The Mandolin Tablature Exchange

NEW TABLATURE POSTS COMING SOON!!

2008-01-29T15:50:00.000-05:00

If you're coming back to check for new tab postings, don't fret... You should know that more will be coming out by the end of February. Check back periodically for postings for Beatles tunes, simple classical music melodies and traditional Latin American music!

Basic Music Lessons?

2007-12-09T12:15:00.001-05:00

This site on music theory offers a very clear explanation of musical basics which should be helpful to beginners and those interested in a refresher. It's developed by Ricci Adams.

An excerpt of the thread from the last post on Guitar-to-Mando Tab Conversion...

2007-12-09T12:03:00.002-05:00

The mandolin generally occupies a different role in harmony than the guitar. However, if you have a chord chart for the mandolin, you should be able to just play chord of the same “name” on either the guitar or the mandolin. Because the mandolin’s strings are tuned in ascending 5^ths and the guitar’s are tuned in ascending 4^ths, you’ll probably end up playing a different inversion of the chord, meaning that the intervals of the notes in the chord will be arranged differently. Example: on the guitar, the notes in a major D chord, in ascending order, are D A D F. On the mandolin, the notes are in ascending order as A D A F. To play a guitar melody on a mandolin, you can just play the same note values. I’ll see if I can translate the first few phrases of your linked song:

-----0-2-0-2----------6-7-6-7-7-9--------------2-4-0-------------------

-2-4--------------7-9-------------12-11-9------------6-4--4-9-7-7-6-6-2

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

This may be wrong. I don't have either my guitar or mandolin in front of me. posted by ijoshua at 7:40 PM on April 3 It *seems* like there should be some easy way to convert between tabs (every note on the guitar has a similar note on the mandolin, more or less), but the problem is that fret x on the guitar does not equal fret x on the mando. As others have explained here, the difference in tunings between guitar and mando means that there are different intervals between strings. Thus, if you tried to "auto convert" a guitar tab you could well end up with fingerings that at best don't make sense, and at worse are impossible to play, on the mandolin. People advising you to just learn the music, or figure it out by ear, are of course offering good advice, but I know that's not what you're looking for. You just want to try and pluck out this tune on your new instrument. (I read music and play several instruments, but the first thing I did when I got my new banjo was pull up some banjo tab so I could start hacking away!) ijoshua has the best advice so far - you'll have to convert the tab yourself. I imagine the best way to do this is to compare the guitar tab to a diagram of the notes on the guitar frets. Write the notes out on the guitar tab. Then look at a map of the notes on the mandolin neck, and mark off the equivalent notes, converting *that* into tab. It won't be easy, but you should learn a bit about the notes on your mandolin. Once you're happily plucking out your tune, you can start thinking about learning chords and scales. posted by Banky_Edwards at 8:02 PM on April 3 Okay dhruva, here's how it would work. Take the first six notes of the guitar tab:

-0-2--5-7-5-7

(all on the B string). If you check out the guitar neck at a site like this, you can convert the frets to notes. -B-C#--E-F#-E-F# Then take a peek at the notes on a mandolin. Start on the A string (closest to the B string your guitar piece starts on). That same progression of notes would look like this on mando tab:

-2-4--7-9-7-9

You'll just be writing down the fret number of the notes that you converted from the guitar tab. Of course (and here's why an auto-translation wouldn't work), when you hit the E note you don't need to keep going up the neck, you'd move up to the E string. So your mando tab would look like this:

