Re: Going from mandolin to mandola, tunes
I know what you mean when you say to play in D on the mandola, play as if you were playing in A on the mandolin . . . but I very seldom play in A (major) on the mandolin, so I never found it helpful to think that way.
When I took up the mandola, it was with intention of learning the same tunes, in the same keys, as I already knew them on mandolin, and seeing what I could learn about internalizing different fingerings and pathways.
So I just took tunes I already knew VERY well on the mandolin, found where the critical or starting notes happened to be on the mandola, and worked it out from there. On mandolin I tend to learn based on written materials (even if I have to notate them out from recordings); but if I have a tune down rock-solid on mandolin, it takes much less time to work it out by ear on the mandola, allowing for the larger fret spacing and the greater frequency of melody notes falling on the sixth fret (and the occasional need to go low instead of high for the B-part). It's not long before you find yourself reaching confidently for a next note across strings.
There is a certain amount of reverse-transposition that can happen. One favorite jig is "Swans Among the Rushes" which I learned on mandolin in G, and brought to mandola in G . . . sometimes on mandolin I'll find myself noodling a "mystery tune" and realize I'm playing "Swans" in D, not as a deliberate key-change but just out of muscle-memory from playing it on the mandola.
Hoping this helps. Sometimes you just have to trust yourself. -- Paul
Last edited by twaaang; Sep-25-2022 at 11:17pm.
Reason: afterthougbt
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