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Thread: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

  1. #1

    Default Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    First of all, I'm a beginner, so don't be too harsh on me. Here's some videos of me playing
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g4OOA1jAP4
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPuexR5GxEw

    I was trying to cover this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUhSiOYvsjw (yes, I know my cover doesn't really sound like the song)

    A few notes:
    My pick grip seems problematic.
    I'm getting a real "tinny" sound.
    I seem very tensed up.
    I'm a violin, player not a guitar player, that's my excuse .

    Constructive criticism welcome.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    I'm mostly self taught (for about a month now) but occasionally take lessons. I want to improve so I should probably take lessons more regularly.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    First I appreciate your enthusiasm, "you won't get far on enthusiasm alone, but you won't get anywhere without it" (Robert Fripp?).

    Musically it seems the intent is to play multiple strings simultaneously as well as over chords which is quite common in mandolin music.

    There is room for growth here, I could not really see how you were holding the pick, but you may want to watch some of the "Pick holding" videos out there (Chris Thile, Mike Marshall, Wayne Benson) and see what others are doing.

    The right hand seems to be resting or falling on the strings as opposed to striking them, less restraint and a little more applied force, you want to push tone out of the instrument.

    Though I couldn't tell from the video if you were clamping hard with the left it sounded that way? Try to find a relaxed position where the tones are coming clean - this may be challenging depending on the current action on the mandolin.

    On the left hand I would go back to single fretted notes, and get the right and the left coordinated where you are striking each note clearly and cleanly, playing slow - and I mean "turtle speed" is where you should start.
    When the single notes seem clean and you can pick through a simple melody like Old Joe Clark or even Twinkle Twinkle Little Star(hey its Mozart) or something (even very slowly), then you can use what technique you have developed on the left and right hand for chords.

    Sounds like you have self determination and an understanding of music and playing a stringed instrument, as I have said before to others with passion and time you'll be fine.
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  5. #4
    Registered User Mike Buesseler's Avatar
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    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Mr GPL, you won’t get any better advice than you just got from tmsweeney. Playing those simple tunes is a great exercise. “Happy Birthday” is another good one that everyone knows. And Christmas carols are good ones, too. It really helps when you already know the tunes in your head.

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    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    OP, your "a few notes" is exactly it, the things you need to work on. head to "professor google", ask "how to hold the pick?", "how to relax?", etc. lots of useful advice , some specific to mandolin. to put advice to practice, start with something that simple that works well on mandolin. irish polkas tend to work well for new mandolin players. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iew2BuDjQmc. for ideas of covers on mandolin, head to alina's channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ5GDzdmKnM. or get a viper fretted violin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD_7Gddfo4U

  7. #6

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by tmsweeney View Post
    First I appreciate your enthusiasm, "you won't get far on enthusiasm alone, but you won't get anywhere without it" (Robert Fripp?).

    Musically it seems the intent is to play multiple strings simultaneously as well as over chords which is quite common in mandolin music.

    There is room for growth here, I could not really see how you were holding the pick, but you may want to watch some of the "Pick holding" videos out there (Chris Thile, Mike Marshall, Wayne Benson) and see what others are doing.

    The right hand seems to be resting or falling on the strings as opposed to striking them, less restraint and a little more applied force, you want to push tone out of the instrument.

    Though I couldn't tell from the video if you were clamping hard with the left it sounded that way? Try to find a relaxed position where the tones are coming clean - this may be challenging depending on the current action on the mandolin.

    On the left hand I would go back to single fretted notes, and get the right and the left coordinated where you are striking each note clearly and cleanly, playing slow - and I mean "turtle speed" is where you should start.
    When the single notes seem clean and you can pick through a simple melody like Old Joe Clark or even Twinkle Twinkle Little Star(hey its Mozart) or something (even very slowly), then you can use what technique you have developed on the left and right hand for chords.