------0-2-0-2
-2-4---------

Exactly what ijoshua came up with. Does that make sense? posted by Banky_Edwards at 8:15 PM on April 3 Banky_Edwards summarized my translation technique pretty well. Here’s a shortcut: All the notes on the high E string on the guitar can be played on the same fret on the E string on the mandolin. Moving down one string, you have a B string on the guitar and an A string on the mandolin, so all the guitar notes on this string would need to be transposed by adding 2 frets on the mandolin to achieve the same note value. Down another string, you have a G string on the guitar and a D string on the mandolin. To play the same note on the same string, add 5 frets on the mandolin. Finally, notes on the D string of the guitar can be played on the same frets on the D string of the mandolin, or on the G string of the mandolin by adding 7 frets. As Banky_Edwards mentioned, this direct translation will probably result in some awkward movements up and down the neck. You can fix this by finding the same note on different strings by adding 7 frets and moving up one string, or by subtracting 7 frets and moving down one string. For example, the B note on the 9^th fret of the D string is the same pitch as the B on the 2^nd fret of the A string. posted by ijoshua at 5:23 AM on April 4 Example: on the guitar, the notes in a major D chord, in ascending order, are D A D F. On the mandolin, the notes are in ascending order as A D A F. Nitpick: that's D minor. D major has an F#. And dhruva, trust me that it will take you much longer to go through some process of converting tab to music to tab than it will for you to learn enough music to figure it out that way. You just need to think of what you're playing in terms of notes or intervals rather than just frets. It's pretty trivial. Every fret is a half-step, on guitar or mandolin. There is a half step between E and F and one between B and C. There is a whole step between all other letter-named notes. So you get C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A#. Alternatively, C# (C sharp) can be written as Db (D flat), and so on. Which is technically correct depends on what key you're in and some other obscure things which you don't need to worry about. So if you know that and the names of the strings you can figure out the pitch of any note on the guitar or mandolin. You can also think in terms of intervals: major seconds, minor thirds, perfect fourths, and so on. Check out the lessons at musictheory.net for an introduction. A given interval will involve a different fingering on the two instruments because of the different tunings, but it will sound the same. Learning a bit of this stuff also provides the benefit of a far easier time communicating and playing with other musicians. posted by ludwig_van at 9:20 AM on April 4

Converting Guitar Tabs to Mandolin Tabs

2007-12-09T11:52:00.001-05:00

This link will lead you to a good discussion of opinions regarding conversion of standard guitar tab to mandolin tab. The short version: it ain't easy...

Vintage Mandolins: Made in USA

2007-11-17T21:12:00.001-05:00

If you are interested in a history of vintage American-made mandolins, this website will float your boat. It contains historical and technical discussions as well as photos of mandos that are more works of art than musical instruments.

Blank tablature sheets

2007-11-17T20:47:00.000-05:00

Basic, blank tablature sheets for the mandolin are available to print out here, in pdf format

The mandolin fret board

2007-11-17T17:41:00.000-05:00

This diagram should help beginning players develop tabs from standard notation. It's taken from the wikipedia entry for the mandolin.

Tablature for the "Ave Maria"

2007-11-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

This is not the usual Ave Maria commonly heard at weddings and funerals. That's Schubert's version. This version is attributed to an anonymous author from the 13th century. Standard notation for this version can be found in Cantate et Iubilate Deo, along with many other traditional and Gregorian music that go well with the mandolin.

------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------0-------0---0-------------------0----0---

-3-------0----0--------8------------5----3----5-------------

------5-----------------------------------------------------

A – ve Ma - ri – i - i – a, gra – ti – a ple – e – na

------------------------------------------------------------

-0-------------------------------------0--------------------

------5-----3----5-----0-----5----5----------5---3--2--3----

------------------------------------------------------------

Do - mi - nus te – cum. / Be – ne – dic - ta tu i - in

------------------------------------------------------------

--5----3---2---0--------0----0-----2-------0----------------

--------------------5------------------5---------3-----3-----

mu - li - i – e – ri – i - bus / et be – ne – dic - tus

------------------------------------------------------------

---2-----3---5------2---5----3---2--------0----0----3-------

--------------------------------------5---------------------

fruc - tus ven - tris tu – i - i, Ie – e – su - us

------------------------------------------------------------

---0----------0----3---2-----------------------0---0--------

---------5-----------------5-----5----3----5----------------

------------------------------------------------------------

Sanc - ta Ma – ri - i - a, Ma - ter De - e – i,

------------------------------------------------------------

-0----------------------------------------------------------

------5----3---5---0----0----3----3---2----0----2---0-------

----------------------------------------------------------5--

o - ra pro no – o - bis pe – ca – a – to – o – ri – bus

-------------------------------------------------------------

------5--------------------------------------0----------------

-0-------0---3---3---5----3--2-----3---5---------------------

--------------------------------------------------3--2---0-0--

nunc et i – in ho – o - ra mor - tis no – o - strae. Amen.

You might notice that the tabs did not align well with the lyrics: blogger can be quirky that way. Basically, each syllable of the words corresponds to a note. By shifting the words a little to the right, they should each line up with the tab notes.

