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Thread: Practicing Mandolin with out a mandolin....

  1. #1

    Question Practicing Mandolin with out a mandolin....

    Looking for ways to improve my playing and music theory knowledge when I don't have access to the instrument.

    I'm working on memorizing the Major/Minor chord triad notes. I'll name them off in my head (or if I want to irritate my children out loud) in order of the circle of fifths. Sometimes to mix things up I'll go around the circle of fourths.

    My Fret board knowledge needs work too so, I often try to visualize the fretboard and drill myself on note identification.

    Does anybody else do stuff like this? If so what?

  2. #2
    Registered User
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    Default Re: Practicing Mandolin with out a mandolin....

    I have with upright bass. I look at chord charts and come up with walking bass lines. I try to visualize where the notes are as I do it.

  3. #3
    Play on FredK's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Mandolin with out a mandolin....

    Like you, I work mostly on visualizing and memorization. I've read where some people will use an object to simulate the fretboard to work on left-hand fretting techniques. It could have some kinesthetic benefits but that doesn't appeal to me.
    "If your memories exceed your dreams, you have begun to die." - Anonymous

  4. #4

    Default Re: Practicing Mandolin with out a mandolin....

    Yep. I do the same when I go to bed. Better than counting sheep. I'm usually out before I identify double-stops above the 9th fret.

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    Registered User John Flynn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practicing Mandolin with out a mandolin....

    The first thing I would say is that listening can be learning. When I can't play, I listen to what I am working on. The more you can get the sound in your head, the easier it is to do on the fretboard.

    Another work around I have is a RISA Mando-stick. It is essentially a skeletonized solid body uke I have restrung and tuned as a mando. It takes up almost no room, it is very rugged and it is just loud enough to hear, but not so loud as to bother anyone.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  6. #6

    Default Re: Practicing Mandolin with out a mandolin....

    These are great suggestions, thanks! I to rehearse music theory concepts in my head before going to sleep. 🤣

  7. #7

    Default Re: Practicing Mandolin with out a mandolin....

    I still build chords on the fretboard in order to fall asleep. I choose a starting note at random, and then start out with the root and fifth, the major and minor thirds, the various sevenths, the ninths, diminished, etc.

    I'll stack the chords so there's either a root or fifth at the bottom to remove ambiguity.

    I'll work three-note chords on the lowest three courses, root\fifth on the low G string and 3rd and 7th on the next two courses. It's a great way to build chords for comping which require very little hand movement in big chord progressions.

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