And since most of tater's tabs are sans chords, its a good learning exercise, on its own, to figure out the chords that work. Great list and comments, need to print and put on the fridge. thanks linda
On Apr 16, 5:03 am, Mark Seale <[email protected]> wrote: > Great list, and I can say, my failing has ALWAYS been on step 2. But, I'm > getting better at that. > > Mark > > On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 1:33 PM, mgromkey <[email protected]> wrote: > > OK, Sir Tater told me to post this here, so here goes. ... > > > I recently had an epiphany -- like a flash, like a vision written > > across the night sky! -- that everything I'd been doing visa vis the > > mandolin was 100 percent certified bass ackward. Realizing the error > > of my ways, I have written my Mandolin Player's Manifesto, which > > follows. Selah. > > > EL MANDOLIN MANIFESTO > > > 1. LISTEN: The place to start learning any tune is listening to a > > recorded version of it. Lots. Notation and tab are a useful adjunct to > > working out fingering and difficult passages, but shouldn’t be used as > > the primary source. > > > 2. LEARN THE DAMN CHORDS: When you start playing a tune, the first > > thing to do is learn the chord progression. If you haven’t > > internalized the chord structure, you don’t really know the tune. > > > 3. NOW, FINALLY, LEARN THE MELODY: Once you know the chords, work up > > the melody line. Do not overly rely on a written arrangement. These > > tunes generally are not intended to be played exactly the same every > > time. Refer back to recorded versions for reference and ideas about > > variations. > > > 4. REGARDING SOLOS: As a general rule, solos should stick close to the > > melody. There’s nothing wrong with just playing the tune when your > > turn come around. The next step is to work up some variations. It is > > advisable to stick close to the melody and the chord progression. A > > solo is not a collection of fast notes, scales and riffs; it is an > > exposition of the basic melody. * (see footnote) > > > 5. PLAY NICELY WITH OTHERS: Bluegrass is not a solo endeavor. You > > practice in the living room in order to get good enough to play with > > other musicians in public, whether it’s a backyard jam or a paying > > gig. If you and your mandolin never get off the family room couch, > > you're missing the boat. > > > * Solos footnote: Players should avoid coming at bluegrass solos from > > a rock/blues lead guitar perspective. Many rock songs have a simple I- > > IV-V chord structure and minimalist melody. For example, “Johnny B. > > Good” is basically a one-note melody following a three-chord > > progression. Rock/blues guitar solos generally do not stay close to > > the melody to avoid being repetitious. Only Syd Barrett played one- > > note solos -- and he went insane and Pink Floyd kicked him out. > > > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > "Taterbugmando" group. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > [email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]> > > . > > For more options, visit this group at > >http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en.