Translation

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women,

et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus. and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei. Ora pro nobis peccatoribus, Holy Mary, Mother of God. Pray for us, sinners,

nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Step-by-step guide to building a mandolin...

2007-11-09T17:03:00.000-05:00

Kathy Matsushita, an amateur luthier, shows us how she built an F-style bluegrass mandolin. Do try this at home!

Mandolins on a budget...

2007-11-02T15:08:00.000-04:00

For a spontaneous discussion on selecting a mandolin for those on a budget, see this interesting conversation from the Acoustic Guitar Forum!

Wondering how to start a luthiery? Here's how Jennings Chestnut did it!

2007-11-02T14:58:00.000-04:00

A fun article from Sandlapper Online, a South Carolina publication, tells the story of Jennings Chestnut and Chestnut Mandolins...

Tips on tuning the mandolin

2007-10-29T19:11:00.000-04:00

Helpful advice from the Mandolin Cafe! Getting Tuned Up Tuning is a subject you'll rarely see covered in depth in the many books and articles written about mandolin. Yet month after month it's consistently one of the top search terms that gets typed into the Mandolin Cafe search engine. When was the last time you actually read anything extensive about tuning a mandolin? Maybe you need a little help in that area. Unfortunately, all of the books we've seen barely touch on the subject, if at all. It's a brief mention in the introduction and then off they go. After all, who's going to buy a book on the subject? The Easy Way? We could just say, "buy an electronic tuner" and we'd be done, or so you might think. While an electronic tuner is desirable to own (for reasons we'll soon discuss), there are real benefits to learning to tune by ear, and it's the mark of a good musician to have that skill. We spend hours practicing individual pieces. Why wouldn't we devote a few minutes to one of the most important aspects of our music (that of actually being in tune)? Why is an electronic tuner important? Because if it does nothing else, it serves the purpose of keeping your instrument tuned within the range it was meant to be played. Most mandolins are meant to be tuned within the E-A-D-G range. Tuning lower than that probably won't hurt your instrument, but start going higher over a long period and you risk potential damage to the instrument, although it might takes months or years before it's noticed. Most builders don't recommend the use of heavy gauge strings for the same reason: for most it's too much added tension that the instrument wasn't designed to withstand. The higher the tuning, the greater the tension. The point is that most mandolins are built to be played within the (high to low here) E-A-D-G range, and keeping them tuned within that range optimizes their performance. In the past, tuning forks were used (and still are by some) to gauge the appropriate pitch. A piano can serve that same purpose but now we're starting to get into use of the ear, which is the focus of this article. A Tuning Exercise Here is a demonstration of tuning without a tuner by building a comparison from a single note to the extension of that note into a chord. Building that comparison around a chord simply makes good sense because if your chords are in tune, the notes of the scales will likely be in tune as well. Tuning boils down a comparison of two or more notes against each other. I tend to use a "G" chord, or parts of the "G" chord to get in tune. While you may choose another chord, play along here and use this as a guide. Example: play the low "G" string open and simultaneously play the fifth (5th) fret on the "D" or the third string. Those are both "G" notes. Now play those same two notes but also play the second fret on the "A" string. You should now have a three note chord that looks like this: E String --X-- (don't play yet) A String --2-- ("B" note -- part of the "G" chord triad) D String --5-- ("G" on the "D" string) G String --0-- (an open "G" note) Compare the low "G" on the bottom to the "D" string "G". Now compare the low "G" to the "B" note on the "A" string. Compare them slowly. No, I mean SLOWLY throughout this exercise. For now, use the low "G" as your reference point and assume it's in proper range even if you didn't use an electronic tuner, tuning fork, piano, or something else to verify. Now to your "G" on the "D" string. Listen carefully. Is it higher or lower than the open "G" on the bottom? A very slight wavering sound in the comparison of two strings is a sure sign you're out of tune. Adjust the "G" note you're fretting on the third string until you're satisfied. I've observed and discussed with many players that when you have trouble getting one string in pitch with the other, it's easier to tune down lower and then SLOWLY bring the low string up in pitch until you get a match. Now compare both low "G" notes to the "B". If you were satisfied with the two "G" notes, then any variance you're unsatisfied should be directed towards the "B" note. Now add the high "G" note by fretting the third fret on the high "E" string. You've now built the basis of a "G" chord as follows: E String --3-- ("G" note on the "E" string) A String --2-- ("B" note on the "A" string) D String --5-- ("G" on the "D" string) G String --0-- (an open "G" note) Now compare both low "G" notes to the new high "G". If you were satisfied with the two low "G" notes, then any variance you're unsatisfied with should be directed towards the new "G" note. Over time everyone will develop what works for them. All I'm showing is a sensible approach of comparing notes to each other. Basing your ear turning around a chord gives you a foundation for your comparisons. I've seen players tune well who only compare the open notes. Others compare octaves. What they almost all share in common is a comparison of a series of notes that together build some type of chord or other logical framework. Other Causes of Tuning Problems Your ability (or inability) to tune can be impacted by other problems will ultimately have a negative impact on your music. Any of the following can and should be taken care of. These include: Improper Bridge Alignment If your bridge is only slightly in front of or in back of its proper placement or tilted in any direction, you're going to have intonation and tuning problems. To test your bridge placement, first tune each open string with a tuner. Then, fret the 12th fret (or preferably, play the 12th fret harmonic) and re-check with an electronic tuner. The result? If the 12th fret is sharp your bridge is closer to the fretboard than it should be. If the 12th fret is flat your bridge is further away from the fretboard than it should be. Worn Frets Take a good look at your frets. Those deep grooves (if you have them) can create serious intonation problems for an instrument that otherwise might be in perfect tune. Think of having an occasional fret re-dressing as an oil change for your car. You really need one from time to time. You may go a long time without one but your instrument will probably be screaming for help if you do. And, good frets are easier to play and easier on your hands. Tuning is just one benefit. Old Strings Most musicians will agree that old strings are difficult to keep in tune and harder on your fingers. It doesn't make sense to buy a nice instrument and then change your strings once every three years. That's like buying a nice car and then driving around on bald tires. Warped Neck You'll probably be able to visually see this. If you have an adjustable truss rod this can probably be easily fixed but I'd recommend letting a professional do the work. The Bottom Line A mandolin is simply a tool built out of wood and metal. Heat, humidity, cold and general wear and tear will eventually have a negative impact on the structural health of your instrument. Instrument neglect needn't be a burden to tuning or other aspects of your music. Take your instrument to a qualified professional once a year for a check-up. It's well worth the time and effort. To Improve Your Tuning... * If you're having problems or are new to the instrument, a few minutes spent learning to tune each day will work wonders. * Ask for a second opinion from someone you trust. "Am I in tune?" You might be surprised at the answer. * An electronic tuner is good for keeping your instrument in the proper pitch, but it's a critical possession if you're going into a recording studio recording to do overdubs. * An electronic tuner with some type of attachment to the instrument is essential for gigs where you need to tune while competing with a lot of background noise. * A quality case cover will keep an instrument protected from the natural elements. An instrument transported or left in a cold or hot car and then opened in a temperature controlled room is a guaranteed recipe for a half-hour of tuning problems. * You may be a great technician, but let's face it, if you can't do it in tune then people probably won't want to listen. * A cheap, inexpensive mandolin that's in tune with good strings and good frets can sound like a million dollars in the right hands. * Even the pros have difficulty tuning from time to time so don't get discouraged.

