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Thread: Which mandolin for Calace?

  1. #101
    Registered User Jordan Ramsey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    Little update..... Still no armguard, but I've been playing the hell out of this thing. It continues to sound great and I'm slowly becoming more comfortable with the logistics. I've got Preludes 2, 11, 14, and 15 off the page, still struggling with putting them all together in time. I'll get there someday. Thank you all again, all the best.

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  3. #102
    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    .
    Bravo! Jordan, this is just a great journey to follow. You're really on top of the new one now & it's a pleasure to hear.

    Eoin



    "Forget that anyone is listening to you and always listen to yourself" - Fryderyk Chopin

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  5. #103
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    Lovely touch, Jordan. I love your playing.
    Jim

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  7. #104

    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    Wow! Nice playing.
    Back to the initial question: I guess it is possible to play Calace on an Italian bowlback as well as on a German style.
    Searching Youtube for "Calace Prelude"; I found Katsia Prakopchyk

    and Mochalova

    Both seem to play larger German bowlbacks with flatwound strings, and to my ears, they also coax nice sounds from their instruments.
    So the choice of the instrument just seems to be a matter of personal taste.
    And as much as I admire Jordan's playing, I guess, If I had the chops, I'd go for the darker German tone.
    At least as long as my ears are still sensible to high frequencies...

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  9. #105
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    Quote Originally Posted by crisscross View Post
    Wow! Nice playing.
    Back to the initial question: I guess it is possible to play Calace on an Italian bowlback as well as on a German style.
    <snip>
    So the choice of the instrument just seems to be a matter of personal taste.
    And as much as I admire Jordan's playing, I guess, If I had the chops, I'd go for the darker German tone.
    At least as long as my ears are still sensible to high frequencies...
    I think the discussion at the beginning of this thread covered as much ground as necessary. Personally, I do like the varied tones you get from all the aforementioned mandolins as well as even a Loar-style F-5 and Lyon & Healy carved mandolins. The tone you get is also dependent on the strings you play on, the plectra you use — note that Ms. Mochalova switches to a different pick at the beginning of that movement in the video above — and to technique you use to play.

    It occurred to me... I wonder if violinists have long involved discussions on what they use to for a particular piece of music in terms of maker/style of violin (Strad, Guaneri, Amati, etc?) and type of strings. Come to think of it do classical guitarist have similar discussions?
    Jim

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  11. #106
    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    Yep, especially playing period music they do. Many have their pit instruments and a different solo one.
    Then there's the whole question of sound reinforcement in celebrity performances. Bridges get discussed too, and artificial vs real gut, e strings, synthetic vs real horse hair for the bow, bleached or unbleached? Rosin, which tree, from which place? Just as nerdy & niggly as us.
    Eoin



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  13. #107

    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    Come to think of it do classical guitarist have similar discussions?
    Usually, classical guitarists play one instrument to cover the whole range of classical guitar music from renaissance to contemporary music in a guitar concert.
    But there are players like Rob MacKillop who choose their guitar according to the music they play.
    A Torres model for Tarrega

    A Lacote copy for Sor


    Concerning the two bowlback videos, I just saw them , liked the sound and thought I'll present them in this context here.

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  15. #108
    Registered User Rob MacKillop's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    I was surprised to see my face here all of a sudden. One of the problems with having an instrument for each style and period is, of course, the cost. Thankfully those two instruments were freely loaned to me by their maker, doubtless in the hope I would make a video for his website, where they can now be seen. I've been lucky in having a few luthiers lend me instruments, sometimes for up to a year. But it's always difficult to hand them back! I would have to be very wealthy to own all the instruments in my videos.

    As it happens, since the start of 2016 I've returned to having one classical guitar for everything from Renaissance to modern. I've been down the road and around the bend with the Early Music movement, and all the fascinating nerdy details that distinguish periods and styles. But these days I'm after a different kind of authenticity, one that (it sounds pretentious to say so) resides within me. There is something utterly authentic in, for example, Segovia's approach to music - he expressed himself through the instrument. He might have done everything "wrong" in terms of historical performance practice, but he had a straight-forward honesty in his playing that I find missing from more period-correct performances - not all, of course, but enough to make me rethink what it is to play music in the first place.

    But in mandolin terms, I'm a complete novice, and still learning the difference between instruments, strings, techniques, etc. I'm in no position to really give an opinion on the discussion at hand.

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  17. #109

    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    I'm in no position to really give an opinion on the discussion at hand.
    I wouldn't really call it a discussion. It's just that I found those two nice examples of Calace played on a larger German style bowlback and thought that this was the right place to share them.
    I for my part prefer the more mellow sound of flatwound strings, but as you say, the main source of the sound resides within the player.
    Your approach of playing CG without nails and with right hand concepts similar to Sor's is at least as big a part of the beautiful sound you achieve as is the romantic guitar.

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  19. #110
    Registered User Jordan Ramsey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    Update... Got a rosewood armguard installed, I'm almost to the end of my second set of strings, and the old girl has taken her first (for me) flight. Played some Calace in the Old Church in Portland as part of the River of the West faculy concert. Still working on the Preludes, and have taken one duo style lesson from Evan Marshall (working on Ave Maria). Having a ton of fun with this thing, here's the latest video. Cheers,

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  21. #111

    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    Bravo! Very nice playing! Thanks for sharing the video. Your Calace really sings!

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  23. #112
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Which mandolin for Calace?

    Nice playing, Jordan. That is one of my favorite Calace pieces, too.
    Jim

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