Mandola/mandolin duets?
 

I've been playing guitar with a guy who is a fairly accomplished mandolin/banjo player. We've mostly been doing some Celtic and English fiddle tune music.

I am not really a mandolin player, but I can flatpick and read music. I've been thinking we might have fun playing some duets. I own a mandolin, mandola, and even an octave mandolin.

Any recommendation for fun duets? We are pretty open-minded. Classical, klezmer, Celtic... anything where there is counterpoint or independent parts where I'm not just strumming or flatpicking my guitar.

Again, I'm not an accomplished mando player. I can competently pick fiddle tunes on it. But I do need to stay away from blazing fast tunes and difficult fingerings. But I would love to make more use of these instruments - especially the mandola.

Here's a favorite medley, sounds harder than it is.



A pretty easy duet is Muddy Creek. Lots of fun to play. I picked this one up in a few days.

I play duets with a guitarist. I'm on mandolin.

One thing that's been a lot of fun is working up the Bach inventions. They were written for harpsichord, so there's a right hand (treble) and left hand (bass) part. I'm doing the former on mandolin and he's doing the latter on guitar.

Such fun! Technical, musical, creative and quite the fingering workout. Heck, I've resigned a few to using a capo! On mandolin!

We also enjoy O'Carolan. In those instances, he'll either play chords or dream up a harmony when I play melody on mandolin. I don't quite have the same skill, so I just give him chords when it's his melody.

He's usually in DADGAD.

f-d

Thanks! I found some classical mandolin duets online. It's easier for me to read on guitar, so I am going to work on the mandolin parts before I present these to my friend.