Double stops

[arbarnhart]

I have found a number of good articles and whatnot on how to construct double stops. Some of the better info in in the Mandozine Techniques pages. But I am missing the point of how you decide when to play them. What base note and when? Is it an improv melody with a 3rd or 6th added? Do you always stick with either 3rd or 6ths? I have picked up some neat little sequences just noodling that don't seem to have a pattern to them. How do I figure out what key they are in so I know when to use them or how to transpose? Lotta questions, I know...

[Chip Booth]

As San Rafael suggested, I find doublestops most of the time by taking basic movable 3 or 4 finger chords apart and just playing two of the courses. #I sometimes tremolo one pair of courses from the chord them switch to one of those courses with the next highest or lowest course in the chord for some movement. #You can end up with root/3rd combinations, root/5th, 3rd/5th, 5th/7th, 3rd/7th etc. #Remember when building doublestops or chords the root is often expendable.

I often place doublestops in solos where a note is held for any length, in the same way you look for a place to tremolo a single note. #Find the extended melody note, then look for a chord shape that surrounds that note and add a second note fron that chord on an adjacent course.

Did that make any sense?

Chip

[Coy Wylie]

I'm still working on this too on both fiddle (where DS's are very important) and mando. One technique that works for me to to practice playing slow familiar tunes in various keys and try to find a double stop for every note.

Use very familiar melodies so you don't have to think about the melody line and concentrate fully on the double stops. Hymns are a good choice.

One tune where I do this is "Ashokan Farewell." I play it in D and try to make a chord for every note of the melody. Then I play t in A then G, then B, etc... This approach helps me.

[arbarnhart]

The MandoSheets on Mandozine were referenced in a post recently and those help a lot. The side by side diagrams of arpeggios and double stops are surprisingly similar...

[steve in tampa]

Those Mandosheets are as good or better than any book I've come across yet.

[ira]

just checked them out- excellent. thanks for the tip. i try to use a lot of double stops, but what i know are only in certain keys and mostly learned by ear. this will be really helpful.

[jim_n_virginia]

The MandoSheets on Mandozine were referenced in a post recently and those help a lot. The side by side diagrams of arpeggios and double stops are surprisingly similar...

Good stuff thanks I printed them all out!

[John Flynn]

...I am missing the point of how you decide when to play them.

It is easy enough to get guidelines and formulas on when to use embellishments, such as double stops, and also including tremelo, crosspicking, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, passing tones, couter melodies, harmony, etc. Those guidelines may be good for very basic learning. My two cents, though, is that if you follow formulas, it will sound mechanical and defeat the purpose of an embellishment. It will produce an effect that just sounds like showing off. Good embellishment is part of why they call music an art. The answer is that you decide to play them when they produce an effect you are trying to create to enhance the tune. The result is that you are adding something unique of yourself to the tune.

My advice is rather than follow rules, listen to people who use double stops well and find out what you are drawn to and what you want to sound like. First, learn to copy that. Then start to put your own spin on it and make it your own. I use double stops a lot, but I really couldn't tell you when I use them other than I use them when they sound good.

[David M.]

nice tips on the mando sheets. mine are printing now. thank you.

[Vincent]

I always thought John Bird's CoMando comments on bluegrass doublestops was well written...
http://listserv.nodak.edu/cgi-bin....=R13884
http://listserv.nodak.edu/cgi-bin....=R14390

[mancmando]

On the subject of double stops has anyone got any tips for playing tremelo on double stops?

I've just about mastered a single string tremelo but find it hard to play over 2 sets of strings...

[ira]

same here!