Mandolin For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

Learn how fretting and picking can entertain friends! The mandolin is making a big comeback among music enthusiasts. A longtime staple of bluegrass, folk, jazz, and country music, this fast-pickin' favorite featured heavily in traditional music from around the world is now seeing a resurgence in global pop. In Mandolin For Dummies , accomplished composer, performer, and mandolin guru Don Julin breaks down the history and fundamentals of this versatile instrument, showing how you too can fret, pick, and strum with the best in the business. Packed with photos and diagrams to help you perfect your hand positioning, you'll make your way through a plethora of mandolin-friendly musical styles and learn how to take good care of your instrument--paying it back for all the pleasure it brings to you and your friends. Buy the right mandolin for you Pick up key musical styles Play along with downloadable exercises Restring your instrument Whether this is your first instrument or you're adding to your repertoire, this little number has everything you need to get the most out of your mandolin! Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Foreword Introduction About This Book Conventions Used in This Book Foolish Assumptions Icons Used in This Book Accessing the Audio Tracks Beyond the Book Part 1 Being Bitten by the Mandolin Bug Chapter 1 Becoming Acquainted with Your Mandolin Riding the Mandolin Wave Loving the mandolin sound Joining a vibrant community Enjoying a great choice of mandolins Meeting the Mandolin Family Reaching the highest notes: Mandolin Playing with an alto voice: Mandola Lowering the tone: Mando-cello Spotting the rarely seen mando-bass Accompanying the family: Octave mandolin Getting to Know Your Mandolin’s Anatomy Looking at the body Introducing the neck Using string vibrations to produce sound Chapter 2 Getting to Grips with Tuning and Terminology Coming to Terms with Musical Terminology Identifying musical notes with letters Sharpening up and flatting down your notes Stepping up to the mark: Distances between notes Scaling the heights with chords and scales Grasping the Tuning Basics Sounding Tuneful: Methods for Tuning Your Mandolin Using an electronic tuner Tuning your mandolin to itself Tuning to another instrument Chapter 3 Getting a Handle on Your Mandolin Sitting Down on the Job Playing While Standing Up Strapping Yourself in to Play Part 2 Starting to Play the Mandolin Chapter 4 Making Music on the Mandolin Playing without Having to Read Music Understanding tablature Reading chord diagrams Developing a musical ear Keeping the Musical Beat by Counting Feeling the beat Counting to four Dividing up beats Extending notes: Half notes and whole notes Dotting and tying notes Resting: Playing the silence Repeating sections of a song Simplifying time signatures Introducing Your First Five Chords Getting to grips with the G chord Choosing the C chord Discovering the D chord Adding the A chord Examining the E chord Strumming chords: Getting some rhythm patterns together Breaking Down the Parts of a Song Finding the beat: Rhythm Moving on to chord progressions Strumming the chords Performing the melody Playing along with other people Playing Your First Songs “Ode to Joy” theme “Down in the Valley” “Go Tell Aunt Rhodie” “Skip to My Lou” “Red River Valley” Chapter 5 Picking with the Right Hand Holding the Pick Supporting and Guiding Your Right Hand Touching the bridge Brushing the pinky Resting on the rib Arching your wrist while strumming Picking Up and Down Picking alternate strong and weak beats Getting down with down-strokes Visiting Ireland: Jig picking Rolling out the notes: Cross picking Developing Good Tone Finding the sweet spot Picking the right pick Keeping a loose grip Getting your pick angle right Following through: The rest stroke Keeping things loose: It’s all in the wrist Playing Louder Isn’t Always Better Understanding dynamics Knowing when not to play loudly Choosing when to play loudly Balancing act: Four strings are louder than one Sustaining a Note: Tremolo Staying in time: Measured tremolo Varying the pace: Free tremolo Playing melody with slow tremolo