Maple mandolin bridges by Red Henry

2007-10-25T18:02:00.000-04:00

http://www.murphymethod.com/mandolinbridges.cfm

Mandolin music on KRFC 88.9FM Fort Collins, CO

2007-10-17T21:19:00.000-04:00

Information on MandoScapes, a mandolin-only radio show out of Fort Collins, CO can be obtained here.

Explore the musical landscapes of the world of mandolin – classical, jazz, choro, swing, new acoustic, bluegrass, world, Cajun, contra dance, celtic, old-timey, gypsy and blues. Enjoy music from the mandolin family and related instruments from every continent, from the turn of the century, to music just released (or about to be)! This mix of music appeals to serious players of mandolin-family instruments, as well as folks who'd just like to enjoy music that swings, amazes, gives a chuckle, and inspires.

Go to the radio station directly for more information. They are interested in musical submissions for playing on the air.

A new non-wood mandolin reviewed

2007-10-17T20:48:00.000-04:00

A detailed review of the first carbon-fiber mandolin, made by New Millenium Acoustic design may be found here.

Acoustics of wood...

2007-10-17T20:46:00.001-04:00

For those interested in the acoustics of wood this book might be of interest. Very technical... but a couple of luthiers reviewed it favorably on amazon.com. Browse the book here.

Tablature basics from Abacci Music

2007-10-15T17:58:00.000-04:00

Courtesy of Abacci Music and adapted from: THE GUIDE TO TAB NOTATION by Howard Wright WHAT IS TAB TAB or tablature is a method of writing down music played on mandolin or tenor banjo. Instead of using symbols like in standard musical notation, it uses ordinary ASCII characters and numbers, making it ideal for places like the internet where anybody with any computer can link up, copy a TAB file, and read it. WHAT TAB WILL TELL YOU TAB will tell you what notes to play - it will tell you which string to hit and which fret to fret it at. TAB will tell you where hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, slides, harmonics and vibrato are used. TAB will tell you what tuning the piece is in. If this isn't given explicitly, assume normal tuning. TAB should also give you information on use of capos etc. TAB will give you an indication of the ryhthm of the piece - i.e it will tell you which are the long notes and which are the short notes. However it will not tell you exactly how long or how short they are. This leads me on to ... WHAT TAB WILL NOT TELL YOU TAB will (usually) not tell you the note lengths of the notes - so in most cases you will *have* to listen to the song yourself, with the TAB in front of you to work out the ryhthm of the notes. TAB will not tell you which fingers you use to fret which note. TAB will (usually) not tell you anything about picking and strumming - you will have to decide for yourself where to use upstrokes/downstrokes and so on. TAB NOTATION - THE BASICS TAB is simple to read, and should be simple to write if you want to submit a song you have worked out yourself. The idea is this : You start out with 4 lines. These correspond to the strings of the instrument. The top line is the highest pitch string, and the bottom line is the lowest pitch string. Below is a blank bit of TAB with the string names at the left. E---------------------------------------------------------------- A---------------------------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------------------------- G---------------------------------------------------------------- Numbers are written on the lines to show you where to fret the string with the left hand. If a zero appears , this means play the open string. Like standard musical notation, you read from left to right to find out what order to play the notes. The following piece of TAB would mean play the sequence of notes (E F F# G G# A) on the top (E) string by moving up a fret at a time, starting with the open string. E---0--1--2--3--4--5--------------------------------------------- A---------------------------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------------------------- G---------------------------------------------------------------- OK so far ? Here we have notes being played one at a time. If two or more notes are to be played together, they are written on top of one another, again just like standard notation. In the next example we have a G chord. E----3------------------------------------------------------------ A----2------------------------------------------------------------ D----0------------------------------------------------------------ G----0------------------------------------------------------------ So this means play all these notes together as a chord. Below is am example of the same shape again, but now the gaps between the notes are bigger - so you would probably pick the strings separately instead of slowly strumming the shape. E------------3---------------------------------------------------- A---------2-----2------------------------------------------------- D------0-----------0---------------------------------------------- G----0----------------0------------------------------------------- You might ask - How do I know how fast or slow to play this ? Are all the notes supposed to be the same length ? This is where TAB differs from standard notation. Most often TAB will *not* give you any information on the note lengths. Obviously it will be a lot easier to play the TAB for a song you know well than for a song you've never heard of because you will already be familiar with the ryhthms of the familiar song. Luckily at Abacci we've included both the regular notation and the MIDI files for each tune, so it shouldn't be too hard to get up to speed. Best of luck.

