hillbillyhession - Posted - 05/23/2016:  18:51:32

I am completely lost as far as kick offs and turnarounds. Where is a good place to start?

DHopkins - Posted - 05/23/2016:  21:17:06

I pretty much make mine up as I go along. That requires that you be very familiar with the song and very familiar with the mandolin. Even though my band has done many of our songs many times, I probably haven't done the bridges, kick-offs, etc. the same way twice. Often they're similar but rarely are they like one I've done before. The other band members know my style and can tell when I'm coming out of one of them.

Texasbanjo - Posted - 05/24/2016:  04:41:38

For a kickoff to a song, you can either play the first 8 bars (if that's a musical phrase) and there's a vocalist coming in after the kick off or just play a few intro note if you're taking the first break on the song.  You can also play the first few bars and then start off your break.   It's sort of up to who kicks off the song how it's kicked off.  A turnaround is usually just a few bars (like the last 4 or first 4) of the song.    I used to kick off most of our songs when our band went on stage and that's how I did it, and, as said above, I rarely played the same thing twice.

Listen to lots of bluegrass music and see how other mandolin pickers (or banjos or guitars) do their intros and you'll get an idea of how much variation there is on kickoffs and turnarounds.

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 05/24/2016:  05:13:46

The simplest is a I V turnaround with the guitar player playing a Flatt lick for Bluegrass, or jus the turn around then a measure on the lead in chord 1/2/1/2/3/4/. The last four or first four measures as stated above work well. One Two You Know what to Do can be used occasionally. The most important thing about a kickoff is that it leads to the first tone of the song. No matter if it's four tones or four measures it has to point to the melody.

bradlaird - Posted - 05/24/2016:  06:58:50

I have a two video lessons all about turnarounds... You'll learn them in 5 keys while you are at it. If you are interested you can watch a demo here: mandolincompass.com/product/ma...n-basics/

I have a free lesson called "Turnaround in D" which explains the concept too: youtu.be/EG0sAAkwvcg

Hope this helps,

Brad

Jim Yates - Posted - 05/25/2016:  21:19:12

Richard's I V turn-around can be modified with some passing chords as long as they start on a I chord and end on a V for a swingier song. 

I VI7 ii V7 (2 beats each) or I I#dim ii V7 (2 beats each) or I iii iiib ii V7 (1 beat each for iii iiib)  These can be played twice as a kick off for a western swing type tune or once for a turn-around.

Eddie Collins - Posted - 06/12/2016:  21:22:08

As was previously mentioned, playing the last line to the equivalent of what the vocalist would sing is a good place to start. So for Bury Me Beneath the Willow, it would be where the singer sings "And she no longer cares for me," then add a tag lick and you're good to go. You'll note that 95% of all bluegrass tunes end either I  V I I or V V I I. Developing turnarounds is the first course of study in "Smokin' Licks For Bluegrass Mandolin" (Centerstream/Hal Leonard Publishing). Good luck!

Andy B - Posted - 06/13/2016:  20:30:55

Learn the songs you want to kick off very well. You have to get the tune really deep in your head to kick it off. I always try to play the kickoff exactly the same way every time so the band knows where I am. You have to very clear where the one is so all the rest of the band can come in together.