by Tango Pang
So what are the different types of mandolin that can be found? Well, you can find as list such as the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello, laouto and mando-bass are just some of the mandolin family that can be found.
The mandolin is the soprano member of the mandolin family, just as the violin is the soprano member of the violin family. Similar to the violin, the instrument scale length is typically about 13 inches (330 mm).
So what are the different types of mandolin that can be found? Well, below is a list of some of the main type of mandolin:
The mandola (US and Canada), termed the tenor mandola in Europe, Ireland and the UK, which is tuned to a fifth below the typical mandolin, in the same relationship as that of the viola to the violin. Some people also call this instrument the "alto mandola." The instrument scale length is typically about 16.5 inches (420 mm). It is normally tuned like a viola, which is: C-G-D-A.
The octave mandolin (US and Canada), termed the octave mandola or mandole in Europe, Ireland, and the UK, which is tuned an octave lower than the mandolin. The instrument scale length is typically about 20 inches (500 mm), although such instruments with scales as short as 17 inches (430 mm) or as long as 21 inches (530 mm) are not unknown.
The mandocello, which is classically tuned to an octave and a fifth below the mandolin, in the same relationship as that of the cello to the violin: C-G-D-A. Today, it is quite frequent that it is restrung for octave mandolin tuning or the Irish bouzouki's GDAD. The instrument scale length is typically about 25 inches (635 mm). Note that a violoncello scale is 27" (686mm).
The Greek laouto is actually a mandocello, ordinarily tuned D-G-D-A, with half of each pair of the lower two courses that are being tuned an octave high on a lighter gauge string. The body is a staved bowl, the saddle-less bridge is glued to the flat face like most ouds and lutes, with mechanical tuners, steel strings and tied gut frets. Modern laoutos, as played on Crete, have the whole lower course tuned in octaves as well as being tuned a reentrant octave above the expected D. The instrument scale length is typically about 28 inches (712mm).
The mando-bass, has 4 single strings, rather than double courses, and it is tuned like a double bass. These were made by the Gibson company in the early twentieth century, but appear to have never been common. Most of the mandolin orchestras will prefer to use the ordinary double bass, rather than a specialized mandolin family instrument.
The piccolo or sopranino mandolin is a rare member of the mandolin family, tuned one octave above the tenor mandola and one fourth above the mandolin; the same relation as that of the piccolo or sopranino violin to the violin and viola. The instrument scale length is typically about 9.5 inches (240 mm).
The Irish bouzouki is also considered a member of the mandolin family; although it is derived from the Greek bouzouki, it is constructed like a flat backed mandolin and uses fifth-based tunings (most often GDAD, an octave below the mandolin, sometimes GDAE, ADAD or ADAE) in place of the guitar-like fourths-and-third tunings of the three- and four-course Greek bouzouki. Although the bouzouki's bass course pairs are very often tuned in unison, on some instruments one of each pair is replaced with a lighter string and tuned in octaves, in the fashion of the 12-string guitar. Although occupying the same range as the octave mandolin/octave mandola, the Irish bouzouki is different from the former instrument by its longer scale length, typically from 22 inches (560 mm) to 24 inches (610 inches), although scales as long as 26 inches (660 mm), which is the usual Greek bouzouki scale, are not unknown.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Dreams - Drums - and Memories - The Little Drum Museum
by Don Doman
On shelves, which circumnavigate the entire space, are drum kits, cases, and individual drums from a Green Day burned and melted drum kit to the entire collection of drums by Elvin Jones. If you close your eyes you can almost hear many of the songs that have been played on those drums from When I Come Around to The Drum Thing. You can close your eyes and get Good Vibrations.
In a small, older business mall in Bellevue, Washington is a little shop crammed with dreams and memories. Donn Bennett sells percussion equipment there, but the latest innovations and drum kits are not what makes the Bennett Drum Studios a great place to visit.