How to read mandolin tablature

2007-10-15T17:50:00.001-04:00

A simple and clear explanation, courtesy of Elizabeth Knuth. Instead of the five-line staff used in standard musical notation, tablature for fretted string instruments uses one line for each string (or pair of strings). Since there are four courses of paired strings on a mandolin, tab notation for mandolinists uses four lines. It looks like this: ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ The top line on the screen or paper does not represent the top string when you're playing the mandolin. The highest line stands for the string with the highest note. If this is confusing, pick up your mandolin and get it in normal playing position. Now turn the mandolin so that the strings are facing up, and the back of the instrument is parallel to the floor. If you look down, you will see that from this perspective the highest string is also the string tuned to the highest note. This is the string represented by the top line in tablature notation. Normally the bottom line (lowest note) is G, second from the bottom is D, third from the bottom is A, and the highest line is E. If the tablature has been written for a different tuning, such as GDAG, the person who wrote the tablature should tell you so. I include the notes as a reminder, so the beginning of a tune looks like this: E--||------------------------------------------------------- A--||------------------------------------------------------- D--||------------------------------------------------------- G--||------------------------------------------------------- Notes are designated by numbers. If there is no number, the string is not played. A zero represents an open string. A number other than zero tells you in which fret to press the string down. Thus: E--||------------------------------------------------------- A--||------------------------------------------------------- D--||------------------------------------3------------------ G--||----------5-------------------------------------------- lowest pitched string, second-lowest string, fifth fret, third fret, middle C F (natural) E--||----------0-------------------------------------------- A--||------------------------------------1------------------ D--||------------------------------------------------------- G--||------------------------------------------------------- highest pitched string, second-highest string, played open, first fret, E B flat Chords are indicated by placing the numbers one on top of the other. For example, the C major chord looks like this in tab: E--||--0---------------------------------------------------- A--||--3---------------------------------------------------- D--||--2---------------------------------------------------- G--||--0---------------------------------------------------- Tablature does not tell you about fingering, that is, it doesn't tell you which finger to use for which fret. I have seen some sheet music and instructional books which use numbers to do this, but not tab. Remember that the numbers in tablature indicate which fret, not which finger to use. Normally each finger covers two frets: in first position, the index finger takes first and second fret, the middle finger is used for the third and fourth frets, ring finger for fifth and sixth frets, and pinkie (usually on the E string) for seventh and eighth frets. Duration of notes, how long they are to be played, is indicated by horizontal spacing. Evenly spaced numbers mean that these notes are played for equal amounts of time. Closely spaced numbers suggest shorter notes, and wide spacing represents longer notes. So the beginning of "Mary Had a Little Lamb": E--||------------------------------------------------------- A--||--2--0-----0------------------------------------------- D--||--------5---------------------------------------------- G--||------------------------------------------------------- shows four evenly-spaced notes, possibly quarter notes in 4/4 time, whereas when the song continues, there are numbers about twice as far apart, showing that those notes should last about twice as long. From the top: E--||------------------------------------------------------- A--||--2--0-----0--2--2--2-----0--0--0-----2--5--5---------- D--||--------5---------------------------------------------- G--||------------------------------------------------------- Many people add bar lines to their tablature, which is very helpful. I also add the time signature, and note stems (for sixteenth, eighth, quarter notes, and triplets) or beat counts (for half notes and whole notes) below the tablature. So "Cherish the Ladies," a double jig, begins: E--||-------------|--------------------|--------------------| A--||--6:--0-2-4--|--5--------0--------|--------0--0--------| D--||--8:---------|-----4--4-----4--4--|--0--4--------5--4--| G--||-------------|--------------------|--------------------| |_|_| |__|__| |__|__| |__|__| |__|__| 3 and if I had an overwhelming urge to write the mandolin tablature for "Mary Had a Little Lamb," it would look like this: E--||------------------|--------------|--------------| A--||--4:--2--0-----0--|--2--2--2-----|--0--0--0-----| D--||--4:--------5-----|--------------|--------------| G--||------------------|--------------|--------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | When printing out tablature, use a monospaced font such as Courier, not a proportional font. My tablature should all be safe to print at 10 characters per inch, which is about 11- or 12-point. You can of course use a smaller font size if you prefer.

Lemony Snicket Tab

2007-10-15T17:25:00.000-04:00

This is a riff that is constantly used through out the movie, "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." Just watch the movie and you'll find it. It's very simple, but loads of fun to play. |-10--------------| |------------| |----12-11--------| X3 |-11-9-11-12-| X1 |----------12-7---| |------------| |---------------7-| |------------|

