Jumping into classical!

So I decided to write a little bit about the classical mandolin. I know that in the U.S. the classical mandolin has been growing, though still quite small compared to bluegrass.

I got hooked on playing classical music on the mandolin around when I started taking lessons with Evan Marshall in 2006. I studied with him for about two years before I moved out of state for school. 

If you know about Evan you know that he is thee classical mandolin man in the states, specializing in Italian duo-style. What is duo-style you ask? 

Here is a video to demonstrate:

As you may have noticed by watching, or by trying it out yourself, executing a clean, fast, and dynamic duo-style is really tough. I believe I practiced around two hours a day everyday to 'be in shape' to just play very simple arrangements.

Then while learning Italian style I ran into the German style of Caterina Lichtenberg. 

Example:

You notice that with the Italian mandolin there is lots of tremolo. This is the technique created to extend to life of a note, because a single plucked note on the mandolin has very little volume and the decay of that note is quite rapid. Also, the pick/plectrum used for this style is typically thin, imitating the ostrich feather/quill used back in the day.

For the German styled mandolin you depend on 'rest strokes' (a very sharp angle of attach going through both strings in the set and resting on the string below) for volume and note sustain. Plus, the picks used in the German style are typically very thick, like the ones popular in bluegrass playing today, imitating the tortes shell picks (which you can't buy today).

There you have some rough basics of classical mandolin and if any of you are interested I have written down a few classical mandolin resources and links that you might enjoy.

• There is a really nice book and cd out there by Butch Baldassari for intermediate and even beginning mandolin players. You can find "Cantable" here or on Amazon and iTunes (mp3s). I really love this book because it has just really beautiful music written out for mandolin and guitar. Plus, the cd is one that can stand alone making it not just useful but a stand-alone as well.

• Caterina Lichtenberg Mandolinist

• The Emerald City Mandolin Quartet My favorite mandolin quartet!

• Evan Marshall Mandolinist. And here you can find his great instructional and solo sheet music.

• The Classical Mandolin Society

• Avi Avital Mandolinist

• Carlo Aonzo Mandolinist

Speaking of Carlo Aonzo I would like to rap this up by sharing with you one of my favorite mandolin albums out there. Sorry, no youtube videos of this anymore but HERE you can listen to it. Enjoy!

Peace out!

Greetings! Play me some of that Bandolim!

Hey, Erin here! I want to welcome you to my blog!

Even though I now live in Utah County I am originally from Southern California. That said you will be glad to know that as I write about all things music, especially concerning the mandolin, that I will be able to delete all, or most, of the "like"s, "totally"s, and "dude"s out of my posts for your own benefit.
(Dude! Like aren't you totally stoked about that?!) ;)

For each post I will choose a topic to talk about, from strings, picks, and picking techniques to song arrangements, performing, and general deep philosophy.

Make sure to leave your comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts on the topics and if you have any ideas or have found some sweet post-yeeha north african bluegrass band please send me a line and I will check it out!

Now onto the main event!

Hamilton De Holanda

I meet this guy in 2006 at the Mandolin Symposium in Santa Cruz. (This is a great mandolin camp, by the way but that's another post.)

Born in Brazil, Hamilton started playing at the age of 5. He grew up playing the Portuguese mandolin, called a bandolim, in Choro bands. He later added on two more strings (low C's) to his bandolim giving him a larger range and the added blessing of having to tune 10 strings. Yay! ;)
When I got to see and hear him play I was throughly blown away! Not only was his technique and jazz chops out of this world but as I sat there watching him I was throughly transported.
He doesn't just have the capability to play but he has the spirit to play! Dude! He plays music with his SOUL! :) He is one of my musical inspirations just because of his soulful performances alone!

Okay, enough said. :) I would like to present to you Hamilton De Holanda!

Don't forget to leave your comments! :)