So I went to my first bluegrass jam on the street in downtown mount airy, nc aka Mayberry and it was a blast! I’m learning mandolin and had a great time chopping along. They even made me take a break on ak traveler that I have been practicing. Totally blew it but I’ll try again next week. But I learned that there are jams 6 days a week in my area! Only thing is a lot of them are old time jams. Are mandolins generally accepted in these circles? If so what is the mandolins role in old time?
Old time music and mandolin
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That’s phenomenal!
Every time I have been around one, they love to have mandolins. I try to listen and just play stuff I think others would want to hear. I might not play at all on a given song (and sometimes I play a bunch). Open chords, arpeggio-type things and simple fills are handy to have in your arsenal.
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I reckon I’ll go check it out then! I feel like I need to be playing with other ppl as much as possible. Thanks for the info!
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You’re right about that…no substitute for playing with others. Old time jam can be weird sometimes if folks take themselves too seriously. Otherwise, they will often play a tune many times over while fiddles and banjos play the melody all the time. I think it would be a perfect opportunity to learn fiddle tunes on the mandolin with a good rhythm section.
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I definitely give it a try! So no chop chords on the 2 and 4 beat? Probably best to stick with open chords like @Mike_R said
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You can certainly chop, but not every song sounds like a chop kind of song (to my ear anyway).
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Ahh I see what you mean, I’ll just have to go and see how it works out. Thanks a bunch!
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In old time you have to be open to playing more strummed or arpeggiated chords, but also they tend to like having everyone play at once
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