As you open the door to the shop a bright glittering rainbow of cylinders assaults your eyes. There are drums in a myriad of colors stacked almost to the ceiling. On the ceiling and in almost every available wall space there are autographed drumheads. The narrow room is part showroom and part museum. The autographs cover generations and venues from jazz to alternative rock.
On shelves, which circumnavigate the entire space, are drum kits, cases, and individual drums from a Green Day burned and melted drum kit to the entire collection of drums by Elvin Jones. If you close your eyes you can almost hear many of the songs that have been played on those drums from When I Come Around to The Drum Thing. You can close your eyes and get Good Vibrations.
Donn started the shop out of his home: buying, selling and trading drums for his own personal collection. Donn found he had a knack for finding rare and unusual drums and his collection became so large he opened up the shop, so he could teach, sell drums and share memories.
Donn has the full drum kit of Buddy Rich. He bought it from someone that had been given the set by Buddy Rich himself. Buddy supposedly said, “You want ‘em? Take ‘em.” Some of the drum sets are autographed like Carmine Appice’s drums from Rod Stewart, Simon Kirke’s of Bad Company, Alan White’s from Yes, Jerry Kramer’s from Aerosmith, and Michael Derosier’s of Heart.
The person who has probably spawned the most drummers is Hal Blaine, who has played the drums on more hit records than anyone else. One of his drum kits is on the shelf. Picture a garage band learning songs by listening to the latest records. In The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing Drums it says, “Hal Blaine is a legend. As the top Los Angeles studio drummer in the 1960s and early 1970s, he played on more than 8,000 different tracks for hundreds and hundreds of different musicians. His list of hits is staggering, and it's almost impossible to listen to an oldies radio station for more than 10 minutes without hearing a Hal Blaine song.”
Think of the huge number of young drummers learning their craft by pounding out the beat to 8,000 different tracks and making it their own. Drummers inspire drummers. Drummers can start with surface and a pair of drumsticks. Donn keeps buying more drums and more drumsticks as he shares his passion for drumming. He attracts drums.
Over the years Donn has become well known not just in the Puget Sound area, but in the world and with some of the most famous of drummers. The widow of Elvin Jones sought out Donn. He ended up buying all of Elvin’s equipment. Just imagine the sound of those drums accompanying John Coltrane on his classic recordings and still rolling around inside the drums and cases. Dreams, drums and memories . . . they’re all there at a little shop in Bellevue.
On shelves, which circumnavigate the entire space, are drum kits, cases, and individual drums from a Green Day burned and melted drum kit to the entire collection of drums by Elvin Jones. If you close your eyes you can almost hear many of the songs that have been played on those drums from When I Come Around to The Drum Thing. You can close your eyes and get Good Vibrations.
In a small, older business mall in Bellevue, Washington is a little shop crammed with dreams and memories. Donn Bennett sells percussion equipment there, but the latest innovations and drum kits are not what makes the Bennett Drum Studios a great place to visit.
As you open the door to the shop a bright glittering rainbow of cylinders assaults your eyes. There are drums in a myriad of colors stacked almost to the ceiling. On the ceiling and in almost every available wall space there are autographed drumheads. The narrow room is part showroom and part museum. The autographs cover generations and venues from jazz to alternative rock.
On shelves, which circumnavigate the entire space, are drum kits, cases, and individual drums from a Green Day burned and melted drum kit to the entire collection of drums by Elvin Jones. If you close your eyes you can almost hear many of the songs that have been played on those drums from When I Come Around to The Drum Thing. You can close your eyes and get Good Vibrations.
Donn started the shop out of his home: buying, selling and trading drums for his own personal collection. Donn found he had a knack for finding rare and unusual drums and his collection became so large he opened up the shop, so he could teach, sell drums and share memories.
Donn has the full drum kit of Buddy Rich. He bought it from someone that had been given the set by Buddy Rich himself. Buddy supposedly said, “You want ‘em? Take ‘em.” Some of the drum sets are autographed like Carmine Appice’s drums from Rod Stewart, Simon Kirke’s of Bad Company, Alan White’s from Yes, Jerry Kramer’s from Aerosmith, and Michael Derosier’s of Heart.
