Well, as far as excuses go, you've got a good one. #
Congratulations!
Well, as far as excuses go, you've got a good one. #
Congratulations!
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
Thanks Victor!
Perhaps I'll now be able to save up for a Calace, although I guess a pristine Embergher will still be a bit out of my leagueI think I'd need to be at least onto Book IV before I could do such a mandolin justice anyway - better get beack to my practice
Many, if not most Emberghers have held up quite well; depending on your definition of "pristine", however, you may have to resort to resurrection in order to get the instrument of your dreams. Calace, au contraire, is very much among the living.
Either way, pick on!
It is not man that lives but his work. (Ioannis Kapodistrias)
More of the same practice over the w/e. I'm still plugging away at reading chords. I went back over some of the older material and had one of those satisfying moments when you realise just how far you have come. I played through some of the second-mandolin parts where they had double stops and didn't do too badly. It was a very encouraging thing to do.
between lots of typing at work and lots of tremelo practice plus guitar in church on Sunday, I'm starting to feel an old RSI injury come back. It does that from time to time, so I'll have to watch it.
I'm still plugging away with the last quarter of the book. But I have a question on grace notes.
For a grace note on the same string I would pluck the grace note and then hammer on or pull off to get the next note without plucking again. But what about when the note is on a different string? Bickford has some of these and I'm not clear how to play them. So far I've resorted to playing it effectively like a double stop but trying to release the finger holding the grace note. This doesn't sound too good. It sounds like I was trying to play a chord but mucked it up.
Any suggestions?
I re-read the section on grace notes and I was right (must have missed it) - you do play them like a double-stop when they are on different strings.
Anyway, I have reached the end of the book! HOORAY!
This is not quite the end of Bickford I though as I have some revision and brushing up to do on a few songs and especially on reading chords. I survived the Dance of the Honebugs but my reading of it is still a bit hesitant (but I'm scared to memorise it just in case...)
Looking back I have learnt a lot:
1) new plectrum grip
2) improved tremelo
3) vastly improved ability to read (not up to 1st-sight reading yet but much improved)
4) better tone
5) more volume
6) slightly better intonation (especially on the fourth finger)
7) slightly extended left-hand finger span/reach
I have also glimpsed the possibilities of playing duo-style (and like it).
So I will now press home what I have learnt by a few sessions of revision and then on to Book II. How is everyone else doing?
I'm exclusively using my 10 string ridgeback now, but have had to take things easy the past couple of weeks having stressed out my fourth finger to the extent that my left hand span was actually 1/2" less than my right. So just gingerly building back up again.
My plectrum grip is slowly regressing to its previous form, though the exercise of religiously using a different grip for a while is I think useful. Speed still lower, accuracy hard to gauge, given change of instrument, flexibility probably improved.
Tremelo - still not a fan, but it is improving. Looking forward to regaining proper fourth finger power so I can drive sustained notes without it.
Reading wise, have found REALLY rusty reading 5th and 7th pos - basically, I can'tso am looking for fiddle studies to remedy this - I don't like the idea of learning by rote.
I've not been on this site for a while but I started to print-off Bickford II and will begin that book now.
My reading is still poor but poor is better than non-existentI think it's just one of those things where you need to keep pressing on. I dug out some simple fiddle tunes to read something easy but different to Bickford and it was telling how quickly a piece becomes familiar even if you can't play it totally from memory.
As for our friends the Honey Bugs - all I have to say is:
Daa dada dada daa, daa dada dada daa, daa dada daa dada...
So, shall we start a new thread for Bickford II or let the whole Bickford thread die a natural death? Personally I found it helpful to share but I don't want to waste/hog the bandwindth. Who's with me for Book II?
Dammit! Now I need to go for a Django break to get the bugs out of my head!
Book II sounds like a good idea.
I would love to join at this point but as with other similar threads (Victor's Art of the Bowing comes to mind) I know that time considerations to come into play. OTOH I heartily encourage everyone to continue this thread. I think is has much value for all of us as players.Originally Posted by (MandoJon @ April 06 2006, 04:07)
Tell me when we start book 2 and I will try to keep up.
Jim
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Well I'm no where ready for book 2. Just ordered book 1 and awaiting its arrival.
After following this thread for awhile it has inspired me to start where you did. It's really time that I buckled down and learn this stuff.
1919 Gibson A3
1920 Gibson A2
1937 Gibson K1 Mandocello
2015 Eastman Bowlback
Well, I had a rotten w/e with the 'flu (no not bird flu - I'm a bloke!
I think I'll be launching into Book II this week. As for people keeping up, well, I suspect my rate of progress will slow as my poor reading ability starts to tell.
Mandonucs, I found Book I to be fun and a great way to re-appraise how I was doing things.
Perhaps we can just run on with this thread for Book II and the Book I people will still have a place to pose questions/comments where at least some of the readers will have been through Book I ahead of them. Let's see how it goes.
I have enjoyed following your progress, you have inspired me to download the Bickford book and get started myself. #I will be monitoring your progress in Book II and learning a good bit in the process, I am sure (Thank you). #Since I am rather new to mandolin and sight reading, I will be working from Book I for a bit longer.
My vote, FWIW, is to start another thread for Book II - for selfish reasons, of course. #It will be easier to find information in futures searches when the organization of a topic is built in at the onset and also by avoiding a topic which grows into 10 to 20+ pages.
But you are the one doing all the work of posting - so in reality, please do whatever is most convenient for you. #I imagine I will be following along regardless.
Thank you to all the contributors for making "lessons thru lurking" possible. #
Well I'm already having trouble just holding the pick. I was also using the pencil grip, this 2 finger hold feels very "unstable". But I'll keep trying.
I first read through the whole book, just to see how things were laid out, and Mr. Bickford seems to make sense in the way he did it.
As they say...
If at first you don't succeed, Have another beer!
1919 Gibson A3
1920 Gibson A2
1937 Gibson K1 Mandocello
2015 Eastman Bowlback
Mandonucus, I also used the pencil grip and found the change a struggle but worth it because I greatly improved my tremelo. Then again, as I'm sure Victor would agree, there's no ONE way to hold it. I now hold my pick the Bickfor way for mando and pencil grip for guitar... strange but true.
Well time for my update
Holding the pick the "Bickford" way has become much easier, and I seem to get more sound with less effort. It's this reading notes that is killing me. I've been stuck using TAB for so long that I seem to be transposing between the two of them. But I know that I'm making progress with it. I've made it through page 24, and have played through the Polka. Doesn't sound like anything to me since I have just been trying to get the notes down.
Thanks for listening
1919 Gibson A3
1920 Gibson A2
1937 Gibson K1 Mandocello
2015 Eastman Bowlback
Keep at it. You are in the same place as I was when I started Book I. I still struggle with reading but it is now SO much easier. I also found the same thing with the grip and method of hitting the strings. I have actually slipped half-way back into old habits and need to make amends.
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