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Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | I just bought an Ovation mm68 Mandolin. I've never owned a mando before so I'm wondering if this will make my guitar playing worse (which I think would be impossible)? Anyone have experience switching back and forth? I bought it because I felt it would add a lot of interest to my Guitar Club (which we call the Guitar Group).
Like to hear your thoughts.
Thanks.
Jim
Elite 1687
Adamas 1578
Viper Electric
MM68 Mandolin |
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Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Jim
I've played both for years, and one just reinforces the other. But, playing in a band forced me to concentrate on my mandolin as it just takes all the effort to learn a bunch of songs for bluegrass when you have to be a lead player, and we always had a guitar lead player so I was usually the only mandolin player. It's definately worth learning for a little variety, it adds some good bright rythym if you learn some chords, and it is a natural lead instrument just like it's relative the violin.
Bailey |
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Location: Minden, Nebraska | I have one coming, so y'all may be hearing from in regard to similar questions. Be prepared.... ;) |
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Posts: 2178
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Congrats Jim....Sooooo you're the guy from Ohio who bought the mandolin from Gilroy's Guitar Gallery, right? I talked to Kevin about 1hr. before the auction's end asking if the auction ended without a bidder would he consider a "lower" price and he said he would if he didn't get a "better" offer....about 30mins. after the auction's end he said that he got an offer for the original starting price.....SO.....I guess I'll keep lookin' ;)
Kevin said that it was in mint condition and that it sounded fantastic plugged in so give us a full report when you get it and posts some pics!! |
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Location: Florida | Two months ago or so, I was nearly able to aquire an Ovation mando. Deal fell thru at the last moment, but ya know, it generated some MAS/GAS. I ended up finding an inexpensive Tacoma mando, so I got it. This was all at the wife's prodding! Can't turn down an offer like that.
So anyway I thought to myself - the strings are the same, just reversed. So, chord fingerings ought to just be reversed too, resulting in different chord voicings, but the same chord. For the most part that works.
I discovered that mandolins tolorate just about straight necks, and pretty low actions - those little strings dont tend to buzz much. Also discovered that there are times when you might want to cover two courses of strings with one finger - not really like a barre chord. An example would be one voicing of an Em chord, where I use my index finger to fret the A and D string courses at the 2nd fret, and my ring finger to fret the G string at the 4th fret. I have no idea if thats proper technique, but with a little practice you can get it to play cleanly (practice=build up of callouses you didn't already have).
Try this place -
http://www.mandolincafe.com/two.html
got some little bit of help here too
http://home.inreach.com/jsherida/katie/mandolin1.html
and even less here (but its a good read)
http://www.projectsandhobbies.com/bluegrassmandolin.htm
This is a case of staring at the 'puter when you play (screen saver off!!), and woodshedding yourself a bit.
Spent about three weeks playing chords to stuff I know, and trying to play clean. Easy stuff at first, then harder. The discovered I can use the pinky to do some alternating bass for certain things. Then tried to figure out some simple runs to lead into the chord changes. Thats about where I'm at. Spend a lot of time doing finger practice - like running scales.
Didn't touch a gitfiddle for nearly a month. It was STRANGE to go back, but wasn't terrible. Now I'm playing about the same amount of time on each, but really I need to spend more time on mando.
Last thing I'll add is dont get stuffed into a hole on trying out things. While the mando lends itself to bluegrass and gospel pretty easily, I'm having a real good time doin' blues in minor keys - not your typical mandolin stuff. |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | mando and guitar cohabitate just fine.
Banjer and guitar will hurt you. Baily can give us one of his famous 12" disertations on the medical reasons why but trust me, it WILL hurt you. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Thanks a lot Bill. I never thought of it as getting 12" from Bailey! Yeeewh! |
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August 2003
Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | Thanks guys. I appreciate the advice and links so I can get started as soon as the Mando gets here.
TRBOY: Yes, I'm the guy from Ohio that got it. Sounds like you tried to save $1 too much. I hope this MM68 is as mint as it looks.
I have to admit my wife has really come around. I'm fairly new at music and fairly old to have just started (started guitar at 43). Initially, my wife had a cow when I bought a 12 string Adamas for my 1st guitar. But now that I'm makin' music, she has no problems with the mando or the other Ovations I have since purchased. |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | CharlieB et al
I think cwk2 is talking about the length of my posts when I get "wordy" if I had 12" of any thing else why would I be posting here when I could be satisfying beautiful women, at least I imagine they would be beautiful.
Mandolin has been a blues instrument longer than it ever played country, many black string bands featured mandolin, and it is as natural for jazz as Jean Luc Ponty's violin, Jethro Burns is a maestro on it in the jazz genre. Many of the Texas Playboy's covers of blues featured the electric mandolin although it broke many guitar player's hearts because they couldn't copy it as there wasn't TV to show what was making that sound.
So forget bluegrass if that's not your bag and wail on what is. It's tuned like a violin and violins have played everything from classical to hot club jazz, just remember to go up and down the neck to find those varied sounds.
I'll stop short of 12", er let me restate that. :rolleyes: |
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Location: Lincoln, Nebraska |
Jazz? Did someone mention mandolin jazz???
I picked up the mandolin about six years ago after playing guitar most of 30 years. After getting hooked, I slowly traded off most of my guitars, selling the last one of mine last winter. (I was having trouble dealing with the "alternate tuning" of the standard guitar...)
I'm still a 'glass bowler (or 'glass blower) in that my custom Adamas mandolin is still a major weapon in my Axes of Upheaval.
Paul, another Husker with an Ovation mandolin?
Cool!
Probably the most public performing I do with my mando is contemporary worship music in my local church. (No "G chop" for me...) |
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January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | Well.... is that a mandolin in my pocket or am I just happy to play with it!
Seriously, if my post on that was too long, its only because my enthusiasm has become a near passion. |
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Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | I bought a mandolin from Miles. Should get it this week. Looking forward to it.
When I was at the Mother Ship, trboy and Paul Wag were kind enough to show me a few chords. Needless to say, I fell in love with the mandolin! |
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Location: Minden, Nebraska | Ted,
Very interesting post; thanks. And now I understand why I got those Hamers and Ovations from you over those years. How did I miss the last one? :D
At least now I know who to contact nearby when I get frustrated with the Mando! |
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Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Jim, I play both guitar and mando, at least I try. I find no real problem going back and forth. You do have to remember that you jump strings at the 7th fret and not the 5th(OK, 4th for the 3rd string) as far as the scale. Also, the bottom pair of strings tune to the 3rd (G) string on a guitar. A guitar tuner works fine for a mando.
Mandolin Cafe is without a doubt the finest mando site on the web. There is a great deal of info there, for players of all levels.
Now, what is really fun is working on a tremolo....I'm waiting for your wife's reaction to THAT! :D
Roger |
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July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Ted, LOVE your blue Rigel!!!!!! I saw your picture with it on the Rigel website several weeks ago and was surprised to see it again on yours when I followed the link. Rigel makes fabulous mandos.
And...an Epiphone MM SEVENTY?????? I have a MM30 and a MM50....I didn't know that Epi ever made a MM70!!!!! Boy, have you got a SPECIAL one! (R.I.P. Jethro)
Roger |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | got some Austrian mando strings through mandohack for my MM68...heck, strings were so great, didn't want to use them. Thomastik-Infeld Wein. Felt like silk, not steel.
Heck, I need all of the help I can get...great mando, great strings - at least I can look the part. |
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Ovation Mandolin
