

> Interesting. I have one Al Berard recording--straight Cajun twin-fiddle tunes with Seattle fiddler Karen England (one of Dewey Balfa's proteges).
> 
> Here's more info on Al's current project with Mark Trichka and Lisa Brande, which definitely is mando-centric and pretty darn cool sounding:
> 
> (Edit)
> 
> This is making me rething some of my prior assumptions.


Well- I don't know about traditional roles for mandolin in cajun music, but that stuff is darn well developed. Sounds really good too. How about that octave mando backup?

Gotta work on this! Might even see if I can find me a Loar era F-5 triangle. I know that at least a few were made <LOL>

Rick

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## Tripp Johnson

Very nice, thanks for posting this Paul!

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## leisureloo

> Well- I don't know about traditional roles for mandolin in cajun music, but that stuff is darn well developed. Sounds really good too. How about that octave mando backup?
> 
> Gotta work on this! Might even see if I can find me a Loar era F-5 triangle. I know that at least a few were made <LOL>
> 
> Rick


Hi Rick,
I happened upon this thread thanks to a google alert. I play the octave mandolin in that video of McGees one step. We (Cajun Combo) did make a CD that has a combination of mando pieces and fiddle pieces. its for sale thru us (you can email me on our website: wwwcajuncombo.com) and i'll send ya one. Al is coming up north to Vermont where Mark and I are now, to do a couple gigs the last weekend in September. Glad yall like the music. We have a blast playing it. Thanks for all the comments. and yes, Al is the real deal and a beloved musician and person. He got introduced to mandolin through playing festivals where Sam Bush, etc were playing, and fell in love with the mando. Mark and I have a car with the Vermont plate "Mandos"...that about says it all for us.  :Smile: 
Cheers,
Lisa Brande

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## mandocrucian

This question (and others for different genre/techniques/etc) has come up before at various times and I have listed relevant published articles, but doing so has rarely, if ever, resulted in any followup inquiries/sales of MD back issues or other material. (Only a few bucks per ish, and that was when the economy was good too!)

*cajun mandolin content* in (availble) old *Mandocrucian's Digest* issues:
Cajun Mandolin instructional columns (in tab & notation) by Michael Doucet (7-10)
Cajun Mandolin instructional columns (in tab & notation) by Tommy Comeaux ( 13-15, 18-21, 23-24, 26)

I don't know of any other printed instructional material for Cajun music on mandolin other than the stuff I ran in the Digest.

please note....MD issues #'s 1-6 are long gone; don't try to order these (maybe you can find a used copy somewhere).  The remaining issue inventory I am gradually disposing of (turning them into mulch for the vegetable garden ) so I can at least write off the costs as a loss.  

Maybe I'll post one last ad for a package clearance price of issues #7-26 in the Cafe classifieds.


CAJUN BREW (Crowley, LA, 1986): (l-r) Jonno Frishberg (fiddle), Pat Breaux (accordions), Steve LaCroix (bass), Mike Doucet (playing guitar in this band), Jimmy Breaux (drums), Niles H. (w/1957 Fender mandocaster). Outside of the studio where the initial Cajun Brew session was done.

The album Paul K. referred to that I played mandolin on was *Michael Doucet & Cajun Brew*. Al Berard bought a copy of *The Pentatonic Mandolin* _years_ ago and really raved about it; I think I used the quotes from his letter in an ancient book catalog of mine.


Onstage with D.L. Menard and Wayne Henderson, 1987

Niles Hokkanen

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## delsbrother

> Michael Doucet plays mandolin on mandocello on a number of tracks on his large discography, as well.


Check him out on Chuck Guillory's album, Grand Texas. IIRC along with Michael's Cajun mandolin there's a bit of Cajun steel on that one as well.

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## mingusb1

Great photos Niles!

And sign me up for a copy of any MD issues you have available.  You can email me directly at big_mon_dry at yahoo dot com to let me know where to send payment.  

Thanks!
Zack

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## EdSherry

The late Tommy Comeaux used to play mandolin with Beausoleil in the early 1980s, before they added a drumset and Tommy largely switched over to bass.  

His columns in Mandocrucian Digest have a bunch of good material.

On a personal note, before Beausoleil "hit it big" (headlining Carneige Hall), they used to play once a month at the Maple Leaf in the Riverbend section of New Orleans.  Back when I was living in New Orleans, I used to sit in with them on mandolin every once in a while because Tommy wanted to play Dobro.  Fun music -- probably the most infectious dance music on earth.

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