Where did all the mandocello guys go ?

[Beanzy]

I have to agree that coming from a cello playing perspective really opens up your mind as to what is possible.
I started with my m/cello playing by working through my old cello tutor books and stuff like "100 Cello Solos" "The Cellist's Collection" and "Naughty Bits" for cello. It's a kind of quick and fast way to work though a whole load of styles and begin to find where the instrument may fit in best.

Working up fingerings is way easier if you come at it as a cellist rather than as a mandolinist, you gain great fluidity with the left hand by using cello aproach. However the mandoloncello is a different beast to control, with a real need to develop subtlety in your right hand damping techniques. It's quite easy just to wash-out a beautiful phrase if you don't get to grips with sustain and silently damping. Also quiet fretting of the double courses with heavy or round-wound strings is a real job of work to get on top of. I'm still really working on this, using the 3rd finget to support the little finger more than I would need on cello.

One of the big plusses of the mandoloncello I've liked is the rythmic and percussive pulse you can get to a line. That in turn has made me try to get more of this in my violoncello playing.

[Bernie Daniel]

I have to agree that coming from a cello playing perspective really opens up your mind as to what is possible.
I started with my m/cello playing by working through my old cello tutor books and stuff like "100 Cello Solos" "The Cellist's Collection" and "Naughty Bits" for cello. It's a kind of quick and fast way to work though a whole load of styles and begin to find where the instrument may fit in best.

Working up fingerings is way easier if you come at it as a cellist rather than as a mandolinist, you gain great fluidity with the left hand by using cello approach. However the mandoloncello is a different beast to control, with a real need to develop subtlety in your right hand damping techniques. It's quite easy just to wash-out a beautiful phrase if you don't get to grips with sustain and silently damping. Also quiet fretting of the double courses with heavy or round-wound strings is a real job of work to get on top of. I'm still really working on this, using the 3rd finget to support the little finger more than I would need on cello.

One of the big plusses of the mandoloncello I've liked is the rythmic and percussive pulse you can get to a line. That in turn has made me try to get more of this in my violoncello playing.

Interesting perspectives for sure! I was wondering what kind of music you are playing on the mandocello and if you might have any of your efforts captured in audio or (even better) accessible video formats?

You mentioned sustain but in the opposite way than I think of "sustain issues" with the mandocello versus cello comparison!

My thinking is rudimentary here to be sure, but I tend to think of the comparison between cello and mandocello in a manner like that of violin versus mandolin. In the violin family instruments it sees to me the sustain or the length of the sound pulse is almost totally under the control of the bow? That is on a cello you can sustain a note as long as you move the bow?

But on a mandocello, with a pick you can create a sound pulse, but it soon decays, and to sustain the note you have to strike again in the extreme do something like a tremolo?

But I can see what you are saying about the other side of it too. I'm not sure this is exactly correct but it seems to me that a cello has almost no sustain and the sound stops almost the instant you stop moving the bow? So I see your point about needing to actually damp the mandocello too.

If you think about it the sound production in two instruments is so different that I suppose you could ask is trying to use one in the place of the other even reasonable to think about? LOL

[Beanzy]

That's what I've found Bernie. On the cello I get to control how long, as well as the point(s) of decay and speed that it happens, or I can swell it mid decline. On the mandoloncello I so far I've been working on just getting a smooth decline, rolling the pad of my hand over the bridge which avoids rattle that I get when damping further up the strings. The other thing I need it to develop something like the piano damper pedal for longer passages or it just gets too boomy and becomes a bit of a wash, a great effect if that's needed, but horrible and muddy if you want clarity.

I'm playing an Oakwood which has a slight induced curve but had masses of sustain.
I think I'd actually prefer less from a control point of view.

Vivaldi and baroque cello lines seem to be really fun as they really appreciated plenty of movement in their bass lines. We can get stuck with some pretty basic parts especially as you head into the Romantic era. Having said that I reckon Mendelssohn is excellent Mandoloncello fodder. I'd love to tackle his Octet with a plucked string ensemble. But for me the piano repertoire is the biggest revelation as the left hand lines can be a really great work-out but they allow for that plucked decay but also the mandoloncello type sustain.

As for recordings, I have that as one of my new year resolutions..... only we are in July already My problem is it's a bit too similar to my normal job so I keep putting off setting up a YT channel and anyway I'm more focussed on getting to a decent level first. I must do some, but don't expect anything more than a workmanlike amateur performance or you'd be disappointed.

While I'm on for anyone wanting a more modern approach to cello you could see what comes of checking out the New Directions website https://newdirectionscello.org/ and there are loads of clips get posted on their Facebook page. I find some people's approaches really inspiring.

[Phil Vinyard]

I took the advice of several of you (that's why I LOVE the 'Cafe...) and brought my mandocello to my monthly old-time jam/square dance last night. I used a more flexible pic and that helped a lot. I mostly figured out a handful of chords with lots of open strings and wailed away on the thing. It was a lot of fun! Felt like it filled in the sound of the band, had a nice sound that was different than the guitars. Played melody here and there, but mostly played lots of chords.

Definitely going to break it out a lot earlier in the evening next time.