"The Cat in the Hopper" Tab

2007-10-15T16:59:00.000-04:00

From: elessar@PHYSICS.UNC.EDU (Shawn Mehan) Subject: MTAB: The Cat in the Hopper Hey all. Here is a nifty little tune, very haunting. Play it both fast and slow. It is very typical of New England dance music. There are spots, measures 7 & 13 in particular, where you can wither play across the courses or up the neck easily. For those who do not know, to play this correctly, play all back beats as a downstroke (or bow down, wherever you may be !-) That means for two triplets in a row you would: count: 1 & a 2 & a play : d u d d u d It is that down up down down up down that gives a jig that feel, ya know. Any way, here it is. Enjoy. The Cat In The Hopper New England Key:F (or Gm/modal) Time:6/8 Gm F Gm Dm E---||-------------|-------------|-------3---0-|-1---------0-| A---||-----0-1---3-|-0---------0-|-------------|---5-5-5-----| D---||-0-5---------|---3-3-3-5---|-5---5-------|-------------| G---||-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . F Gm Dm Gm E---|-1-5-3-1-0---|-------------|---0---------|------------- || A---|-----------5-|-5-3-0-1---3-|-5---5-5---3-|-5-1---------.|| D---|-------------|-------------|-------------|-----5-5-----.|| G---|-------------|-------------|-------------|------------- || ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . Gm F Gm Dm E---|-3-5-3-3-5-6-|-5-3-5-1---1-|-3-5-3-3-1-0-|-1---------0-| A---|-------------|---------5---|-------------|---5-5-5-----| D---|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| G---|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . F Gm Dm Gm E---|-1-5-3-1-0---|-------------|-------------|------------- || A---|-----------5-|-5-3-0-1---3-|-5-7-5-5---3-|-5-1---------.|| D---|-------------|-------------|-------------|-----5-5-----.|| G---|-------------|-------------|-------------|------------- || ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . . ^ . . : . .

Secrets of Stradivarius woods revealed...

2007-10-14T00:53:00.000-04:00

MADRID. Cursó empresariales en la Universidad de Saint Louis (EE.UU.), pero al concluir sus estudios, Borja Bernabéu, madrileño de 32 años, se concentró en su verdadera pasión, la construcción y restauración de instrumentos de cuerda. En 1998 se matriculó en el instituto de lutheria Antonio Stradivari de Cremona, donde aprendió las técnicas tradicionales de los maestros Stradivari, Guarneri y Amati, e investiga la física acústica del violín. En 2001 participó en la reconstrucción de la mandolina corista de Stradivari y en la fabricación de una reproducción que permitió descubrir su particular timbre. Actualmente reside y trabaja en Cremona donde construye violines, violenchelos y violas. -¿Qué opina del estudio de Grissino-Mayer y Buckler que vincula la calidad de los «stradivarius» con una época de gran frío en Europa? -Me parece muy interesante y escrito con conocimiento de causa. Hace un resumen muy bueno de lo que se ha dicho y se sabe hasta ahora de los instrumentos de Stradivari. La aportación más destacable reside en la dendrocronología, la especialidad de sus autores. Desconocía que hubo un periodo muy frío durante la vida de Stradivari. El estudio también hace referencia a los abetos de Paneveggio. Efectivamente son los mejores. El único punto en el que me gustaría que el estudio profundizase es en la relación rigidez-densidad de la madera de abeto de la época. Pero no pongo en duda que durante ese periodo de más frío pudiera crecer una madera con características de más calidad. Sólo que yo no lo atribuiría a una mayor densidad. -Usted utiliza madera de Paneveggio. ¿Es contemporánea o antigua, quizá del tiempo de Stradivari? -Normalmente empleamos maderas que tienen ocho o diez años de secado natural. Justamente hace un mes me han traído un trozo de madera de esa zona que debe tener doscientos años, aunque todavía no lo estoy utilizando. -Respecto a las otras hipótesis, como la del barniz de los «stradivarius», ¿qué se sabe realmente. ¿Utilizó algún tipo de barniz desconocido o hay muchos mitos detrás de eso? -Se sabe que, un poco después de la muerte de Stradivari, hubo una discontinuidad en la preparación de los barnices. Se empezaron a utilizar algunas resinas, como la goma laca, diluidas en alcohol. Y dejaron de utilizarse las que se empleaban hasta entonces. No quedó ninguna receta, ningún escrito de los luthieres sobre los barnices precedentes. No sabemos exactamente la receta del barniz de Stradivari. Lo que sí es verdad es que tiene una extraordinaria belleza. Pero, en mi opinión, no tenía ningún efecto acústico beneficioso. La preparación de la madera con ciertos sustancias tendría, como se apunta en el estudio, algún efecto acústico relativo, pero no determinante. -También se ha propuesto que Stradivari trataba la madera sumergiéndola en agua de mar para evitar el ataque de la carcoma. -Sobre esa cuestión también hay discusión. Parece ser que con las técnicas de ebanistería de la época se sumergía la madera en agua salada o incluso se hervía la madera para matar la carcoma. Experimentos científicos sobre este tema han sugerido, en ciertos casos, que puede mejorar la relación densidad-rigidez de la madera, pero no se ha demostrado. -¿Cómo definiría los instrumentos de Stradivari? ¿Qué tienen que marcan esa gran diferencia? -Visualmente son los instrumentos más bonitos que jamás se han hecho. En la luthería, Stradivari marcó un antes y un después. Tuvo una influencia total, tanto estéticamente como en la técnica manual. Con Stradivari, la luthería cambió. Acústicamente, el asunto es más complicado, porque a partir de 1800 todos los «stradivarius» fueron modificados. Se les alargó el mango. Los instrumentos del periodo clásico fueron concebidos para ser tocados con un montaje barroco. Ahora tienen un montaje moderno. Efectivamente, los «stradivarius» suenan muy bien, pero uno no sabe si achacarlo al mérito de Antonio Stradivari o de quienes transformaron sus instrumentos. Sobre esto hay mucha polémica porque, además, el sonido es un aspecto muy subjetivo. -¿Sigue siendo Cremona un centro de innovación en la construcción de intrumentos de cuerda? -Somos muchos los artesanos que trabajamos en Cremona; probablemente es, a nivel comercial, el centro más importante del mundo. Innovación en este campo hay poca en lo que se refiere al diseño de instrumentos, pero sí en cuanto al estudio e investigación del instrumento tradicional.

