solo

[Kybill54]

Hey guys its been awhile had a lot going on. Still playing and learning new stuff. Can anyone give me advise on how to start solo playing ?. Is there something out there that I need to help me get started ?. Would deeply appreciate any ones input. You all take care and Peace be with you.

[JeffD]

Can anyone give me advise on how to start solo playing ?. Is there something out there that I need to help me get started ?.

Give your accompanist the wrong address?

[Mark Miller]

Do you mean playing by yourself or do you mean taking solos during songs?

[Barry Wilson]

Forget doing solos if you are playing solo. a solo mandolin playing a solo solo is pretty thin

[almeriastrings]

It does depend what you mean... but, you can do 'true' mandolin solo performances... I normally include a couple of unaccompanied mandolin solo pieces even if I am performing with a band. You just have to choose the pieces carefully... arrange them to get a 'full' sound... drones, open strings, double stops, slides and other 'ornaments' to "fill it out". Use interesting chord variations... and make use of the ability of the mandolin to create interesting rhythmic and dynamic variations too. This is just a real quick clip from an interpretation of a fine Monroe tune called 'The Longbow' which works well like this. Recorded live at a show recently using an AT AE5100 microphone and Ellis F-5.

[Paul Busman]

Forget doing solos if you are playing solo. a solo mandolin playing a solo solo is pretty thin

Not necessarily. Check out some videos of Chris Thile playing Bach. We went to see him when he was touring and promoting the Bach album. He played things other than Bach at that show and nothing ever sounded thin or unsatisfying.

[Kybill54]

Just for myself. So I can be able to play all aspects of the mandolin.

[jshane]

make up a little diddy in your head, and then find it on the mandolin and play it.

Keep doing this until you can do it "real time".

[pops1]

I play some solo pieces, usually playing a hot fiddle tune with words while singing at the same time. Takes some concentration, but is just a matter of knowing one of the parts without thinking too much about it so you can focus a little more on the other.

[JEStanek]

I suppose it depends on what you want to play and sound like. I would suggest learning songs by getting the melody down pat at speed and then adding some embellishments as you go. That of course depends upon how structured what you're playing is. Consider Chris Thile's Bach pieces. Technically challenging to say the least but not much room in that world for embellishments.

I think folks here would be able to offer a bit more concrete advice if we understood your specific goals better.

Jamie

[T.D.Nydn]

To play all aspects of the mandolin, you have to study all the aspects of what a mandolin can do..a real "solo" to me, is like a violinist cadenza, or a guitar hero peeling off pyrotechnical noodling. To me, a "solo" is about 2-5 minutes of anything goes and no rules.....

[pointpergame]

Kybill...
Boy, It seems everyone wants to make jokes or ... I don't exactly know what to call it. I will presume to offer a little advice from my own experience.

1) Most importantly, you can't really play a tune unless you know it. That is, sing it or whistle it. So find a song or two that you know or that you like and listen to it many times. Some songs are a bit of a challenge. For example, I find the national anthem a tad tricky. Choose something not too ancient and not too modern. Like currently popular fiddle tunes.

2) While this might be counterintuitive, for me, a little complexity in the melody or the harmony gives a song a kick that my musical sensibility seems to like. I'm always glad when I hit that one accidental and I see a smile from the audience. If I remember correctly ( the songs linger in my head, but the titles get mixed up ) Staten Island has one pretty little accidental in it. Extremely simple songs don't have much pedagogical value. "Go Tell Aunt Rhody," "Row, Row, Your Boat," and that sort, to sound at all interesting as solos, want lots of decoration and variation. That is, they want for complexity.

3) Fiddle tunes are mostly easy to play solo. They are short and you can find plenty of examples in tab, notation, and on youtube ( etc. ). This is highly debatable ( what doesn't meet some contention here on the MC? ), but at this stage, tab might get you going. You can worry about its having stained your musical soul later in your endeavors.

4) Beyond fiddle tunes I think a good place to go are what I'll call for want of a better name the "advanced" fiddle tunes. The so-called ( don't mean to re-engage the recent MC discussion on the subject) "rags" present a little challenge above the short and sweet tunes. I am fond of Dill Pickle Rag.

I wonder if these are the sorts of answers you expect for the question you're asking?

[T.D.Nydn]

there are three kinds of "solos"; 1. Solo, your instrument break sometime during a tune. It would help to know the tune..2. Solo, a single person act, where now you are an "entertainer" and must interact with the audience. 3. Solo, 2-5 minutes of unacompianied playing, usually all out and unrestricted. Probably a famous example would be Eddie Van Halens " eruption"...

[Barry Wilson]

Well Chris Thile I ain't lol. I was joking but serious. I personally find most lead solos thin unless accompanied by something. I play my mandolin solo a lot but generally add a harmonica part on top instead of a mandolin break. When I play in a duo, I jump right in and take a mandolin solo