One tip that changed everything

[ertdwyer]

Hey Guys,

I was thinking today how I can remember various years (13 years of playing) where I learned "something" that took me off a plateau and entered a new realm of my playing. For guitar, it was when I learned the ascending a descending 6th's (the 3 in the bass, 1 higher up).

On mandolin, just recently (which made me start this thread) was striking the string with my pic harder by squeezing the pick and not moving my wrist or arm with more force. Also, realizing how little you need to apply pressure on your fretting hands fingers. Those two have cleaned up my playing all around the neck, and even made me play more tasteful because I was inherently more calm.

So what was it for you guys? I'm excited to learn some new tips!

- Rob

[billhay4]

Zak Borden's videos opened up a whole new way to construct chords for me.
Bill

[Hadji36]

I'm not sure if this qualifies...

For me, having started out on guitar, focusing on and practicing 1st position fretting (i.e. 1st finger for 1st/2nd fret, 2nd for 3rd/4th, etc.). It helped "smooth out" technique and helped strengthen that 7th/8th fret pinky stretch. Before I focused on this, I was trying to play the mandolin like a guitar which caused a lot of frustration and finger cramping.

I'm still trying to eliminate that "thumb over" tendency (if anyone has any tips).

[keithb]

I've had a bunch of these moments, but the one that comes to mind first is Don Julin's video about 3-string moveable chord shapes:

Zak Borden's videos opened up a whole new way to construct chords for me.
Bill

I haven't seen these - thanks for the link!

[mandocrucian]

[JeffD]

I'm still trying to eliminate that "thumb over" tendency (if anyone has any tips).

A friend of mine overcame that with some kind wrist brace warn by bowlers I think, that keeps the wrist and hand and arm all in a line. It was funny to watch her for a while, but it worked.

[Hadji36]

A friend of mine overcame that with some kind wrist brace warn by bowlers I think, that keeps the wrist and hand and arm all in a line. It was funny to watch her for a while, but it worked.

I would have never thought of that... Thanks a ton, JeffD! I am going to try it.

[JeffD]

I guess the tip that had the most influence on me was many many years ago when someone noticed my single note melody tendencies and pointed out all the other strings and fingers that were doing nothing. "You don't need to be the clarinet, you can be the whole darn orchestra."

I took a while to figure out all that I could do with the other fingers and strings, and how to do it, but I never would have even tried without that comment.

[Bill Baldridge]

FFcp=four fingers in closed position(s)

Being able to use the whole neck and fearless of any key has had the biggest effect on my playing.

[Charley wild]

Learning to control tremolo and do it by count has helped me take a big leap forward. It cleaned up my playing a whole lot! I'm not sure who to thank. Various people on various threads on the Cafe I would think.

[Bill13]

The tip that changed everything for me was to take lessons. Very hard for me to make the conceptual shift from guitar to mandolin.

[haggardphunk]

focusing on loosening up the wrist. Watching monroe's hand and how fluid it is helped me visual how it should look/feel

[fatt-dad]

Remember to breath

f-d

[zedmando]

On guitar it was learning the beginning of Albert King's solo to Crosscut Saw
4 notes and it change my guitar world.
Bass wise-it was playing more often with others--especially once or twice a month in church.

Mandolin-wise--I don't know that it's happened yet--but I am getting better--this place helps.

[OldSausage]

Learn to play the banjo.

[Jeff Mando]

On one of my very first paying gigs, an old timer told me, "NEVER put your beer on top of your amp, always put it on top of somebody else's amp." Very smart advice.

[fredfrank]

When I discovered that I could play faster by tilting the pick rather than striking the string with a square pick stroke.

[zedmando]

Learn to play the banjo.

If I got a banjo it would probably be a banjitar--although the Eastwood Bojotar looks pretty cool too.

[allenhopkins]

On a Murphy's Law calendar:

Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you can do it for a living.

...which is why I never tried to make a living playing music.

[Martin Jonas]

Reading the interview with Maartin Allcock in the back of Simon Mayor's "Celtic Mandolin" book, where he says that when he doesn't know a chord on mandolin, he just plays the root and the fifth on the same fret a string up. That taught me two valuable things: (1) even the pros fake it sometimes and don't play every note of every chord all the time, and (2) I don't need to learn chord shapes by heart if I understand how to construct a chord in real time exploiting the fretboard symmetry of fifths tuning. It got me moving on from pure single note melody playing into rhythm and chord playing which was initially very alien to me (I don't have a guitar background).

Martin

[Pasha Alden]

For me, it was the correct positioning of my fingers when fretting. Another tip was the importance of a down stroke when playing a tremolo.

[Petrus]

Reading the interview with Maartin Allcock in the back of Simon Mayor's "Celtic Mandolin" book, where he says that when he doesn't know a chord on mandolin, he just plays the root and the fifth on the same fret a string up. That taught me two valuable things: (1) even the pros fake it sometimes and don't play every note of every chord all the time, and (2) I don't need to learn chord shapes by heart if I understand how to construct a chord in real time exploiting the fretboard symmetry of fifths tuning.

Sure ... you don't need to play every note of a chord, especially if there are other instruments filling that space. Too thick chords can sound cluttered.

As for the fifths suggestion (a.k.a. power chord), it sounds to me like a two-finger barre chord, like the Em in the chart below (bottom right.) It would work on any two courses. BTW, the chart shows what to me are probably the seven easiest chords to learn. You could learn 'em all in an hour.

[Martin Jonas]

As for the fifths suggestion (a.k.a. power chord), it sounds to me like a two-finger barre chord, like the Em in the chart below (bottom right.) It would work on any two courses. BTW, the chart shows what to me are probably the seven easiest chords to learn. You could learn 'em all in an hour.

I didn't say "don't learn any chord shapes". There clearly are some standard chord shapes that one should know to have a solid basis for rhythm playing. Which ones they are may vary depending on style and repertoire. I also didn't say that I myself routinely play the fifths power chords Allcock was talking about -- the chord shapes I use more frequently are moveable closed three-finger major/minor shapes -- but I found the quote useful in the early stages of learing to stop me being intimidated by those huge random-looking chord tables that proliferate online and in books and to think about how a chord is constructed.

BTW, your C minor chord needs to have the E string muted: C minor has E-flat, not E natural.

Martin

[David Lewis]

'It's not a guitar': probably read here. But I start from there.

[Astro]

Learn to play the banjo.

One of my biggest breakthroughs for advancing on guitar came while learning from mandolin.

Hmm...