Butch Baldassari Benefit

2007-10-06T17:45:00.000-04:00

Musicians to perform Oct. 22 for Butch Baldassari; Performers include Dierks Bentley, Ricky Skaggs, Mark O'Connor 10-5-2007 Roots music singers and players will perform a benefit concert for mandolin player Butch Baldassari on Oct. 22. An all-star cast of roots music singers and players will perform a benefit concert for Butch Baldassari, a respected Nashville musician, record producer and adjunct associate professor of mandolin at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, who is battling cancer. The lineup for the concert at the Martha Rivers Ingram Performing Arts Center at Blair includes Dierks Bentley, Shawn Camp, Kathy Chiavola, John Cowan, Bela Fleck, The Grascals, Tony McManus, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, Maura O’Connell with John Mock, Mark O’Connor, Ricky Skaggs and Three Ring Circle. The concert begins at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22. Tickets cost $50 and patron tickets will be sold for $125. All proceeds will go to Baldassari and his family. Baldassari has taught mandolin at Blair since 1996. He is a former member of the bands Weary Hearts and Lonesome Standard Time. His current projects include the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, which he founded in 1991. “Butch is a fantastic mandolin player,” said Matt Combs, one of the concert organizers and adjunct instructor in fiddling at Blair. “This is a community where people band together for their friends who are hurting, so that’s what we’re doing.” Tickets for the show are being sold at Gruhn Guitars at 400 Broadway in downtown Nashville, and will be made available at www.mandolincafe.com. Online donations are being accepted at that Web site.

Tablature vs. Standard Notation?

2007-10-01T21:21:00.000-04:00

A commonly debated issue is whether a beginner should make the effort to learn to read music or just settle for tabs. Check out John McGann's site for a good discussion of pros and cons... And here's another interesting and helpful website on the basics of reading music!

Listen to Medieval and Traditional Latin American Mandolin Music

2007-10-01T20:12:00.000-04:00

This site contains traditional Latin American and Medieval Mandolin music. You can listen to the music played and purchase the corresponding books with both tablature and musical notation.

Bill Monroe's smashed Lloyd Loar Mandolin

2007-10-01T17:19:00.000-04:00

These are pictures of Bill's famous F-5 after being smashed by an intruder. The pictures show the mandolin at Gibson before the repair work. Found on ebay 7/28/04. Here is the ebay auction message— "The negatives were given to Bill Monroe after Gibson had finished fixing his mandolin in 1985. this aution is for 15 5 x 6 of thes photo's.Untill I sold a set this week these photo's have never been seen by the public . This is your opportunity to get your hands on a real find. Good luck".