Practicing Your Skills Trying out alternate-picking exercises Keeping-time exercises Chilling out with rest exercises Becoming dynamic with volume exercises Stretching out with tremolo exercises Chapter 6 Fretting Notes and Chords with the Lef t Hand Positioning and Working with Your Left Hand Positioning your left hand Tying your fingers to the frets Exercising the left hand Creating effects with your left hand Discovering More Essential Chords Trying out a few major chords Becoming sadder with some minor chords Opening up to seventh chords Focusing on barré chords Trying out Left-Hand Techniques Changing your left-hand position Moving up the mandolin’s neck Playing two notes simultaneously: Double stops Chapter 7 Playing “Jethro”-Style Three-String Chords Introducing Jethro Burns’s Three-String Chord Style Perfecting Three-String Major Chords Root-on-top major chords Third-on-top major chords Fifth-on-top major chords Mastering Three-String Minor Chords Root-on-top minor chords Third-on-top minor chords Fifth-on-top minor chords Trying on a Few Seventh Chords for Size Root-on-top seventh chords Third-on-top seventh chords Fifth-on-top seventh chords Seventh-on-top seventh chords Revving up for Jazzy Chords: Nice! Sounding unresolved with diminished chords Adding augmented chords to your mandolin armory Dressing up some minor chords: Minor sevenths Chapter 8 Playing Mandolin Music: Scales and Melody Understanding How to Play Melody Listening to the great players Speaking a tune Rising to the challenge of scales Exploring Some Major Scales Discovering the D major scale Accessing the A major scale Getting to grips with the G major scale Avoiding sharps and flats with the C major scale Trying Out Minor Scales Mining the A minor scale for two different approaches Playing solo with chord melodies Experiencing the Power of the Pentatonic Taking five with the major pentatonic scale Moving on to the minor pentatonic scale Part 3 Putting Playing Styles into Practice Chapter 9 Playing Music from Yesteryear: Old Time, Rags and Blues Searching out the Past: Old-Time Music Strumming for old-time fiddle tunes Waltzing on the mandolin Playing All Raggedy on Purpose: Ragtime Syncopating your mandolin melodies Practicing ragtime chord progressions and patterns Playing away Your Sorrows: The Blues Introducing the blues rhythm Chording up for the blues Playin’ the blues: Some tips and techniques Influencing other genres Chapter 10 Giving Your Mandolin a Speedy Workout: Bluegrass Getting a Grip on That Bluegrass Rhythm Gathering Together the Bluegrass Elements: An Original Mandolin Style Fiddling about with fiddle tunes Adding the blues style Using tremolo Adding extra bars: Irregular time Picking up Bluegrass Melodic Techniques Using the right hand Playing out-of-chord positions: The left hand Exploring other left-hand ornamentations Building Bluegrass Instrumental Breaks Learning the song Making your break sound like bluegrass Chapter 11 Travelling to the Emerald Isle: Irish Mandolin Following the Melody One Note at a Time Listening to learn Irish tunes Swinging with triplets and the lilt Discovering the Irish Music Modes Using a standard major scale (Ionian mode) Tackling a standard minor scale (Dorian mode) Meeting the other major scale (Mixolydian mode) Encountering the relative minor scale (Aeolian mode) Playing Irish Rhythms and Tunes “Reeling in the Years” Jigging around the dance floor Slipping in a jig Being all at sea in a good way: The hornpipe Playing Irish Tunes with Other Musicians Chapter 12 Taking a Quick World Tour Returning to the Mandolin’s Birthplace: Italy Strolling to play Making great use of tremolo Varying the tremolo speed Visiting the Concert Hall: Classical Mandolin Gliding towards acquiring a classical mandolin technique Exploring arpeggio uses in classical music Introducing mandolin orchestras Heading to Brazil Getting hold of some basic choro rhythms Trying out some choro chord progressions Considering choro melody Chapter 13 Swinging to Those Jazzy Rhythms “It Don’t Mean a Thing. . .”: Swingin’ the Melody Introducing swing Respecting the mighty eighth note Using syncopated rhythms Playing in all 12 keys Simplifying Jazz Chords Working