Muted mandolin chop

[Puddleglum]

One thing I've noticed over the years is that there are mandolin players and there are guitarists who also own a mandolin. I can usually tell them apart in a few seconds. The guitarist will hold the pick differently than a regular mandolinist and will also approach almost everything like he's playing a little guitar. Guitar and mando are two different and distinct worlds. If one wants to be a good mando player, I think it's key to put down the guitar for a while (I did this for a few yrs) and really learn about the mandolin. Pulling good tone out of a mando is way different than pulling it from a guitar. At this point it's a bit painful to watch a guitarist hacking away at a mandolin and clanging his way through a song.

Having said all that, chop chords done right are tough and can take years to get good at. I don't play Bluegrass so I don't do a very orthodox chop, but I do more of an old-time chop, focusing on the lower two strings. I find that this fits into most musical situations where the real chop only fits Bluegrass, or ends up making everything you're playing sound like Bluegrass.

[Teleman52]

Originally Posted by Puddleglum

I don't play Bluegrass so I don't do a very orthodox chop, but I do more of an old-time chop, focusing on the lower two strings. I find that this fits into most musical situations where the real chop only fits Bluegrass, or ends up making everything you're playing sound like Bluegrass.

No such thing as an "old time chop" the chop isnt supposed to be used in old time. In fact, id say what you just described, is the quintessential bluegrass chop. Bill Monroe himself put most of the emphasis of his chops on the lower 2 strings and said so himself.

I do agree though that its a skill that takes awhile to develope, its strange because its not really a hard thing to do at all, but to get a great sound out of it takes alot of work, not to mention the variations that someone like Sam Bush uses.

For instance on slower tunes, i really like to sort of a syncopated rhythm, instead of just one chop.

Chick a chick a. As opposed to, Chick.

If you havent checked out Sam Bush's "All about rhythm mandolin" you should. I really appreciate the value of good chopping, and not just in Bluegrass. Sam and David Grisman are an example of how chopping can add to the music even if its not bluegrass

[Puddleglum]

Originally Posted by Teleman52

No such thing as an "old time chop" the chop isnt supposed to be used in old time. In fact, id say what you just described, is the quintessential bluegrass chop. Bill Monroe himself put most of the emphasis of his chops on the lower 2 strings and said so himself.

I do agree though that its a skill that takes awhile to develope, its strange because its not really a hard thing to do at all, but to get a great sound out of it takes alot of work, not to mention the variations that someone like Sam Bush uses.

For instance on slower tunes, i really like to sort of a syncopated rhythm, instead of just one chop.

Chick a chick a. As opposed to, Chick.

If you havent checked out Sam Bush's "All about rhythm mandolin" you should. I really appreciate the value of good chopping, and not just in Bluegrass. Sam and David Grisman are an example of how chopping can add to the music even if its not bluegrass

Agreed that the chop isn't really an old-time thing. I used it for lack of a better term. Mostly I'm just slapping out muted chords while the guitar does most of the rhythm work.

Sam Bush is one of the best rhythm players out there. His right hand is scary.