    Sounds like you have self determination and an understanding of music and playing a stringed instrument, as I have said before to others with passion and time you'll be fine.
    Thanks for the reassurance and helpful advice! Yeah, my tone is what I view as my biggest problem right now. I think it would be a good idea to start slowly, and get all the individual notes coming out clean. That's helpful advice for any instrument. I'm not sure if my action is too high, or too low. It's kind of a headache to figure out for me, especially when all I want to do is play.
    Last edited by MrGuineaPigLover; Jan-17-2023 at 3:49pm.

  8. #7

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Buesseler View Post
    Mr GPL, you won’t get any better advice than you just got from tmsweeney. Playing those simple tunes is a great exercise. “Happy Birthday” is another good one that everyone knows. And Christmas carols are good ones, too. It really helps when you already know the tunes in your head.
    Good idea! Simple tunes do sound like the way to go for now, agreed. However (and this may be mistaken thinking on my part) I think that Happy Birthday and Christmas Carols are a bit too simple for my taste. Even so, they're still a good idea. I've bought a few books of mandolin sheet music that I think are just the right amount of complexity for me. Very little chords. But for playing by ear, I still struggle with it. Which is where I think it might be a good idea to start with those simpler tunes (I'm still not sure how to go about it)
    For context, I have been playing the violin for a fair amount of time, 7 years, and I'd say I'm at the intermediate level. Because of my experience with violin, I know a few things on the mandolin like where all the notes are.

  9. #8

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by mandocello8 View Post
    OP, your "a few notes" is exactly it, the things you need to work on. head to "professor google", ask "how to hold the pick?", "how to relax?", etc. lots of useful advice , some specific to mandolin. to put advice to practice, start with something that simple that works well on mandolin. irish polkas tend to work well for new mandolin players. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iew2BuDjQmc. for ideas of covers on mandolin, head to alina's channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ5GDzdmKnM. or get a viper fretted violin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD_7Gddfo4U
    What a cool looking violin! Thanks for those resources. Alina's channel seems to have lots of cool video game music and TV show songs. Relaxing is something I have trouble with in music. On violin, I was always tense and "scrunched" up too, but still managed to have a good sound. It's the guitar parts of playing the mandolin, for example, where to put your fingers on the frets, and how to use the pick, that I struggle with.

  10. #9
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    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Learning to pick out some simple fiddle tunes like Old Joe Clark might help. Learn some basic chord positions, G, D, C, A. Remember the answer to the question, How do you get to Carnegie Hall? PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Also remember that we all, and I mean all, have been where you are. With patience and practice you will improve. Best of luck.

  11. #10

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by MrGuineaPigLover View Post
    Good idea! Simple tunes do sound like the way to go for now, agreed. However (and this may be mistaken thinking on my part) I think that Happy Birthday and Christmas Carols are a bit too simple for my taste.
    Neither of those are necessarily simple. The things you look down on will come back and bite you badly.

    The guitarist David Grier will ask players who come to him for advice on complicated tunes to play Happy Birthday. Then when they inevitably fail he will ask "How are you going to play that complicated stuff if you can't play Happy Birthday"? It is kind of a trick because Happy Birthday is very familiar to us so we think it is simple. But there are two or three wide interval jumps in the tune that make it hard to catch by ear. Dixie and Old Folks at Home are the same way. Most people will fail on the first try, or even the second or third. Of course you do need to be able to play it in all 12 keys also

    Christmas carols are all over the map on difficulty. Try Sleigh Ride, the entire song, not just the first part. It has three parts, changes keys several times, between and within parts, and in some versions modulates up half a step before going another round. Not simple, not even remotely. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) also changes keys several times particularly within the bridge. I would not recommend starting with those. Even the simple songs can be tricky, particularly to play them perfectly and in time. Jingle Bells repeats the same note over and over and over on the chorus. Some people have difficulty and lose track of where they are. Joy to the World has a first line that is very simple but it has to be timed right, If the timing is wrong it is another tune. Even very traditional carols like O Holy Night or We Three Kings have modulations in them where the key shifts for a bit. White Christmas has a lot of chromatic behavior in the melody. The melodies are not necessarily simple.

