Blues Mandolin and Beyond

Rich DelGrosso

Rich DelGrosso, Handy-award winning blues mandolinist, will perform in concert the weekend that he conducts a mandolin camp here in Bloomington December 4th and 5th.

The concert is scheduled for December 5th at the Monroe County History Center (http://www.monroehistory.org/) at 202 East 6th Street.  Doors will open at 7:00PM.

General admission tickets will be sold at the door day of show.  Adults are $12, students (w/ ID) are $10, and children under 12 are $8.

Backing up Rich will be myself, drummer J.J. Perry, bassist Bruce Lockwood, and harpist Richard “Doc” Malone.

Attendees of Rich’s mandolin camp will attend for free and get priority seating.

To learn more about the camp, please visit this page:  http://www.jimrichter.com/?page_id=133

You can also call me for more info:  317-319-9299 or email me at jim@jimrichter.com

The purpose of this lesson is to demonstrate the application of one of my favorite backup guitar riffs (usually heard in fingerstyle guitar, though not exclusively) to the mandolin.

It’s a fairly simple riff to understand; it’s another to do.  The gist of it is that you’re creating tension by taking a major chord and making it a 7th chord.  And, of course, you’re doing this within a particular bluesy rhythm.

The difficulty is 1) holding that major chord on the mandolin and doing the walk while holding that chord and 2) playing consecutive up strokes at times on the top pairs of strings.

This riff is easier to do on guitar, as it is a guitar riff.  It’s a little harder on mandolin given the tension of the strings and the difficulty this causes in holding that chord sufficiently so you can do the walk on the top string.  The cramped fret spacing also contributes to this difficulty.  Again, it’s a guitar riff and on guitar it’s pretty easy.

Also, being from fingerstyle guitar–especially with what I associate with the Lightin’ Hopkins school of thumb/index finger style of playing, the top notes of the chord are played with an upstroke.  The bass notes (here, the G and D strings) are played with a downstroke; the treble notes of the chord (on the A and E strings) are played with an upstroke.  In the Hopkins style, thumb is the down and finger is up.  Yank Rachell played guitar this way and you could hear that influence in his mandolin picking as he favored upstrokes.

Tablature is on The Transcribable page.  Here’s the YouTube demo:

Sometimes my opinion of YouTube as a community device is very low.  I’m a firm believer of the old saying, “I rather be quiet and thought a fool than speak my mind and be proven one.”  Some of the YouTube community does not practice self-censoring.

However, those are the bad days.  On the good days–which are most of the time–I recognize the communal and collaborative power of YouTube.  It’s part of the reason I’ve given the free mandolin lessons.  I’m by no means a powerhouse player, nor am I seasoned music educator.  But, if I can interest just a few people to pickup the mandolin or consider the mando in a different light, my time on YouTube is justified.

Equally exciting is the prospect of musical collaboration.  The recent YouTube orchestra at Carnegie Hall is a case in point.  Several months ago, I put up a songwriting challenge.  Though I didn’t have the response I’d hoped, it did garner a very interesting and exciting  rhythm submission from guys in Maine.

I’m very honored to share the following with you.  I recently wrote a little Monroe-esque tune for Monroe Mandolin Camp which will be held next weekend in Owensboro Kentucky.  It’s a chance to hang out with friends, get cool instruction from guys like my main man Mike Compton or Tim O’Brien, and eat BBQ.  I did not anticipate the following.

Theresa Arnold, singer/songwriter from Texas, saw said video, was touched by it, and wrote some cool words to it.  I’m flabbergasted by what this little lady from my former home of three years has given back to me.  This collaboration might even make it to my solo album–whenever I find the time or inclination to finish it.

Make sure to subscribe to Theresa’s channel–she’s got a killer voice.