After a holiday and break from playing I decided to go back to some difficult territory 'Strathspeys.' While this effort may not 'snap' along I enjoyed the jump to adjacent strings on same fret. Robert Burns' Tam O'Shanter may have been enthralled by the sight of a Witch in her undergarments, rather than the sight of any of the Warlocks present, but it seemed a reasonable fit for this tune from this 'Robert' a dancing master teaching in 1820s Scotland.
You have been working away in the background, I reckon, Malcolm. There is definite progress in your playing. Phrasing much more fluent and there are plenty of instances of the Strathspey's Scotch Snap in your playing - and I am seeing down strokes there too. Can I suggest that you try to get your left hand fingers a bit further apart and more relaxed. You seem to be moving your whole hand from note to note rather than letting the fingers do the reaching (if that makes any sense). It's a new tune to me and I really like it from your playing of it here.
Thanks John. I found the tune in Nigel Gatherer’s Great Scottish composers collection. I spent 4 weeks without picking up my mandolin - I think the break helped . The lack of ‘individuality’ in my fingers has been mentioned before, something(else) to work on!
It's good to see you back, Malcolm. A bit of a break can help sometimes - clears the mind. You have excellent taste. I didn't know this tune either, but it seems really good (as all your other choices have been). But it does sound like a difficult one. I echo John: the fluency and phrasing has been developing. I won't dispense mandolin advice because I am only a few months ahead of you, but from my guitar playing I know John is right about minimizing unnecessary movement. It's also how the really good players make it all seem effortless.
Well done, Malcolm…steady progress…even when you are not playing you may be reflecting on your playing. Visualising what you want to do in your mind can help the execution.
