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Thread: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

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    Registered User Perry's Avatar
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    Default Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Anybody know of some examples of mandolin players playing chord melody in a rubato style? Please post some vids or links if you got them. I am aware of Aaron Weinstein's swing style and of course Jethro.

    I am looking for some jazz ballad type playing.

    Thanks!

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    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Manha de Carnivale is a good tune for that. Don’t know any recordings of it though.
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    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Well worth a saunter through Aaron Weinstein's YT chord melody playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...QH6DtHiZ3cu74d
    On many tunes he uses really tasteful rubato, never losing sight of the need to keep the tune progressing, often stealing from one part of a phrase & giving back later to keep it all coherent.
    Eoin



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    Registered User Perry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Quote Originally Posted by Beanzy View Post
    Well worth a saunter through Aaron Weinstein's YT chord melody playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...QH6DtHiZ3cu74d
    On many tunes he uses really tasteful rubato, never losing sight of the need to keep the tune progressing, often stealing from one part of a phrase & giving back later to keep it all coherent.
    Most of Aaron's arrangements seem to have a definite pulse to them. Great stuff indeed but I'm looking for some lush rubato style playing of jazz standards or really any style. Perhaps you can point to a specific tune in that play list? Over the Rainbow?

    I play (or try to play) this stuff on solo guitar and want to transfer some of it to mandolin. Really looking for inspiration more then a "lesson".

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    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    I think something like "over The Rainbow"is as close to really stretching it out as he's put up there.

    lots of roundles & fills to extend the phrases without it descending into a noodling fest.

    With the mandolin there's always that fine line between tasteful & the opposite.
    I think it's down to mastering those fills to expand it without disappearing off on one. Knowing when to bring it back to reconnect with the progression is what I like to hear in any rubato use.

    If you've already internalised it from the guitar, I guess you're looking for those chord melody runs & fills you can drop in to expand the time.

    Do you use the listener reaction/attentiveness or mostly your inner sense to judge it on guitar? I always find it interesting to hear how people can really make very different approaches to style work & keep people on board.
    Last edited by Mandolin Cafe; Jun-16-2022 at 6:54am. Reason: correcting embed code
    Eoin



    "Forget that anyone is listening to you and always listen to yourself" - Fryderyk Chopin

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    Registered User Perry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Quote Originally Posted by Beanzy View Post
    Do you use the listener reaction/attentiveness or mostly your inner sense to judge it on guitar? I always find it interesting to hear how people can really make very different approaches to style work & keep people on board.
    Hmm not sure I understand the question? I've been on a solo jazz guitar deep dive for for the last bunch of years. In that entire time I've always played the mandolin especially out at gigs but more bluegrass/blues/roots/jam band type stuff.

    Anyway I've explored countless resources in the jazz learning world and have leaned quite a bit about theory and arranging and am trying to transfer some of that knowledge to mandolin.

    I find the mandolin inherently more difficult to get those lush sounding jazz chords and full sounding arrangements.

    I suspect with the mandolin it will be somewhat a matter of illusion: suggesting bigger voicing with diads ans triads as well as taking advantage of open strings.


    As a guitar example check out the great Barmey Kessel:

    Last edited by Mandolin Cafe; Jun-16-2022 at 6:55am. Reason: correcting embed code

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    Unfamous String Buster Beanzy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    The question was more of an aside, I hear some people talk of their approach to judging things like how much of anything is enough, too much, just right. Some speak of having internalised the judgement, others relying more on the vibe & feel of the room (audience) I never really can decide whether it's better to just lose yourself in the flow, or tune outward to read the room. Like I say a digression as we still haven't got you a decent list of examples yet.

    I often listen to piano players and think for mandolinists there's a lot to be read from their approaches to coping with relatively rapid decay of the struck note. I'm more & more convinced that for me I'd get more from the piano guys than the guitarists. The longer scale just gives them so much more to work with & I'll only ever get a bit of that on my mandoloncello or tenor guitar. But for me on mandolin I think I want to try to bottle some of the piano tricks on mandolin.

    If I could find a box of those tricks for mandolin I'd be happy.
    Last edited by Mandolin Cafe; Jun-16-2022 at 6:56am. Reason: correcting embed coding
    Eoin



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    Registered User Perry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Quote Originally Posted by Beanzy View Post
    If I could find a box of those tricks for mandolin I'd be happy.
    Big fan of Vince here....somewhat underappreciated in the jazz piano world.

    I too have been thinking of how to expand the range of the mandolin if even just as an illusion. I wold love to ask Mike Marshall his take on it since he is also a guitar player (a fine one at that).

    I was thinking that scales/licks/runs that shift positions utilizing an open string pivot point might be one such trick.

    Octave displacement might be worth exploring on the mandolin also?

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    Registered User John Soper's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    I've learned a lot from The Don (Stiernberg), and his chord-melody course on Soundslice is well worth the price of admission:

    https://www.soundslice.com/users/DonStiernberg/courses/

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    Registered User Perry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Quote Originally Posted by John Soper View Post
    I've learned a lot from The Don (Stiernberg), and his chord-melody course on Soundslice is well worth the price of admission:

    https://www.soundslice.com/users/DonStiernberg/courses/
    Thanks for link. I purchased this course. I like how Don gives us tools so we can make our own arrangements.

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    Registered User lowtone2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Aaron really does play quite a few rubato ballads in his course, trying to wring out the pretty tones. I know he was already mentioned. John Reischman does some nice rubato things too in his New Old Time style. But I'm not sure the lushness of the guitar arrangements will translate very well to mandolin. It's great for a lot of things..

    Maybe get a book of Galbraith arrangements and try to distill those to the essence? Good luck.


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    Registered User lowtone2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Check out Isaac's tone here. I haven't heard him play a solo chord melody, but would like to.


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    Registered User lowtone2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Well, here it is.


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    Registered User Tim C.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK_XtLqiXDA&t=90s
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    Registered User lowtone2's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato


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  23. #16
    Registered User Perry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Chord Melody - rubato

    Quote Originally Posted by lowtone2 View Post
    That’s what I’m talking’ bout. Thanks for posting.

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