not many ffcp practitioners in the group, i see.
what is that? i'm a newbie
ciao liz - "ffcp" - "four finger closed position" - devised by ted. means you only have to learn a few set patterns to play in any key, anywhere on the fretboard. it helps me to learn/play the instrument instead of just learning/playing the song. here's a support group: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/group.php?groupid=4
Liz, FFcP is a great thing to incorporate into your practice. Even if you aren't planning to play jazz, even if you think you'll never play up the neck. I found, just downloading the free lessons available, and working on them, that your left hand position magically gets into the right position! Here is a link that takes you to Ted's Jazz Mando site, with the downloadable FFcP lessons!
thanks guys, I'll give it a shot this week.
I don't use it because I have not seen it before. In my experience these methods always start out with: Here is a simple way to.... But then they never are simple
Back in those days when I played mandolin and tenor banjo, I was a pure melody player - chords were not an issue. Now that I am an OM player and do also chords, the instrument is just a bit large for ffcp. Besides, I like that drony boom of open strings, so if I can do an open chord, I will do it. I realize that on a mandolin, there is not much drony boom to be expected, and ffcp are also a way to arrange your fingers so they fit on that narrow fretboard, which is not possible with some open chord positions. It is obviously an instrument-dependent technique. I am also with Chris here - simplicity is really just a way to look away from complication. But then I haven't tried ffcp myself, so who am I to judge... Bertram
I too like my open drones... besides, I'm a bit long in the tooth to start over....
I admit that I'm not an FFCP practicioner but I understand the concept from my guitar background. It's imperative to have a handle on FFCP for jazz because of the demands of the music. It's definitely a worthwhile practice and habit to develop as it will open up the neck to a mando maniac. But, there are times when the open strings are part of a musical genre, such as trad Irish, American, or folk, or they're useful in a composition for a specific effect or device. Then there's always just having fun with the instrument and the music which is probably the best attitude to take towards it all no matter what instrument is being played. :^)
I've played around with ffcp a bit. The "Super" version from the jazzmando site is really a wonderful warm up and finger stretcher.
I don't play jazz, and I rarely play 'up the neck', and I just have the FFcP lessons that are available for download, and I don't practice them religiously! BUT, the little that I've done them, I've found that the lessons are GREAT at getting your left hand into the best playing position possible, and in conditioning your fingers to quit 'flying' around so much!
i'm not wild about jazz either and to me, notes near the 10th fret and beyond just don't sound of anything. the advantages of ffcp are proper (most efficient) fingering positioning and - in theory, at least, in my case - easy access to alternate keys ... finger positions for a "D" scale, for example, when moved up two frets translates into an "E" scale, etc., etc. ... ezee-peezy(ish)
I'm not a regular practioner, but I am aware of it. FFcP has helped me identify patterns in mandolin (that I can also transfer to guitar) that make it easier to find alternate fingerings for melodies
I actually haven't looked into anything related to 'ffcp' per se, but did get some great drills into playing on high frets from Niles Hokkanen's book "Bluegrass up the Neck". As for the concept, well, I think I first heard of it when using shifting exercises for the violin many years ago and pentatonic shapes on guitar. So I may be wrong, but I suspect Ted didn't really invent ffcp so much as come up with the terminology as related to the mando.
"nothing new under the sun ..." - all i know is that the "closed position" concept resolved the problem of where to put my fingers and - as barbara said, though i hadn't noticed it before she pointed it out - of how to keep them down close to the fingerboard.
They're good exercises.
I just got the link and will start on it today. Carolyn
It is kind of fun to re-learn a tune you alreay know in first position up the neck in close position. New harmony choices become available, and it wakes up some double stop possibilities.
I only do it if I have to. But some time I'll start practicing it again, it is good when playing bluegrass breaks and someone decides to sing in the key of B or E flat or something like that.
it's also good for those scary, first-time forays up the neck ... the hardest part is adjusting my gaze accordingly. ordinarily, it hovers somewhere around the 4th fret - moving it is like a leap into the unknown.
I need to look at the jazz video Barbara mentioned but I will just comment the most bluegrass players DO use closed-four course chords for chopping the off beats -- for example G = 7523 or 4523; D = 7452; Am = 2235 and so on. These are "mandatory" and are moved up and down the fretboard as required. I am sure this is nothing new to anyone here. I find these closed kind of chords pretty handy -- but when on the melody line I like open ringing strings -- and most of all I like double stops. In other words I agree completely with the comments of JeffD and susiakasinead above.
