Mama tried

  1. Christian DP
    Christian DP
    There is a tendency among classical mandolinists to play melodies using the rest stroke where the pick after hitting a string rests on the next string in order to produce a fuller sound on the downstroke. The wrist is angled, so on the upstroke, the pick only hits one of the two strings of a course. (In German method books, this is called 2:1 picking)
    Until two weeks ago, I only used free strokes with the wrist parallel to the strings, but now I thought, I might try the rest stroke as well.
    I looked for a song with a simple melody and came up with Merle Haggard's Mama tried.(That, like the mandolin played by David Grisman I know from the Grateful Dead.)

    Be indulgent if it sounds a little jolty, but playing with an angled pick is completely new to me.
  2. John Kelly
    John Kelly
    A lovely recording, Christian, and I honestly cannot distinguish between the different strokes you are using here. Your picking is really clean and clear and the guitar accompaniment is just right for this tune, and at a very good level - clearly audible but not at all intrusive. Great posting!
  3. Ginny Aitchison
    Ginny Aitchison
    I like this Christian. Good for you for trying new things.
  4. Gelsenbury
    Gelsenbury
    I've read explanations of rest strokes dozens of times, but never understood what the aim is. In what way does it make the tone more powerful if I let the pick rest on an adjacent string? And 2:1 picking is new to me altogether. I suspect most of us do a lot of accidental 2:1 picking because we miss the second string on the upstroke.

    Your tone sounds full, clear and beautiful on this recording. But it always does. There may be an audible difference in the upstrokes, but I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out.

    It's good to try a new technique, anyway. I look forward to your next video. It would be interesting to see your right hand doing these angled rest strokes.
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