Okay, so let us focus a little bit on your right hand in the use of the pick. One of the basic things that you should learn is to alternate the pick directions, down, up, down, up, down, up. When you hum a series of faster notes, either 8th or 16th notes.
(Demo)
Down, up, down, up, down, up.
Now, for this purpose and for the purpose of getting to know the finger board a little bit. It is probably good to just learn a few of the Major scales and the common keys and blue grass, at least in a traditional blue grass. I think this is changing now are A. This are all Major keys, A, B flat, B, C, D, E and F. I will just show you an A Major scale and if you go to music star productions you will find tablature for the other keys I just mentioned and for each of the scales I will show you one where you are using some open notes and other one is unfretted notes and scales where your mostly trying to play.
Get that same note but fretted, in other words a close position, close versus open. Here is an A Major scale alternating the pick, down, up, down, up, and we will go up a couple of octaves and then back down. First one is using open notes.
(Demo)
down, up and maintaining that and then with the close position and another reason it is good to the chords position is then you can just take that scale and play in any key. Again, change keys and keep the same positions and also it exercise your pinky, this finger, the fourth which is the weakest finger and hardest to develop. So, hear it is in close position and the pinky catching the notes that were played open in the previous image or scale.
(Demo)
When you are playing the scales, you should start paying attention to the sound you are producing on the mandolin, producing a good tone is really important and you will actually have more fun if you are actually making a sound that sounds pleasing even if it is just a note like that. If you are getting any buzzing sound then you got to adjust where your placing your finger relative to the frets.
Usually when you are fretting a note, you are just fretting, I do not know if you can be able to see this, just a little bit above the fret. That goes too fine get right on top of the fret. Gets kind of muddy or if I go way too fine in that direction, you are getting a buzzing sound. So, if you are getting a lot of buzzes, you got to try to adjust where you are putting your finger.
Also, it is important that you try to keep your fingers slightly arched over the finger board which is actually kind of hard to do with your pinky and that you will have to self-develop that. So, if you notice the way the joint in my finger are bending when I apply a G Major scale.
(Demo)
See that position? It is not like that, it is not bent like that and I try to keep the hand over the neck to get a good angle on the strings.
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