Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
The ultimate mandolin pop/rock song? It's a contender ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY6tJ_IG4CU
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
something about the Greatful Dead too, eh?
I,"know" about bluegrass and have seen some great acts over the decades. I don't play much of it though. I play mostly old-time and Celtic. About 2 or 3 years ago, began to play a bit of classical. Fact is, it there's a compelling melody, I usually want to play it on my mandolin. The color parts of playing, just don't much appeal to me - i.e., embellishments in rock and pentatonic breaks.
I do love playing the mandolin though!
f-d
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
Learnt about mandolin in pop and rock music through Bruce Hornsby and the Range and Bruce Springstine.
Another contender is Styx: who can forget Boat on the River?
Well it can certainly take its place as a cool and exotic instrument in contemporary music, pop or rock.
Also love it in the work of Jethro Tull.
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
Lyric_girl, I decided long ago to play what I wished to. Not some one else idea. Currently working on Zombies 1966 hit 'She's not there' . Which Carlos Santana made into a large hit also. I don't stick to one genre. Have to many r&r songs in my head.:cool:
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
the mandolin is not a bluegrass or classical instrument.
the mandolin is an instrument that is used in bluegrass or classical music, as well as jazz, pop, rock and about every other genre (except hopefully gangster rap).
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
I also find myself in the camp that has no interest in bluegrass. I have spent my whole life listening to rock folk and blues and that is what I like to play on guitar as well as mandolin. I actually found mandolin through "Copperhead Road". There are many other artists that use mandolin like Led Zeppelin Rod Stewart Rory Gallagher and Bad Company. Simple or not music is music. Looking down on it because it is not complex enough is ignoring the feeling of it which is most of what makes music useful at least to me. I will continue to enjoy mandolin wherever I find it and if it takes only two open chords that's ok with me.
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
I do eagles, bon jovi, tom petty, rem, blue rodeo, styx, steve earl, led zep, dillan, the band, bobby ferrin, irish rovers, originals, band of heathens, gillian welch, stones, ozzy, marshal tucker, goo goo dolls, doobies, KW Shepherd, Nirvana... mandolin and family can play anything. I am not a bluegrass player. wish I had the speed. but I solo accompany and have to do more chording and arpeggio stuff
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
Most of the bands mentioned use the mandolin as a, dare I say, novelty. There are a few bands that use(d) mandolin as a frontline lead instrument. Drew Emmitt of Leftover Salmon, Michael Kang of String Cheese Incident, but both of those are sort of "bluegrass rock."
There was a band that toured around the southeast in the early 1990's, Colonel Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit. They had a phenomenal mandolin player, Matt Mundy. It was a really weird band, but chocked full of fantastic musicians.
Sorry for the really terrible video, but these videos are 25 years old.
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
Like Barry I play different things, Cat Stevens, Heart, Bruce Springstine, Styx, still working on some of Tull's stuff and my own compositions.
Happy playing.
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
+1 for playing whatever I like on the Mando....Favourites at the moment are 'summer of 69' - Bryan Adams, 'don't stop believin' - journey and allsorts by Jethro Tull.Have also been trying some "Big Big Train" stuff,who use the mandolin a fair bit.
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Balrog68
+1 for playing whatever I like on the Mando....Favourites at the moment are 'summer of 69' - Bryan Adams, 'don't stop believin' - journey and allsorts by Jethro Tull.Have also been trying some "Big Big Train" stuff,who use the mandolin a fair bit.
How do you hold a mandolin without setting it ablaze?
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
We used to work in 'Ball and Chain' by Social Distortion into every gig. We were a 'middle aged' band so it always surprised the listeners. Great country song lyrics!
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
I think Losing My Religion would sound fantastic on a mandolin. I'll have to put that one on my list of songs to learn. I don't play any bluegrass at all. I play a lot of what my dad played on his Gibson acoustic and I like many of the Hornpipe tunes. Everything to me sounds beautiful on a mandolin.
Bonnie
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
The group I play with used to play a mix of different genres (we didn't know any better then, now we just stick to Irish stuff)
I had no problem finding a role for mandolin in anything we played - with one exception - Reggae.
It's not that I didn't like the Reggae, far from it... but I just couldn't manage to make the mandolin do anything useful there.
I am sure that is mostly a reflection on me.
Re: Rem - losing my religion and other rock songs
Quote:
Originally Posted by
cbakewell
The group I play with used to play a mix of different genres (we didn't know any better then, now we just stick to Irish stuff)
I had no problem finding a role for mandolin in anything we played - with one exception - Reggae.
Mandolin is ideal for Reggae: just chop on the back-beat and you can play the role usually given to the rhythm guitarist just fine.
Just saying.... ;)