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Thread: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

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    Registered User Sherry Cadenhead's Avatar
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    Default Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

    My main mandolin teacher is a classical violinist. She has me shifting back and forth between first and third position on this piece. I've just looked at 4 different YouTube videos of mandolin players, each of which plays it exclusively in first position. Is this a matter of preference or is the piece more suitable for first position only on mandolin - vs. first and third on violin?

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    Registered User Rob MacKillop's Avatar
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    Default Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

    I haven't played the piece, but I do have an observation that might be pertinent. Romantic-inspired players tend to use higher positions on inner strings, in contrast to "period-informed" players who tend to use lower positions if possible. The lower position (nearer to the nut) provides clarity, whereas the upper position provides more warmth. It's down to your own personal aesthetic for playing Bach's music.

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    Default Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

    I think it depends upon the arrangement you are playing. There are plenty of arrangements out there that do not require shifting to a higher position. However there are some that reach up to C at the eighth fret on the E string. A shift to the third position makes sense for those arrangements.
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  5. #4

    Default Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

    I shift a bit, but only a little. Here's an arrangement I made to be easy to work up to speed quickly as requested by brides. There are short duo style passages.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Bach-BWV147-mando-solo.pdf  

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  7. #5

    Default Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

    Emory Lester is playing the piece on a mandola but we have worked on this on the mando and aside from a few brief shifts its stays mostly in open position. I like hearing the open strings ringing.

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    Registered User Louise NM's Avatar
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    Default Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

    Hi, Sherry.

    This is a place where your teacher's violin sensibility is showing. To develop any proficiency on violin, learning positions and attaining smooth and reliable shifts are crucial. A piece like Jesu, where it is all in reach of first position, is an excellent tool for learning where to use positions to make fingering easier, to effectively use the different timbres of each string, and to avoid open strings. (Open E strings on a violin are not used in polite company!) Violinists who only shift to reach higher notes, then immediately move back down, close themselves off from a lot of good options. Mandolinists often have a different take on this one.

    I would suggest learning it her way as an exercise in shifting and becoming more comfortable with third position. When you have moved on to something else, revisit it and make your own choices about where, when, and if to move up the finger board.

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  10. #7
    Registered User Sherry Cadenhead's Avatar
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    Default Re: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

    Quote Originally Posted by Louise NM View Post
    Hi, Sherry.

    This is a place where your teacher's violin sensibility is showing. To develop any proficiency on violin, learning positions and attaining smooth and reliable shifts are crucial. A piece like Jesu, where it is all in reach of first position, is an excellent tool for learning where to use positions to make fingering easier, to effectively use the different timbres of each string, and to avoid open strings. (Open E strings on a violin are not used in polite company!) Violinists who only shift to reach higher notes, then immediately move back down, close themselves off from a lot of good options. Mandolinists often have a different take on this one.

    I would suggest learning it her way as an exercise in shifting and becoming more comfortable with third position. When you have moved on to something else, revisit it and make your own choices about where, when, and if to move up the finger board.
    Louise, I believe you've hit the nail on the head. My teacher would never accept alternate ways of playing unless I could prove where mandolin is different; e.g., pick vs. bow direction on quarter notes. There are 2 repeated places in Jesu that I just cannot get clear notes. Guess I'll continue to slow it down until I can.

    Thanks for all the comments.

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