Topic: Blues Mandolin Instruction

[Rivers]

I can recommend Rich DelGrosso's book. I started going through it tagging the songs I wanted to learn.

Then I realized it was most of them and abandoned the tagging effort. Great selection of tunes and artists, the tab is excellent and accurate to the CD

Just a random observation, I find mandolin tab to be much faster to read than guitar tab. Not surprising.

More random observations. Did Charlie McCoy really play That Lonesome Train.. in B flat?
I have serious, serious doubts after having attempted it a few times, but I'm only a beginner.
My guess is A, either tuned high, capoed, or the recording is fast. I'm guessing the latter at this early stage in my mandolin career.

StevJam's volume 2 is on backorder. I'm still getting a lot from volume 1

Should be a bumper week for blues mandolin at Port T this year. Bumper year for just about everything. I'm planning to drive up not least so I can bring three instruments, mando, reso and flattop.

[frankie]

Did Charlie McCoy really play That Lonesome Train.. in B flat?

The short answer is yes - and likewise for Jackson Stomp. He played Vicksburg Stomp in E-flat.

[Rivers]

Frank, I'm sure you know of which you speak, since you guys have it in your set.
I will aim to circle back around to it when I have more clues on what I'm doing.

[frankie]

this thread might be helpful:

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=5551.0

and the subject of to B-flat or not to B-flat came up in this discussion of "Grind So Fine"

http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=5133

[Rivers]

Thanks, excellent.

[Rivers]

Follow up question for you Frank.

If one were to work out the B flat tunes in A, do you think it would it be a huge leap to then transpose them to B flat after having got them down in A, which I find to be much easier? That would be my preferred approach at this point. Given my level I want to stair-step up the learning curve.

BTW I'm really enjoying learning to play mandolin.

[frankie]

depends on the song, I guess. For Jackson Stomp, anything that would be "hard" in B-flat would probably also be "hard" in A. Some things that are "easy" in B-flat (like the descending fiddle run leading to the IV chord in Lonely One In This Town) are "hard" in A.

The only difference between the notes on the key of B-flat and the notes in the key of G is the B-flat (B natural in G), the E-flat (E in G) and the F (F sharp in G). If you're ok with G, then B-flat isn't really far behind.

[uncle bud]

I was just playing this on the weekend, after finally putting octave strings on the lower courses of a banjo mandolin. Or perhaps more accurately, trying to make my fingers remember how to play this. I think that Jackson Stomp/That Lonesome Train Took My Baby Away just has somewhat tricky picking in spots that you simply need to practice a lot. But B-flat certainly doesn't seem hard to me in general as a key. It falls pretty naturally on the fretboard actually, as does F, which is probably why you find a good number of F tunes in old-time mandolin. Definitely a couple tricky moments in Jackson Stomp for me, but they would be tricky in other keys too, as frankie points out.

[Lastfirstface]

B-flat is a great key for mandolin, and when combined with octave strings on the G and D courses, gives you a pretty distinct sound. In another thread, I think it was Frank who pointed out that you can hear McCoy drag his pick across the unfretted D strings onto the fretted B-flat at the beginning of the main riff on Jackson Stomp, and the ringing octave string on the D gives it a sound that would be impossible to get by playing the same part in A.

Once you've got the fingerings down for B-flat, its easy to learn E-flat, which opens up Vicksburg Stomp and a number of great Sheiks tunes. Move up a string in the other direction and you have F, which gives you access to a lot of great mandolin rags like Dallas Rag and Black Bottom Strut.

[Rivers]

Excellent advice all, thanks.

[alyoung]

Not knowing any better, I learned Jackson Stomp in C, and it works pretty well. I now acknowledge the error of my ways and know I should be in B flat, but -- bearing mind the relationship between old dogs and new tricks -- I'm still doing it in C. (I do play Dallas Rag in F like I oughta.)

Al Y