https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/fireball-mail-build-a-break-mandolin-advanced
Warm up with that basic melody, then put the coals to it and give Mr. Engineer a run for his money!
Discuss the Mandolin lesson: Fireball Mail Build-a-Break
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The actual mando I used on this lesson is for sale here:
https://store.banjobenclark.com/products/northfield-f5sa-amber-f-style-mandolin-with-case
It’s super duper responsive and the chop just jumps off the strings.
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Man that’s good stuff!
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Wow I like it! I was 'sposed to rake leaves this weekend, but now there’s a new plan. 
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Those are some righteous licks! Soon as my hand heals from carpal tunnel and thumb surgery, I’m jumping on this one.
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Some mighty fine, tasty licks there. Can’t wait to try these on for size.
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I’m about to buy a Kentucky KM-1050 off the @BanjoBen website as soon as @jakestogdillguitar gets back to me with the final numbers…and I think this Fireball Mail tune is the perfect one to try out the new mandolin. Now…the bigger question. How long will it take before the wife discovers there are TWO mando’s hanging in the music room (this new one and the cheap Korean Fender she got me 20 years ago)? I expect some “friction” as they say. But hey, maybe she won’t notice…the biggest thing IN the music room is her baby grand piano…kinda dwards everything else. (One can only hope. I didn’t get in trouble when I brought home a mountain dulcimer last summer…)
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@ScubaNut2014 - you can use the same advice that I saw Bill Dance give regarding the purchase of a new fishing rod. Wait til your wife is mad at you before buying. She’ll still be mad, but at least you’ll have a new mandolin. 
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LoL. She seems to stay mad at me so I guess now is the time! (I’ve been in Italy alone for 3 weeks and she has only ONCE said she misses me…and that was in the same sentence as “there are leaves to rake.”. Hmm.
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Hi Ben,
In the video you mentioned talking about the harmony notes; could you do that here?
Thanks,
Morris
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Check these lessons out. I teach all about harmony, how to find it, etc.:
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/using-and-learning-arpeggios-shell-be-comin-around-the-mountain-mandolin-intermediate
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/amazing-grace-tremolo-harmony-mandolin-beginner
https://banjobenclark.com/lessons/chinquapin-hunting-build-a-break-harmony-mandolin-intermediate
This course is also really helpful:
https://banjobenclark.com/courses/learn-to-play-in-any-key
If you have a particular question, please ask!
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In the “Up an Octave” section, in the first measure (35), the tab (pdf and on lesson) shows the double stops as 21xx sliding into 32xx, but in the video I believe you are playing 24xx sliding into 35xx? And the following measure, the tab shows 62xx but I think you are playing 65xx?
I was having quite a bit of trouble getting started on this but switching to the 35xx and 65xx it is quite a bit easier for me.
I’m really enjoying this lesson. I’ve got the “Spice it up” version down and would love to be able to bust these out at a jam!
I’m not sure if I’m getting off beat, and recovering, or if it just feels like I’m off beat because of the syncopation. When I get to measure 28, particularly around or just after the 4-5 8th note slide, I feel like I’m just off the beat, but by the time measure 31 rolls around, I feel like I’ve found my way back to the beat. I’ve still got a lot of work to do, especially on the “Up an Octave” section to iron out the mistakes and work on the tone, but I wanted to get this timing straightened out before I get too much deeper.
Here’s a video:
Am I off, or does it just feel that way? If I am off, where am I going wrong?
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Hey Scot, it sounds like your main problem is right at 0:35. You actually inserted a whole extra quarter note there, and after that is when you struggle most to keep time with the backing track – at first being a quarter note beat behind, then sort of compensating back and forth, eventually finishing ahead of the track.
I think you were trying to play that 2-3-2 pull off lick which ends on the G string, but you timed it in such a way that it ended on the D string right as Ben hits the last note of his G run. That’s actually fine, but you were thinking about the lick, not the beat, and finished the lick with the G note on the beginning of the next measure. That’s actually also fine, as all you would have to do is skip one of those D notes launching into the melody, and you’d hit that big downbeat in the right spot.
When we’re used to practicing by trying to memorize the notes of the arrangement and not the beat of the arrangement, our natural inclination is, “Hey, fingers! Keep playing what we memorized don’t mess up DON’T MESS UP”. What we should be thinking is, “Hey, what beat are we on? I just got ahead? Whoopsie! Pause. Ok, there it is. Pickin’ back up…”
If something feels “off”, a lot of the times it is; you can trust your senses on that and pause until you regain where the song is at again. As you practice this way, that pause will get shorter and shorter until eventually you won’t feel the need to pause, but you can feel where the song is and where you are without it being too hard on your mind.
Note: Here’s a fun experiment. Put on the backing track and put all your thought into feeling where the song is, not the notes you’re playing. Focus on that. Then, try chopping, just muted (eliminates the need to focus on fretting chord positions). Emphasize something when you feel it. When you’re comfortable with that, hit some notes in the chord or scale, whenever you want, still focusing on the song. This is to help you feel a little more familiar with the beats, the measures, everything we can’t learn to memorize but can learn to recognize. Have fun with it 
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Thank you! I’ve got a bunch of family rolling in for the weekend, so I won’t be able to dig into this until Monday, but looking forward to it. Thanks again!
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I was able to try to play this with my friend (on mandolin), and his wife (on guitar) at a festival this past weekend. I still have some work to do, but it’s coming along! Thanks again for the help.
This recording starts right at the tail end of my friends break.
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This is very cool @Scot I love how you didn’t stick to the tab, but used some of my ideas to feel your way through the break. Well done!
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