Drum58 - Posted - 07/27/2013:  04:29:06

I am a long-time guitar player learning to play the bluegrass mandolin.  I am having trouble chopping only on the off beat.  I find keep slipping back to playing on the down beat.  What advice or tips do you have for me to practice chopping only on the off beat?

Here is what I am doing, as of yesterday:

1.  Listening, really listening, to classic bluegrass as much as possible.

2.  Practicing playing chop chords to a metronome set to 4 beats, but really concentrating on chopping on the 2 and the 4.

3.  Practicing chop chords without the metronome, but tapping my foot, mentally counting the beat, and concentrating on chopping only on the 2 and the 4.

4.  Trying to play along with classic bluegrass tunes on CDs.

Is this helpful?  Is it not likely to help?  Is there some way to better spend my practice time? 

I love playing the mandolin and I am very committed to learning to play it well. And the guys I play with really need me to become as proficient as I can as quickly as I can.  Any tips and suggestions that you have are greatly appreciated.  Thank you in advance.

Kentucky KM-340S

Texasbanjo - Posted - 07/27/2013:  05:34:02

You might try doing a boom, chuck on the mando -- only barely hit the first beat and then chop harder on the 2nd, barely hit the 3rd beat and chop harder on the 4th beat. (that sounds kind of like what you're doing on #2 above)

I use that idea with beginning banjo pickers who are having the same problem you're having -- vamping or chopping on the off beats.

Try it, it might work and when you get used to the harder chop on 2 and 4, just stop the light touch on 1 and 3.

froggy - Posted - 07/27/2013:  17:46:07

I agree with Texasbanjo. I played the guitar long before I picked up a mandolin, and I still sometimes use the "silent beat" beat before the audible chop. I also think you are on the right track of listening to bluegrass music with a good mandolin player, and try to do what they do. It was the chop of the mandolin in bluegrass that drove me to learn to play the mandolin and to me it's a big part of what makes bluegrass what it is.

mandolinpicker2 - Posted - 07/29/2013:  07:30:26

Roger on the above  Boom-Chuck works every time.

( MP2 )