    Of course the point of playing simple songs is to get your mechanics right. You want every note to ring out perfectly, no misses, no buzzes, no squeaks, everything in time. And for that you do not want a challenging melody where even finding the right notes is a problem.

  12. #11

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    I know it can feel like playing something simple and slow is a demotion from where you are currently (with your violin playing) but the reality is that you are not yet there with mandolin. So, learning a new song and how to play it cleanly with both the left and right hand is just too much for your executive functioning. It is very helpful to isolate one of those areas where your technique is struggling and try to get it right. To me it seems the area that needs the most growth here is your right hand.

    I will give you the same advice I have given many fellow Cafers, friends, family, the mail man, random people on the street, basically anybody I can get to listen to me: Work on your right hand technique and only that or atleast do that for a while before doing anything else every day for a few weeks. Here is a video that covers this. https://youtu.be/KVynlcyf1ec by David Benedict. Work on the right hand until there is noticeable improvement in your tone and you feel good and loose. If you have been playing for 7 years you probably have a metronome somewhere. Take it out and just plunk away until you hear/feel/see progress on your right hand. This will lift the burden of also having to learn how to play a new song and figure out where to put your left hand/fret. Once you get your right hand correct I can guarantee you that you will see growth in the totality of your playing and significantly quicker than if you try to do it all at once.

  13. #12
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    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    OP, it is best if you start learning with music that you like, love and would like to be able to play on your mandolin. if you want to play commercial muzaks, Christmas music could be a good start. likewise, if you want to play classical, do not start with bill monroe. spend some time on youtube, find other people who play your type of music on mandolins, learn from them, find a teacher, tell them "*this* is what I want to play, please teach me". that said, basic mandolin technique is the same regardless of what music you play, so whether you start with irish polkas or with happy birthday, mechanically, you will be learning pretty much the same stuff.

    you seem to like covers, so here is an Olga Egorova for you (she is classically trained on domra balalaika): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuYadT6W-9c

    need more specific recommendations? now you know where we are. welcome to the world of mandolin!

  14. #13
    Peace. Love. Mandolin. Gelsenbury's Avatar
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    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Waltzes may be good practice pieces - not too fast, a steady and familiar rhythm, tons of examples across musical genres, and a built-in requirement for good tone.

  15. #14

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by CarlM View Post
    Neither of those are necessarily simple. The things you look down on will come back and bite you badly.

    The guitarist David Grier will ask players who come to him for advice on complicated tunes to play Happy Birthday. Then when they inevitably fail he will ask "How are you going to play that complicated stuff if you can't play Happy Birthday"? It is kind of a trick because Happy Birthday is very familiar to us so we think it is simple. But there are two or three wide interval jumps in the tune that make it hard to catch by ear. Dixie and Old Folks at Home are the same way. Most people will fail on the first try, or even the second or third. Of course you do need to be able to play it in all 12 keys also

    Christmas carols are all over the map on difficulty. Try Sleigh Ride, the entire song, not just the first part. It has three parts, changes keys several times, between and within parts, and in some versions modulates up half a step before going another round. Not simple, not even remotely. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) also changes keys several times particularly within the bridge. I would not recommend starting with those. Even the simple songs can be tricky, particularly to play them perfectly and in time. Jingle Bells repeats the same note over and over and over on the chorus. Some people have difficulty and lose track of where they are. Joy to the World has a first line that is very simple but it has to be timed right, If the timing is wrong it is another tune. Even very traditional carols like O Holy Night or We Three Kings have modulations in them where the key shifts for a bit. White Christmas has a lot of chromatic behavior in the melody. The melodies are not necessarily simple.

    Of course the point of playing simple songs is to get your mechanics right. You want every note to ring out perfectly, no misses, no buzzes, no squeaks, everything in time. And for that you do not want a challenging melody where even finding the right notes is a problem.
    Yeah, I see now that I was wrong too think of them as simple. It's just after years of playing Christmas Carols in a beginner orchestra I had began to think of those tunes as "beneath me" and quickly tired of them. I know that was wrongheaded now. Playing with sheet music, no problem, but even simple tunes by ear can be a challenge for beginners. Shall I learn some other simple tunes too though? I've learned some Irish reels.