[Mandobart]

So there is a trend here on "what can I play on the mandocello?" I say, "what can't I play on the mandocello?" Here are a few ideas using chords, melodies, etc.

[Bernie Daniel]

Well I don't play as well as you do but I so far have tried similar things on the mandocello....

[NotMelloCello]

Still looking for inspiration here...

There aren't a half-dozen videos on YouTube of mandocello music I want to learn. Don't give a hoot about Bach. Folk (in all its many varieties) and bluegrass leave me cold. Cart that baroque/renaissance stuff away. I could tolerate some classic country or gospel, but pop tunes, jazz and rock are where my heart lies.

Guess I'm breaking out and establishing a new trend once I get my basics down. Give me the future...

[Beanzy]

http://www.mauropalmas.com/

Just stumbled on that guy this morning which got me thinking how anglo-centric we are on here calling it "Mandocello"; So thought I'd pop in a reminder when you search to include "Mandoloncello" and "Liuto Cantabile"

[Bernie Daniel]

http://www.mauropalmas.com/

Just stumbled on that guy this morning which got me thinking how anglo-centric we are on here calling it "Mandocello"; So thought I'd pop in a reminder when you search to include "Mandoloncello" and "Liuto Cantabile"

Here is one of his videos -- great stuff!

[Eddie Sheehy]

I find that chording on an MC isn't so good since I like my C's to be .074 gauge and the heavy strings muddy chords. I guess those of you with Octave string pairs or lighter gauge C strings don't have that problem Just about anything I play on an MC except Classical and Blues, sounds better on an OM. Anyway, just for OP, I created a few vids of Rock, Blues, Pop, Jazz, and a Lullaby... there ain't nuthin that you can't play on an MC, just some tunes that are better played on something else - the lullaby was written for the bagpipes... Any buzzing or strange sounds are me, not the MC...something about a camera erasing my mind...

[Charlieshafer]

As far as heavy strings go, about a year ago I switched to the Thomastik Infelds. Crazy expensive, but so easy to play and great tone. I didn't like them on my mandolin, too little volume and punch, but on the 'cello, I find a can do a lot more with chords and slides than before. I can also play a little faster, so I can keep up with the turtle down the street now..

[Eddie Sheehy]

I've used Thomastiks on my old K2. I really liked them, but as you say crazy expensive. I have a set of Dogal Calaces that I'm going to try, and possibly a mix and match set of D'Addario Chrome Flatwounds.

[Bernie Daniel]

As far as heavy strings go, about a year ago I switched to the Thomastik Infelds. Crazy expensive, but so easy to play and great tone. I didn't like them on my mandolin, too little volume and punch, but on the 'cello, I find a can do a lot more with chords and slides than before. I can also play a little faster, so I can keep up with the turtle down the street now..

What have you observed about their longevity compared to D'Addario for example? Do we know what is different about TI versus D'Addario? Metals used? wire type? winding?

[Charlieshafer]

Honestly, I don't really care about the metals, and don't pay much attention to any of that. They sound good or they don't. These sound superb and have a great soft feel in the fingertips. Longevity is fine. D'Addario's may last a little longer, but again, I don't pay too much attention to that, either. The problem is one of brightness, and that usually fades a little faster than you're aware of, just because you're playing them over time as they're decaying, so little subtle changes get lost. I'm not addicted to having the freshest strings possible, and as we play outside a lot, I'm sure humidity has an adverse affect on the strings, so I should be changing more frequently, I'm sure, but again, it's not an obsession.

[Barry Wilson]

Still looking for inspiration here...

There aren't a half-dozen videos on YouTube of mandocello music I want to learn. Don't give a hoot about Bach. Folk (in all its many varieties) and bluegrass leave me cold. Cart that baroque/renaissance stuff away. I could tolerate some classic country or gospel, but pop tunes, jazz and rock are where my heart lies.

Guess I'm breaking out and establishing a new trend once I get my basics down. Give me the future...

I don't play anything standard... I am a rock/pop folk, country/rock kinda guy for the most part. First 2 songs I figured out on mine were rush and ozzy LOL... mind you I toss tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree into my first set, among other wierd tunes so...

[Holger]

Hi folks,

here is a Gibson Mandocello, K-4 (1924) for sale!

www.vintage-instruments.com

[Eddie Sheehy]

Hi folks,

here is a Gibson Mandocello, K-4 (1924) for sale!

www.vintage-instruments.com

They're closed for the Summer... probably just as well, it'll take me a few years to come up with $11K...

[Claudia Amslinger]

Seen any other Gibson MC for sale?

[Mandomonte]

I recently changed my Mc strings to one I got from Emando that were listed as Eastmans. The C string was heavier and I feel my chords are muddied and it often sounds out of tune. The old set (whatever they were) sounded better with open chords, but needed returning ever time I used a CAPO. I have a tune , that I wrote (posted) that started with open c-g-d in which the c does not sound as nice with the heavier strings.

[Mandomonte]

Nice to see all the recent post recently. Thanks to all. Sad to hear Tim sold the collection. I looked for other videos of his but seems like they are mostly guitar and mandolin.