The person who has probably spawned the most drummers is Hal Blaine, who has played the drums on more hit records than anyone else. One of his drum kits is on the shelf. Picture a garage band learning songs by listening to the latest records. In The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Playing Drums it says, “Hal Blaine is a legend. As the top Los Angeles studio drummer in the 1960s and early 1970s, he played on more than 8,000 different tracks for hundreds and hundreds of different musicians. His list of hits is staggering, and it's almost impossible to listen to an oldies radio station for more than 10 minutes without hearing a Hal Blaine song.”
Think of the huge number of young drummers learning their craft by pounding out the beat to 8,000 different tracks and making it their own. Drummers inspire drummers. Drummers can start with surface and a pair of drumsticks. Donn keeps buying more drums and more drumsticks as he shares his passion for drumming. He attracts drums.
Over the years Donn has become well known not just in the Puget Sound area, but in the world and with some of the most famous of drummers. The widow of Elvin Jones sought out Donn. He ended up buying all of Elvin’s equipment. Just imagine the sound of those drums accompanying John Coltrane on his classic recordings and still rolling around inside the drums and cases. Dreams, drums and memories . . . they’re all there at a little shop in Bellevue.
Guitar Lesson - Play Country Guitar Licks In A
by Peter Edvinsson
Many things you learn from playing country guitar licks can be used to spice up solos in other genres. You will now learn to play some useful country licks in the key of A. Some easy, some a little bit awkward but nice!
Many things you learn from playing country guitar licks can be used to spice up solos in other genres. You will now learn to play some useful country licks in the key of A. Some easy, some a little bit awkward but nice!
You can play these licks using a pick or with your right hand fingers. You can also combine the pick with the use of a couple of more fingers like the middle finger and ring finger. This is commonly called hybrid picking. Having a few fingers at your disposal makes it easier to play licks with a lot of jumping between strings.
You will use a form of guitar tablature I have found suitable for articles like this one. The notes you will play are notated with the fret to play before a slash and the string after the slash. An example:
2/4
This means: Play the second fret on string four!
You will start with an A-major scale with some ringing open strings.
We will use hammer-ons in this scale. I will notate them with the letter h between the notes:
0/5 7/6 4/5 0/4 7/5 4/4 h 6/4 h 7/4 0/2 6/3 3/2 0/1 7/2 4/1 h 5/1
You will now play this scale descending. This will require you to replace the hammer-ons with pull-offs notated the same way with a p between the notes. It will look like this:
5/1 p 4/1 7/2 0/1 3/2 6/3 0/2 7/4 p 6/4 p 4/4 7/5 0/4 4/5 7/6 0/5
Your first country guitar lick will take you from E7 to A. We will use hammer-ons and pull-offs even in this lick. The suggested chords to play with the lick is in parenthesis:
(E7) 0/6 3/6 h 4/6 0/4 2/4 p 0/4 4/5 0/4 2/5 p 0/5 3/6 h 4/6 (A) 0/5
It is easiest to play in the second position. This means that you play the notes on the second fret with your index, the note on the third with your middle finger and so on.
In your next lick you will also use slides. I will notate this with an - between the notes:
4/3 - 5/3 3/2 0/1 3/2 5/3 - 4/3 0/2 2/3 5/4 - 4/4 0/3 2/4 p 0/4 3/5 h 4/5 0/5
The following country guitar lick uses a bend up a half note. It is notated (1/2b) before the note:
(E7) 3/1 h 4/1 0/1 3/2 p 0/2 2/3 0/3 h 1/3 2/4 p 1/4 p 0/4 (1/2b) 3/5 (A) 0/5
My intention with these licks is that you will learn them by heart as soon as you can. Play a couple of notes or so at a time until you know them by heart and add a couple of more notes. The notation is not important. It's just a means to convey the lick.