  16. #15

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Levine View Post
    I know it can feel like playing something simple and slow is a demotion from where you are currently (with your violin playing) but the reality is that you are not yet there with mandolin. So, learning a new song and how to play it cleanly with both the left and right hand is just too much for your executive functioning. It is very helpful to isolate one of those areas where your technique is struggling and try to get it right. To me it seems the area that needs the most growth here is your right hand.

    I will give you the same advice I have given many fellow Cafers, friends, family, the mail man, random people on the street, basically anybody I can get to listen to me: Work on your right hand technique and only that or atleast do that for a while before doing anything else every day for a few weeks. Here is a video that covers this. https://youtu.be/KVynlcyf1ec by David Benedict. Work on the right hand until there is noticeable improvement in your tone and you feel good and loose. If you have been playing for 7 years you probably have a metronome somewhere. Take it out and just plunk away until you hear/feel/see progress on your right hand. This will lift the burden of also having to learn how to play a new song and figure out where to put your left hand/fret. Once you get your right hand correct I can guarantee you that you will see growth in the totality of your playing and significantly quicker than if you try to do it all at once.
    I'm excited to "restart" on the mandolin. Do you know of any nontraditional Christmas carols (ones I haven't heard before) that are simple to play? Otherwise I'll start with the ones I know. I also like Zydeco and Bossa Nova (neither of which are traditional Mandolin musicc.)
    Also would you say the buzzing is due to my right hand technique? When I play fast(er) the buzzing tends to be less severe.

  17. #16

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by mandocello8 View Post
    OP, it is best if you start learning with music that you like, love and would like to be able to play on your mandolin. if you want to play commercial muzaks, Christmas music could be a good start. likewise, if you want to play classical, do not start with bill monroe. spend some time on youtube, find other people who play your type of music on mandolins, learn from them, find a teacher, tell them "*this* is what I want to play, please teach me". that said, basic mandolin technique is the same regardless of what music you play, so whether you start with irish polkas or with happy birthday, mechanically, you will be learning pretty much the same stuff.

    you seem to like covers, so here is an Olga Egorova for you (she is classically trained on domra balalaika): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuYadT6W-9c

    need more specific recommendations? now you know where we are. welcome to the world of mandolin!
    My music taste, and what I want to play, is kind of varied, I like classical music but typically more modern classical music, stuff like the Impressionists (Ravel and Debussy + Satie) and even some Alban Berg and John Cage (his non chance compositions). I like Japanese rock, Irish waltzes and slow airs, and blues. It's pretty varied, but if there was any defining feature to all this music, it would have to be use of pentatonic scales, and lyrical "soulful" chord progressions. I like music that uses pentatonic scales.
    And yes, I definitely need to work on my technique. Or want to, anyway.

  18. #17

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by Gelsenbury View Post
    Waltzes may be good practice pieces - not too fast, a steady and familiar rhythm, tons of examples across musical genres, and a built-in requirement for good tone.
    Waltzes are a great idea. Admittedly, I only know of Irish Waltzes.

  19. #18

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by Denny Gies View Post
    Learning to pick out some simple fiddle tunes like Old Joe Clark might help. Learn some basic chord positions, G, D, C, A. Remember the answer to the question, How do you get to Carnegie Hall? PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Also remember that we all, and I mean all, have been where you are. With patience and practice you will improve. Best of luck.
    For sure. Practice isn't even work for me (right now) simply because I'm starting to love this instrument.

  20. #19
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    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Not sure if I missed this in all the advise above, but once you get pick grip straightened out, suggest you pay attention to a down-up picking motion so that it becomes ingrained in muscle memory. So, if you play eight 1/8th notes in a bar of 4/4 music, the strings should be picked down up down up down up down up down up (or, stated another way, if the music is 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and, the downstrokes are on the numbers and the upstrokes are on "and"). If you play nothing but quarter notes (1, 2, 3, 4, with no "ands"), play all downstrokes. etc.

