Keeping on with my 2020 Mandolin Project. I’m committed to getting better this year and having 25 fiddle tunes committed to memory. A basic medley, not Ben’s version. Hope everybody is staying safe and healthy!
My 2020 Mandolin Project
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Nice Todd! You’re moving right along.
If I could make a suggestion? I notice you’re grasping the pick the same way I did for 35 years. Your index finger is perpendicular to your thumb. I just went on a 2 month long journey to break that bad habit and I’m really glad I did. I’ve seen my picking accuracy and tone notably improve.
You want to bend that index finger around so that your thumb and index fingers are parallel but pointing in the opposite directions. It closes your hand up making it easier to move, and it allows the pick to roll off the strings easier, which increases picking speed.
It felt so unnatural when I first started that I nearly gave up several times, but I stuck with it. After about a month it started feeling natural. Now I barely even think about it.
Keep up the great work!
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Nice catch! I’ve been working on that same technique, but keep falling back to my guitar pick hold. I am amazed at how much better my tone is when I hold the pick the way you mentioned. It is the only way I can get a mediocre (vs. awful) tremolo. Thanks for the advice. I hope you are safe and healthy.
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Nice picking! I second Mark’s recommendation of changing your grip. I used the same one you were for a couple years when I first started playing, and it took some work to change over but it was totally worth it!
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I third on @Mark_Rocka & @Dragonslayer statements on pick grip… I didnt know any better
and that’s how I held the pick my whole 1st year. Took me a while to break the habit, but things sounded & played out alot better after I did. On certain songs, every now and then, I sometimes slip back into the old way & have to remind myself not to…
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I’ve been working on that pick grip but it’s not yet hard wired into my system. Seem to always default to what’s comfortable. It’s amazing how much more articulated the notes sound when using the proper grip.
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So this gets me caught up for March - the goal of the 2020 Mando Project is to get 2 videos up a month. Now I’ve got 12 days to get caught up for April 
In middle age, I wish it wasn’t so hard to commit songs to memory. Yes, coaches I am committed to a new pick grip - but made this video before our last training session! Please no Stevie Wonder comments. Notice the cool sound efx of my neighbor’s saws for the final measure - I really could use a cabin on 22.45 acres. As always your feedback and advice is greatly appreciated. Stay healthy!
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I applaud the discipline of Project 2020. I may have to copy it!
For you pick-grip-coaches… I assume you use the same grip for guitar and mandolin? And for picking and strumming? Is that right?
I find that the parallel finger/thumb grip feels more normal picking the mandolin but less so strumming and on the guitar picking or strumming. Note, I’ve played guitar for many years and mandolin for only a couple of weeks!
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I’ve been working on adapting the grip to the guitar. It seems more natural on mando to me. I’ve dropped the pick a couple of times strumming guitar, which is extremely rare for me. I almost never drop a pick. 4 years playing on stage and it never once happened.
I hope it’ll just become second nature on guitar, too.
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Nice picking!
Yep! Picking or strumming. It gets a lot easier with practice, you end up with more control even while strumming with this grip, and also you can get more power in your bluegrass rhythm
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Moving along with my 2020 Mandolin Project, here’s Blackberry Blossom live from TikiKaNTiNa (READ: my garage). Feedback, tips and pointers always welcome, I’m trying to get better. Stand Strong and Strum Hard! Stay healthy.
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Sounding pretty good!
Looks like you’re doing quite a few downstrokes in a row in spots.
If that’s so, it will limit your speed a lot as you get more comfortable with the tune.
Dave
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What he said! ^^
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I’m falling behind on my goal of 2 songs a month for the 2020 Mandolin Project! It hasn’t helped that I rekindled my romance with my Gretsch 6120 and have been on a bit of a rockabilly bender. So many instruments, such little time. This one is pretty sloppy - I make 3 takes and choose the best one - sometimes there isn’t a best. 
This is a simple version of Soldier’s Joy from some Mel Bay book from long ago. Banjo Ben in a box backing track. Hope you are all having a great Memorial Day Weekend. Stay Healthy!
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Good job! I admire your persistence. Keep it up
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Glad to see you’re still working on the Project! Dont worry bout your Gretsch romance slowing you down, just ‘pick’ up where you left off & keep up the good work 
! Funny fact - several years back, my son named his dog “Gretsch” 
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Great idea , Todd … A mandolin project. I just watched and listened to all your videos. 2 songs / month seems like a lot to tackle. My hat is off to you ! Keep up the good work and have fun !!!
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Next up - Arkansas Traveler. Man, I’ll never get these things up to speed. I think I need to get three more up by end of the month to stay on track for 2 a month. I may have to bend the rules and forget the part about to commiting them to memory. My aging mind can’t hard wire info like it used to…
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Hey @Trader_Todd, good job! One thing that is keeping your speed back is you’re not using alternate picking throughout the song–you’re using downstrokes repeatedly at times, which cuts your speed in half. Try alternate picking and see how it goes!
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