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Thread: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discoveries

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    Default Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discoveries

    Hey fellow mandolin enthusiasts!

    I'm curious about the use of mandolin in less traditional music genres. I thought it would be interesting to create a thread where we can share our performances, discuss how the instrument can fit into different musical contexts, and share tips for incorporating the mandolin into various genres.

    Whether you've heard a mandolin solo in a rock song, discovered a jazz mandolinist, or even experimented with mandolin in electronic music, I'd love to hear your thoughts and discoveries.

    Let's broaden our musical horizons and explore the versatility of the mandolin together! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and discoveries.

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  3. #2
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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    Certainly my good friend Slovakian mandolinist Jozef Schiener comes to mind, he has a very diverse pallet and has considerable contributions in "ambient" mandolin.

    Folks like Radim Zenkl and Peter Ostroushko certainly have taken the mandolin pretty far out there,
    the album Mandolin Abstractions by David Grisman and Andy Statman is what I would call "Avant Guard"

    The Tim Ware group's two albums were pretty far ahead of thier time, playing mostly all original music.
    The Modern Mandolin Quartet has done some very modern stuff usually composed by established classical people.

    Mike Oldfield uses mandolin frequently in many of his pieces. The Sally Oldfield album "Water Bearer" features mandolin in many of the songs.

    in Rock Jethro Tull "Fat Man" and Led Zepplin "Boogie with Stu" as well as Battle of Evermore.

    Seals and Crofts - Summer Breeze - Diamond Girl

    Loggins and Messina used mandolin a lot

    I'm sure that's a short list.
    Stormy Morning Orchestra

    My YouTube Channel

    "Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    Blue October used to have some emando. It’s pretty much in the wall of sound, and I didn’t even realize it was in the mix until I saw them live, but there it was. Granted this was probably 12 years ago when they were touring on the Approaching Normal album, so it may not be the case now…
    Chuck

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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    Here's some mandolin music from Iran by Onik, for an example of Uncommon genres:



    I really like the ornamentation, it is often similar to Persian tar playing.

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    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    Yair, I see that you are new to Mandolin Cafe. Welcome to an interesting, informed, and supportive community. If you scroll down the Forum page, you'll see a section called "Music by Genre," that explores many styles of mandolin music.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    Have a look at MASKEDINSANITY & POM channel on Youatube
    They explore all over the place and are worth a browse for some interesting takes.


    YT MANDOLIZED channel link https://www.youtube.com/@mandolized
    Eoin



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

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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    Cafe member tommynorris, has a number of videos featuring him playing Heavy Metal guitar solos on mandolin...

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...in-Metal-Solos
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    And lets not forget Diptanshu with his DolinmanX series of playing mandolin in traditional (and some not so) Indian music...

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...0456-DolinmanX
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    The Jazz Mandolin Project from Jamie Masefield
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_Mandolin_Project
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxdRMU1rQg
    Saw them at the Knitting Factory years ago, two dog house basses, one mandolin, wow!

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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    I watched a short documentary on You Tube last night about Marc Savoy, Cajun musician and accordion maker. A little less than 20 minutes and quite interesting. Anyway, they were showing a couple of the Saturday morning musician gatherings that Marc hosts at his music shop and I was slightly surprised to see two or three mandolinists playing along with the other musicians on pure Cajun numbers. Really cool. If I knew how to imbed a link to that video I would do so, but I'm not particularly technologically proficient. I do recommend this video--very interesting and some fine music from Marc, his wife Ann, and assorted other fine musicians.
    Old Dog Dave: Do the best you can, as long as you can, and all the rest is gravy.

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    Registered User foldedpath's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    The MANndolinMAN band from Belgium has videos that are worth looking at. Here's one but check out all of them:


    Lebeda F-5 mandolin, redwood top
    Weber Yellowstone F-5 octave mandolin

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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    I'm posting this because many mandolin players are unfamiliar with the roots of Italian mandolin music, and as such it's an "unusual" genre:


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    String-Bending Heretic mandocrucian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    Plenty of examples here of mandolin and electric 5-string mandola played with techniques and vocabulary drawn from a variety of other instruments, in a varierty of genres.

    I've been doing this stuff, trying to sound like other instruments and sound "convincing" in other genres, for 40 years, and frankly, in retrospect, I think it has been a pretty much lost cause as far as public appreciation is concerned. (However, some name musicians have dug it, otherwise I'd never gotten to play with them.)

    But give this stuff a listen, if you're in the mood:

    https://soundcloud.com/user-643522979

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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    Quote Originally Posted by mandocrucian View Post
    Plenty of examples here of mandolin and electric 5-string mandola played with techniques and vocabulary drawn from a variety of other instruments, in a varierty of genres.

    I've been doing this stuff, trying to sound like other instruments and sound "convincing" in other genres, for 40 years, and frankly, in retrospect, I think it has been a pretty much lost cause as far as public appreciation is concerned. (However, some name musicians have dug it, otherwise I'd never gotten to play with them.)

    But give this stuff a listen, if you're in the mood:

    https://soundcloud.com/user-643522979
    I like it...especially the Cajun stuff.

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    Default Re: Mandolin in Uncommon Music Genres: Your Thoughts and Discover

    Way, way cool!! Two of my favorite things: Mandolin and Bossa Nova. Awesomeness!!
    Old Dog Dave: Do the best you can, as long as you can, and all the rest is gravy.

    1918 Gibson A Oval hole
    2004 Gibson F9
    2004 Gibson A9
    Weber Gallatin A
    Bruhn double-point
    The Epiphone MM-30
    Dillion Electric (Rickenbacker style)

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