  21. #20

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by MrGuineaPigLover View Post
    Yeah, I see now that I was wrong too think of them as simple. It's just after years of playing Christmas Carols in a beginner orchestra I had began to think of those tunes as "beneath me" and quickly tired of them. I know that was wrongheaded now. Playing with sheet music, no problem, but even simple tunes by ear can be a challenge for beginners. Shall I learn some other simple tunes too though? I've learned some Irish reels.
    If you have some Irish reels that you know by heart those are fine. The main point is to have some songs that you know the melody completely by heart so you are not struggling just to learn the melody as you work on mechanics and ear training. These are not tunes you will necessarily perform or play other than as practice. There are two ideas here. One is to associate the notes you hear with where they are on the mandolin. So you want songs you can hum or sing exactly and find the notes. That is also the reason for focusing on single note melodies at first. It is learning to walk before you run. You asked about how to figure out songs in another posting.

    The other part is the things you are asking about, the mechanics. People have mentioned the right hand because that is the biggest place your videos show you may need help. As they have said, find an instruction video because the first impression from your videos is that is quite a bit to work on there. We could spend a thousand words trying to help with some things the video can show in a few minutes. It is like bow technique on the violin with a bunch of teeny things getting basics right making huge differences in your playing. Several great players have done how to hold the pick and basic pick technique videos on You Tube.

    Regarding buzzes and rattles, those are usually left hand technique if they are not due to instrument set up. A couple of things to look at there. First is finger placement. Your finger should be just behind the fret bar. It should not be on it or over it. That causes rattles. It should also not be halfway in the middle. That pulls the strings out of tune. It is not critical for intonation like violin so it is slightly more forgiving but not by a lot due to the buzzing and note quality issues. The other problem bad placement causes is that then it is natural to try to bear down and push harder to keep it from buzzing. That adds tension and does not fix the buzz.

    It should not take very much pressure when fretting notes. The best way to understand this is to just touch the string above where you fret it damping it out to make a click. Pick back and forth making that clicking noise. Gradually increase the pressure till you just get the note to sound with no buzzes or rattles. That is how hard you should be pressing. Anything more is detrimental. You can also reverse the exercise by fretting as you normally would then pick back and forth gradually reducing pressure till it just buzzes. Everyone I have known who tried this has been surprised how little pressure it actually takes. That and good posture go a long ways toward getting rid of tension as you play.

    Here is a video which explains a lot in just a few minutes with one of the best players in the world today.

  22. #21

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by CarlM View Post
    If you have some Irish reels that you know by heart those are fine. The main point is to have some songs that you know the melody completely by heart so you are not struggling just to learn the melody as you work on mechanics and ear training. These are not tunes you will necessarily perform or play other than as practice. There are two ideas here. One is to associate the notes you hear with where they are on the mandolin. So you want songs you can hum or sing exactly and find the notes. That is also the reason for focusing on single note melodies at first. It is learning to walk before you run. You asked about how to figure out songs in another posting.

    The other part is the things you are asking about, the mechanics. People have mentioned the right hand because that is the biggest place your videos show you may need help. As they have said, find an instruction video because the first impression from your videos is that is quite a bit to work on there. We could spend a thousand words trying to help with some things the video can show in a few minutes. It is like bow technique on the violin with a bunch of teeny things getting basics right making huge differences in your playing. Several great players have done how to hold the pick and basic pick technique videos on You Tube.

    Regarding buzzes and rattles, those are usually left hand technique if they are not due to instrument set up. A couple of things to look at there. First is finger placement. Your finger should be just behind the fret bar. It should not be on it or over it. That causes rattles. It should also not be halfway in the middle. That pulls the strings out of tune. It is not critical for intonation like violin so it is slightly more forgiving but not by a lot due to the buzzing and note quality issues. The other problem bad placement causes is that then it is natural to try to bear down and push harder to keep it from buzzing. That adds tension and does not fix the buzz.

