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Thread: Using tremolo with classical music on an octave mandolin

  1. #1
    Timothy Tim Logan's Avatar
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    Default Using tremolo with classical music on an octave mandolin

    Many classical pieces are highly dependent on tremolo. As a gentleman recently said on a facebook thread:

    "Tremolo is both necessary and relatively easy on a mandolin because the strings are light and short, and thus have very little sustain. While sometimes useful, tremolo is less important on larger instruments with enough mass in the strings to continue sounding for a longer time."

    Can those of you who might do mandolin arrangements of classical music suggest what the best approach is when using an octave mandolin? Simply depend on sustain or use the exact same style/technique as on a mandolin? Thank you.

    “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer

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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Using tremolo with classical music on an octave mandolin

    When I play a larger mandolin family instrument I use tremolo in the same way as I do on mandolin, but that's just my style.

    It also depends on the musical style of the piece in question, too.

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    Timothy Tim Logan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Using tremolo with classical music on an octave mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidKOS View Post
    When I play a larger mandolin family instrument I use tremolo in the same way as I do on mandolin, but that's just my style.


    It also depends on the musical style of the piece in question, too.
    Do you find that the thicker longer strings require any modification to technique or do you feel your technique on both sizes of instruments is identical? Thank you.

    “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer

    1925 Lyon & Healy Model A, #1674
    2015 Collings A (MT2-V)

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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Using tremolo with classical music on an octave mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Logan View Post
    Do you find that the thicker longer strings require any modification to technique or do you feel your technique on both sizes of instruments is identical? Thank you.
    Well, on larger instruments with longer scale lengths I may use more guitar-like left hand fingerings than I would on mandolin. My right hand technique is much the same, of course it has to adapt to larger strings and wider string spacing at the bridge.

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    Timothy Tim Logan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Using tremolo with classical music on an octave mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidKOS View Post
    Well, on larger instruments with longer scale lengths I may use more guitar-like left hand fingerings than I would on mandolin. My right hand technique is much the same, of course it has to adapt to larger strings and wider string spacing at the bridge.
    Thank you. As I get more familiar with the octave mandolin I am surprised to find that the left-hand fingering is not the issue I thought it would be. Instead I find the greater challenge is tremolo with the right hand and the larger string spacing.

    “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer

    1925 Lyon & Healy Model A, #1674
    2015 Collings A (MT2-V)

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  9. #6

    Default Re: Using tremolo with classical music on an octave mandolin

    It's often a matter of personal choice. However, in ensemble, I tend to prefer to hear all the mandolin-family instruments applying similar protocols to tremolo or not across the board. Here's a quartetto romantico, e.g., with the octave mandolin/mandola a sol seated between the two mandolins and guitar:




    In this quartetto classico, everybody gets to tremolo the long note values, but note that the long note values in the treble voices are often sounded against short note values in the lower voices and vice versa:


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  11. #7

    Default Re: Using tremolo with classical music on an octave mandolin

    And here's a fairly well-known ensemble that often eschews tremolo entirely:




    . . . but when they do use it, all the mandokin are in:




    Here's a seasonal bit from a well-known U.S. ensemble also wholly eschewing tremolo (as they often did; quartetto classico, the lower voices here are mandola a do and mandoloncello):




    Etc.

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    Timothy Tim Logan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Using tremolo with classical music on an octave mandolin

    Eugene - very helpful videos. Thank you so much - a picture (video) is worth a thousand words!

    “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” ― Albert Schweitzer

    1925 Lyon & Healy Model A, #1674
    2015 Collings A (MT2-V)

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    Eugene 

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