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Posted by: Huargo Jun 2 2020, 02:05 PM

Hi guys!
Do you know Sierra Hull?
 She is a Mandoline Player with a exquisite technique.
He seems to be doing alternative picking all the time and sometimes he seems to be doing circle picking to speed up.
Any mandoline player in the house?

I leave you some videos for your comfort

Posted by: Steve Gilfield Jun 2 2020, 03:12 PM

I think it's the same for all players who play this kind of string instruments.

Hammer-ons, or pull-offs are not an option.

Alternate picking is the only way in order for all the notes to come out loud and clear.

Here is a video of Manolis Karantinis, a master bouzouki player from Greece.

He can easily shred with only alterante picking.

https://youtu.be/T0R-aVwqjXs


Another legend is Manolis Chiotis, who was admired by Jimy Hendrix for his playing.

Years before "shreding"was a thing, he was a shredder!

https://youtu.be/Rul2IA8Qy_A?t=136

Posted by: PosterBoy Jun 2 2020, 03:41 PM

I started playing mandolin a few years ago.
Definitely in bluegrass it is very strict in the playing alternate picking down on the 'number beats' up on the 'and' beats. So when there are hammers and pulloffs the hand doesn't stop going up and down.

Check out Andy Wood he didn't start playing guitar until his late teens, starting on Mandolin at an early age.

Posted by: Huargo Jun 2 2020, 06:26 PM

QUOTE (Steve Gilfield @ Jun 2 2020, 03:12 PM)

QUOTE (PosterBoy @ Jun 2 2020, 03:41 PM)

Posted by: PosterBoy Jun 2 2020, 07:44 PM

This is one of the pieces that got me into the mandolin


Nickel Creek are a nice easy way of getting into Modern bluegrass with some pop leanings (Chris Thile is an alien, he is like the Guthrie Govern of Mandolin)


Every modern/ young player nods to Sam Bush as their hero, his right hand is unbelievable, I can't find a real show off video of him


For Guitarists Billy Strings

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 3 2020, 04:16 AM

I was born in Kentucky which is the home of Bluegrass music so I was practically raised with it. I got a mandolin several years ago and it was much harder than it looked for sure. I've watched alll these great players at local fairs and such when I was growing up and great players really do make it look easy, just like on guitar. I'm a big fan of alternate picking and bluegrass music and I still cant play anywhere close to what these people are doing. It's a difficult instrument imho. Feels like playing the high frets on a 12 string guitar. Lots of tension, every strike is two strings instead of one, vibrato is much more difficult and hammer ons/pull offs are way more tricky. Some great vids!

Here is Union Station playing live with a very young Sierra Hull way back in the day. Sierra comes in about 2 minutes. She looks about 15 in this video and she is already an amazing mandolin player. That classical bit she played is nearly impossible to do at that level unless one has played forever, which she has

QUOTE (PosterBoy @ Jun 2 2020, 02:44 PM)

Posted by: PosterBoy Jun 3 2020, 09:36 AM

If there is an instrument that is essential to have a correct set up it's a mandolin

Posted by: Gabriel Leopardi Jun 3 2020, 03:02 PM

She is like the Paul Gilbert mandolin version..

Precise picking!! This pose makes me think on this video:

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 4 2020, 05:59 AM

Notice the very quick shift in hand angle as he traverses up sometimes? He needs to keep up pick pressure as he's striking two strings as one, and needs to keep power even across strings. If they slow down really good mandoline players on vid like this, you notice some very similar things in playing as there are only so many ways to get these results which pushes adapting players towards similar technique. Since hammer on/pull offs can't be leveraged to the degree they can on a regular electric, it almost requires a uniformity of technique for certain things like brisk alt picking on mandolin. I still can't play this well on mandolin and I"ve worked on it for years. IT's soooooo darn different to briskly alt pick on mandolin than on guitar. You have to commit soo much more power to each strike, can't fake it with hammer ons/pull offs, when you miss a strike, etc. So each missed strike sticks out like a sore thumb. It's a great way to build serious hand power though.

QUOTE (Gabriel Leopardi @ Jun 3 2020, 10:02 AM)

She is like the Paul Gilbert mandolin version..

Precise picking!! This pose makes me think on this video:

Posted by: Huargo Jun 9 2020, 05:47 PM

Hey guys!
Thank you for the recommendations
I go for it!