    It should not take very much pressure when fretting notes. The best way to understand this is to just touch the string above where you fret it damping it out to make a click. Pick back and forth making that clicking noise. Gradually increase the pressure till you just get the note to sound with no buzzes or rattles. That is how hard you should be pressing. Anything more is detrimental. You can also reverse the exercise by fretting as you normally would then pick back and forth gradually reducing pressure till it just buzzes. Everyone I have known who tried this has been surprised how little pressure it actually takes. That and good posture go a long ways toward getting rid of tension as you play.

    Here is a video which explains a lot in just a few minutes with one of the best players in the world today.
    I've heard of Sierra Hull from a friend of mine and some people on this forum. Great player. (So far I know Chris Thile, Sierra Hull, Jethro Burns, Mike Marshall and David Grisman)
    Thank you for the tips. The pick to a mandolin being like a bow to a violin is an apt metaphor. As the bow technique is a huge influencer of tone on the violin.

  23. #22

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Quote Originally Posted by morgan View Post
    Not sure if I missed this in all the advise above, but once you get pick grip straightened out, suggest you pay attention to a down-up picking motion so that it becomes ingrained in muscle memory. So, if you play eight 1/8th notes in a bar of 4/4 music, the strings should be picked down up down up down up down up down up (or, stated another way, if the music is 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and, the downstrokes are on the numbers and the upstrokes are on "and"). If you play nothing but quarter notes (1, 2, 3, 4, with no "ands"), play all downstrokes. etc.
    Good advice. I suppose what I was doing is (somewhat) like playing violin with all downstrokes on the bow.

  24. #23
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    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    There’s a large serving of good tips in this thread. Great work, gang!

    The thing I admire about David Grier’s approach (cited by CarlM, above) is how effective it is at exposing the things a player needs to work on. New players commonly scoff at the idea of playing the novice’s familiar warhorses like Twinkle Twinkle, Happy Birthday, Old Joe Clark, scales, Christmas carols, and the like but when an authority like Grier presses them into playing those they find out that they can’t hide the things they’ve glossed over or just haven’t learned. Pick holding, LH-RH coordination, LH position & pressure on strings, RH consistency, instrument position, relaxation, et al. all show themselves in the simple tunes while being masked [from inexperienced players] in the more sophisticated music that we’re anxious to master.

    I’ve played many instruments under many teachers in my seven decades and the one lesson that has been the hardest to learn in every case has been patience. If you can, somehow, come to grips with patience the rest will present itself to you.
    A couple years in, now, and still learning!
    Ratliff F-style Country Boy
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    I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

  25. #24

    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Kenny, you are very right that patience is a hard thing to learn. And thank you for the encouragement.

    I have one more question for you guys, maybe I should start another thread?
    Whenever I put down my finger just behind the fret it typically doesn't buzz, but when I place it just after the fret, it buzzes A TON. So finger placement is key? Is it also the angle you put the finger? If I put it straight down (like on violin) I can get a somewhat cleaner tone.
    It produces a not so pleasant sound when it buzzes.
    Here's a video example, be prepared.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mATwJvqK5B0
    At the start I played intentionally to show the buzz, afterwards I played (somewhat) naturally. I played with a lot of mistakes... intentionally. At least that's what I tell myself.
    (This took bravery to post)

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    Default Re: Give me constructive criticism on how to improve

    Closer to the fret reduces the pressure you need to apply compared to pressing farther away from it. You should press on the string right alongside the fret. With practice your fingertips will sense correct position without looking.

    When you press down you should be putting equal pressure on both strings of a course. When only one string sounds or when one sounds dull or dead, observe how your finger is positioned on the course. Pressing harder will often make the second string of the course come alive but that’s not good. Learning to position your finger on the course lets you sound both strings and enjoy the experience.
    A couple years in, now, and still learning!
    Ratliff F-style Country Boy
    Eastman MDO-305 Octave Mandolin
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    I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.

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