10 Mandolin TONE Tips to INSTANTLY Sound Better!

[@wattiewatt]

Well I've been playing various instruments for 50+ yes, but it does no harm to revisit the basics and IMHO you've done a great job of identifying ten top tips and how to implement them. Sign of a good teacher!

[@kabemccallister6859]

All great and important tips. Another things I fond that helps tone is working on pick strokes. With my students, I’ll take an easier fiddle tune like “Red Haired Boy” and make sure that down strokes are falling on downbeats and upstrokes and falling on “ands.” In other words, I try to match their pick stokes with the tapping of their foot. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but having good awareness of pick direction and practicing with a metronome helps with communicating musical phrases with more confidence and clarity.

[@karlpayton522]

These tips are universally helpful for players of all levels! Thanks for another great video, David. One item you did not mention... somewhat seasonal... is the humidity issue. Now, I need to go change my strings!

[@plucknpick6414]

Changing the pick for mandolin, the finger picks for banjo, and the pick for guitar made my instruments produce the sound I was looking for ! No more thin picks for me.

[@josephmagedanz4070]

Great tips, thanks!

[@gregcliburn6904]

As always…so helpful!

[@iglberiez]

another great video, super helpful.

[@joeldcanfield_spinhead]

As a beginner, this is golden. Switching to a heavy pick, and angling the neck for different attack: two simple things I can do right now. After learning about 'beat', the pulsing that happens when two notes are slightly out of phase, I've started tuning one string of each pair a few cents low and the other a few cents high. Suddenly my cheap Fender mandolin has a huge resonant tone which is perfect for my slower eastern/orientalist solos.

[@battlehrfred]

excellent pointers sir! you are very attentive to fine detail thats why your picking is very clear and a perfect sound!! Oh. you never said anything about the "toneguard" you have on your mando,advantages or disadvantages ty

[@shugemery]

The hand hierarchy is something I needed hearing. Thankee. I just got back my mandolin after learning electric bass for the past 2 years. I wanted to get to the place when I picked up the mando I was playing rather than practicing.

[@blakecraig5367]

Shug! Watching your camping videos for years gave me an appreciation for the mandolin. Which is why I started learning to play it a few years ago. I don't think I would have ever even considered learning to play it if it wasn't for your videos. Soooo...Woo Buddy!

[@shugemery]

@@blakecraig5367 Yeah Feller!!!!

[@peggybogardus9340]

Thanks!

[@polimana]

i was talking to a guitarist about how i'm trying to really fine tune and choose my pick strikes to experiment with tone (i'm coming from a more fingerstyle background for about 10 years) and he was like, "let me explain: you just slam it." 😐 i didn't even need to hear him play to know what he sounded like lol cool tips david!

[@josephpetrocelli3930]

Excellent.

[@RVsbladesnthangs]

I switched to Thomastic strings and I will never go back... they completely changed the sound for the better. I was actually very surprised at how much of a difference they actually made

[@JorgeCardosobandolim]

🔥🎶👏🏼👏🏼 Thank You!

[@rickmoore52]

If I'm not gigging or recording, then I leave my strings on until either one breaks or they just don't tune or sound good. Saves me some money as I beat the strings to death. But it's sure nice to get a new set strung up. When I was gigging 4 or 5 nights a week, then I had to change sets every week.

[@BenAdam-om2hr]

Same here, Rick. It makes most sense to work this way.

[@befamousornot]

What was that opening song ?

[@danschoenharl3856]

I play mandolin with only 4 (light gauge round-wound) strings and usually a .60 mm pick. There is tone and there is intent.

[@mattsweeney3579]

Any chance we could get a tab for that scale/run you did at the very end of the video???

[@drewnelson8692]

Slow it down and learn by ear my brother, dis is da wey

[@mattsweeney3579]

@@drewnelson8692 I started and will keep pushing!!!!!

[@tommckeown6970]

David, I feel like you left out the biggest one. As a guitar player we are used to fretting behind the fret. If you do that on a mandolin, it tends to buzz. Fretting ON the fret makes for a much cleaner performance. Well... At least that one was the big one for me to learn.

[@colbystone4374]

Thank you so much for the tip!

[@cynthiagray9800]

🙏

[@cynthiagray9800]

Thank you!

[@charleswilliams9206]

After watching this video I went back to your Tone Guard review. I notice that you are still using it but it wasn't in your 10 tips.

[@lfish21.]

2:27 sounds like every video posted on the mandolin subreddit.