As soon as you know the lick by heart you can experiment with it and change it as you like.
Country guitar licks are often played in a way that creates a rapid succession of notes using a minimum of energy. This is accomplished by the following means:
1. Using a pick and two more fingers or only using the fingers with maybe a thumb pick.
2. Using as much open strings or strings ringing together as possible.
3. Using slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs and of course bends.
There is a risk with this type of licks. The ultimate goal is of course to play them fast and fluid, creating this nice cascades of notes that you can hear from a good country guitarist. To reach this goal you really have to practice these licks slowly using as little tension as possible as you play.
If you are that type of person that wants to learn things fast I guess you have to remind yourself that the fastest way to learn to play fast is to play slowly. It is as easy as that.
Many things you learn from playing country guitar licks can be used to spice up solos in other genres. You will now learn to play some useful country licks in the key of A. Some easy, some a little bit awkward but nice!
Many things you learn from playing country guitar licks can be used to spice up solos in other genres. You will now learn to play some useful country licks in the key of A. Some easy, some a little bit awkward but nice!
You can play these licks using a pick or with your right hand fingers. You can also combine the pick with the use of a couple of more fingers like the middle finger and ring finger. This is commonly called hybrid picking. Having a few fingers at your disposal makes it easier to play licks with a lot of jumping between strings.
You will use a form of guitar tablature I have found suitable for articles like this one. The notes you will play are notated with the fret to play before a slash and the string after the slash. An example:
2/4
This means: Play the second fret on string four!
You will start with an A-major scale with some ringing open strings.
We will use hammer-ons in this scale. I will notate them with the letter h between the notes:
0/5 7/6 4/5 0/4 7/5 4/4 h 6/4 h 7/4 0/2 6/3 3/2 0/1 7/2 4/1 h 5/1
You will now play this scale descending. This will require you to replace the hammer-ons with pull-offs notated the same way with a p between the notes. It will look like this:
5/1 p 4/1 7/2 0/1 3/2 6/3 0/2 7/4 p 6/4 p 4/4 7/5 0/4 4/5 7/6 0/5
Your first country guitar lick will take you from E7 to A. We will use hammer-ons and pull-offs even in this lick. The suggested chords to play with the lick is in parenthesis:
(E7) 0/6 3/6 h 4/6 0/4 2/4 p 0/4 4/5 0/4 2/5 p 0/5 3/6 h 4/6 (A) 0/5
It is easiest to play in the second position. This means that you play the notes on the second fret with your index, the note on the third with your middle finger and so on.
In your next lick you will also use slides. I will notate this with an - between the notes:
4/3 - 5/3 3/2 0/1 3/2 5/3 - 4/3 0/2 2/3 5/4 - 4/4 0/3 2/4 p 0/4 3/5 h 4/5 0/5
The following country guitar lick uses a bend up a half note. It is notated (1/2b) before the note:
(E7) 3/1 h 4/1 0/1 3/2 p 0/2 2/3 0/3 h 1/3 2/4 p 1/4 p 0/4 (1/2b) 3/5 (A) 0/5
My intention with these licks is that you will learn them by heart as soon as you can. Play a couple of notes or so at a time until you know them by heart and add a couple of more notes. The notation is not important. It's just a means to convey the lick.
As soon as you know the lick by heart you can experiment with it and change it as you like.
Country guitar licks are often played in a way that creates a rapid succession of notes using a minimum of energy. This is accomplished by the following means:
1. Using a pick and two more fingers or only using the fingers with maybe a thumb pick.
2. Using as much open strings or strings ringing together as possible.
3. Using slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs and of course bends.
There is a risk with this type of licks. The ultimate goal is of course to play them fast and fluid, creating this nice cascades of notes that you can hear from a good country guitarist. To reach this goal you really have to practice these licks slowly using as little tension as possible as you play.
If you are that type of person that wants to learn things fast I guess you have to remind yourself that the fastest way to learn to play fast is to play slowly. It is as easy as that.
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