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Thread: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

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    Professional Cat Herder Phil Vinyard's Avatar
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    Default Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Last night some folks came over and, when they saw my mando collection, wanted me to play them something.

    I'm always a bit thrown by that. I do very little solo stuff. Mostly I play in jams and a mandolin orchestra, so my best stuff is dependent on someone else playing with me.

    I played Carlo Aonzo's "Ninna Nanna" and "Salt Creek" but couldn't come up with anything else that interesting.

    What is your go-to piece that sounds good on solo mandolin that you can play with reasonable skill?
    Phil Vinyard
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  2. #2

    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Road to Columbus, Cherokee Shuffle, and Red Haired Boy are the ones I usually play on the spur of the moment. Whiskey Before Breakfast is always a good one most people like. I’d say pick 2-3 tunes and work them up for just this situation, when it comes right down to it most of my friends wouldn’t know if I just noodled around on chord tones for awhile...
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  4. #3
    acoustically inert F-2 Dave's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Whiskey before breakfast. Some times shove the pig's foot a little further into the fire just because I like saying the title.
    "Mongo only pawn in game of life." --- Mongo

  5. #4

    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    The Godfather Theme/Speak Softly Love; everyone knows it and it's a great, expressive melody that's not too hard to play.

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    Fatally Flawed Bill Kammerzell's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Quote Originally Posted by bigskygirl View Post
    When it comes right down to it most of my friends wouldn’t know if I just noodled around on chord tones for awhile...
    Isn't that the truth?
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    "Smoke on the Water" and "Eye of the Tiger" followed by Bach Cello Suite #1 Prelude

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  11. #7

    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    When I'm making a video to sell a mando, I make sure the tune uses all the strings. Something like Monroe's Farewell to Longhollow or Dusty Miller or Scrooge. I also generally play an instrumental break to a tune in first position and then up the neck so the person gets a sense of how the mandolin sounds all over the strings and fretboard. That's what I want to hear.
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    East Tennessee Blues, Amanda Jewel, Bill Cheatum, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Jerusalem Ridge, BlackBerry Blossum, Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, Prelude to the Cello Suite, and Losing My Religion come to mind. I’ll also play the hook to This Side by Nickel Creek, which a lot of people know but don’t realize they know.

    Just play something you find fun and easy to remember, which the above songs are for me (don’t quite have the Prelude down yet, but I’m close). Going solo is tough when you’re used to being in a band or ensemble. Been there!
    Chuck

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  14. #9

    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    When I feel the ad hoc audience has suffered through enough tuning(this can take a while) I like to jump right into Limerock,all 5 parts.
    Or is it 6?

    After THAT they are more than ready for some tremoloing ala Ashoken Farewell;or a reggae-down "Revival" minus the John Cowan
    high parts.

    Soloing on mandolin takes putting yourself out there;sink or swim.

    Nothing better than having a partner in crime for "performing" no matter the size of the crowd.

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    MandolaViola bratsche's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Lately, either the Bach Prelude to Cello Suite No. 3 (no, not No. 1) or the Gavottes from his Suite No. 6.

    Not on mandolin, but on mandola, or ukulele tuned in fifths.

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  16. #11

    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    "Brilliancy" - it shows off a great range of the instrument. And I just have to remember to not start it too stinking fast...

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    Registered User Mike Snyder's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Polkas; John Ryan’s, Cheese, Little Diamond, etc and maybe Big Sciota.
    Mike Snyder

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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Harvest Home, Off to California,

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    Registered User mreidsma's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    St. Anne's Reel or Temperance Reel are usually my go-to songs. If I'm hamming it up I might do Sailor's Hornpipe. If my Dad is playing rhythm with me he usually insists on La Bamba, because I first played it in middle school orchestra about 30 years ago so we have a lot of experience playing it together.

    I love the idea of Eye of the Tiger! I should learn that for my kids. Maybe they'll stop asking me to play "Let it Go."

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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Basically, the 30-second video below . . . Nine Pound Hammer and/or a little quasi-Irish/Celtic piece that I made up.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeBMkN5YcC8

  24. #16
    Registered Muser dang's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Quote Originally Posted by Andy Willowbee View Post
    "Brilliancy" - it shows off a great range of the instrument. And I just have to remember to not start it too stinking fast...
    Ditto, and ditto on the tempo also

    Whadyasay, Jeruselem Ridge, Homer the roamer, Africa by todo if they are totally foreign to bluegrass
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  25. #17
    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Typically I test or demo a mandolin with the Ballo Liscio classic "Tra Veglia e Sonno". It's a lovely Gm tune and doesn't use upper positions.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  27. #18

    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Vinyard View Post
    What is your go-to piece that sounds good on solo mandolin that you can play with reasonable skill?
    From one cat herder to another: Pure Prairie League's, Amy in C.

  28. #19
    Mando-Afflicted lflngpicker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    I saw the light and orange blossom special-- sing, play and pick...

  29. #20
    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    I don't mind getting started, but they often want me to stop! No joke, I get going and next thing you know, out pops a few dozen fiddle tunes!

    f-d
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  31. #21

    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    OK, can I flip this question around and ask it in another direction?

    If you were buying a Mandolin--what 3 songs would you want to hear on it to see enough of a range to feel like you could comprehend the voice of the instrument?

    We see a LOT of videos by the big shops around here, and boy wouldn't it be nice to have a consistent handful of songs you could A/B compare with when recorded well?

  32. #22

    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Most any fiddle tune. Irish washerwoman, Arkansaw Traveler, Sargent Early's Dream added to all the above. If they are foolish enough to want me to sing, Wayfairing Stranger, In the Pines, or that bluegrass staple Little Red Corvette.

    And Asokan's Farewell.
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  33. #23

    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    I actually learned a 'showpiece' just for this: Pike County Breakdown.
    I can't play it at the ridiculous tempo many play it, but it sounds fine at 80-90 bpm.
    It's basically a double stop all the way through, with some slides and some fast pickin licks.
    And it's really easy to play because it was made to be played really fast.

    After that it's whatever I know really well, whisky before breakfast is one of my faves too,

    Other staples that fit in the 'showpiece' category:
    Red Apple Rag
    Boston boy

    And for the classical fans, I can drag out a hornpipe or two, it gets a little closer to what they are used to,
    but I don't know any actual classical music on the mando yet.
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  35. #24
    Joe B mandopops's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    I usually run a variety of things. I often start with a chord melody St Louis Blues, it’s a very Jazzy Blues. Like David, I’ll play a Italian tremolo piece, like Tra Veglia or Sorrento, forte & piano. Couple of fiddle tunes, maybe Salt Creek or Bill Cheatum, I play the melody & do some chopping. I play some Dancla violin exercises that go from 1st to higher positions. I want to try it from the 7th to 12th frets to see how it plays & sounds up there. If there is someone around who can play, I like to hand it over & stand back & listen. I think it gives me a good idea how I like it.
    I’m disappointed when I go on a store website & someone is demoing a Mandolin & it’s only some fiddle tune in 1st position, maybe 3rd & back. Do chords, tremolo, up the neck, loud & soft, etc...
    Joe B
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  37. #25
    bon vivant jaycat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Your "Go To" Song to Demo Your Mando

    Quote Originally Posted by yankees1 View Post
    Harvest Home . . .
    This one?
    "The paths of experimentation twist and turn through mountains of miscalculations, and often lose themselves in error and darkness!"
    --Leslie Daniel, "The Brain That Wouldn't Die."

    Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa1...SV2qtug/videos

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