with Jazzy Chord Progressions Keeping it moving: The 1-6-2-5 progression Getting the blues, jazz style Achieving a good swing feel Swingin’ with rhythm changes Changing keys with the 2-5-1 progression Accompanying yourself: Chord melody Mixing Things up: Jazz with Other Styles Heading down to Texas: Western swing Waltzing with the Muppets Blending jazz with other genres Chapter 14 Blending Styles: Dawg Music Meeting David Grisman Groovin’ to Some Dawg Music Heading down south: Dawg Latin Get up, get on up: Dawg funk Accenting Your Grooves, Dawg-Style Scratching like the Dawg Stretching out with one long chord Part 4 Purchasing and Caring for Your Mandolin Chapter 15 Selecting and Buying a Mandolin Exploring the World of Mandolins Finding out about F-style mandolins Assessing A-style mandolins Rounding out F- and A-style mandolins Tossing around pancake and other flat-top mandolins Plugging in with electric mandolins Bandying about with a bandolim Noticing Neapolitan mandolins Spending the Right Amount Discovering What Makes One Mandolin Better than Another Barking up the right tree: Types of wood for mandolins Polishing off the types of finish Getting comfortable: Mandolin playability Making it up: Types of mandolin manufacture Aging well: New versus used mandolins Locating Mandolins for Sale Buying in bricks-and-mortar shops Going online Putting a Mandolin through Its Paces Chapter 16 Building Your Accessories Kit Gathering Together the Must-Haves Picking extra picks Clipping on an electronic tuner Strapping on the mandolin Protecting your mandolin Stringing along your mandolin Buying Extras That Improve Your Playing Keeping steady with a metronome Taking lessons from books, DVDs, and online courses Leaning on a music stand Recording made easy Playing along with backing tracks Slowing down the music Using a webcam for online lessons Bringing on the Bling Attaching accessories to your mandolin Making life easier in other ways Chapter 17 All Change: Replacing Your Mandolin’s Strings Preparing to Change Your Strings Knowing when to change strings Selecting the right strings Removing the Old Strings Re-stringing Your Mandolin Chapter 18 Caring for and Repairing Your Mandolin Maintaining Your Mandolin’s Health Wiping down your mandolin Controlling the climate Getting a good case or bag Keeping an instrument stand handy Setting Up Your Mandolin Yourself: Only for the Brave Adjusting the action Tackling the truss-rod adjustment Slotting the nut Setting the bridge: Intonation Turning to the Professionals Dressing or replacing the frets Repairing cracks Part 5 The Part of Tens Chapter 19 Ten (or So) Tips on Becoming a Good Mandolin Player Listen to Mandolin Music Get a Good Teacher Keep Your Mandolin Nearby Play Your Mandolin Every Day Find People to Play Music With Practice with a Metronome Go to Mandolin Camps or Workshops Practice Slowly Using Good Technique Develop a Musical Ear Acquire Some Music Theory Record Yourself Have Fun! Chapter 20 Ten Mandolin Players You Need to Know Bill Monroe (1911–1996) Chris Thile (Born 1981) Jethro Burns (1920–1989) David Grisman (Born 1945) Dave Apollon (1897–1972) Jacob do Bandolim (1918–1969) Yank Rachell (1910–1997) Mike Marshall (Born 1957) Caterina Lichtenberg (Born 1969) Carlo Aonzo (Born 1967) Chapter 21 Ten Ways of Tapping into the Mandolin Subculture Attending Acoustic Music Concerts Trying Out Mandolin Workshops Visiting Mandolin Camps Going to Acoustic Music Festivals Checking Out a Jam Session or Orchestra Joining the Online Mandolin Community Finding Courses on the Internet Joining a National Organization Exploring Your Own Town Spreading the News Part 6 Appendixes Appendix A Chord Charts Appendix B Reading Standard Musical Notation Meeting the Musical Staff Starting at the beginning: Treble and bass clefs Signing in with the key signature Timing is everything: Time signatures Getting the speed right: Tempo Knowing the style Following the Musical Directions Noting the Musical Notes Pitching in with high and low notes Discovering note duration Dotting and tying notes Getting louder and quietening down: Dynamics Articulating your playing Appendix C Audio Tracks Discovering What’s on the Audio Tracks Index EULA