recommendations for scale/exercise book
Posted: 27 July 2007 03:32 AM   [ Ignore ]
Newbie
Rank
Total Posts:  7
Joined  2007-07-26

Would someone care to recommend a scale/exercise book they found helpful? I have started playing mandolin after playing guitar for a number of years. I really enjoying playing and also my practice sessions of playing scales. I read music notation and have taken material down from the mandozine page of techniques (Tim O’Brien’s Arpeggios and Carlo Aonzo Family Scales) and also chord diagrams by Charlie Jones. If someone found other material helpful and could tell me what it is (and what was helpful about it) I would really appreciate it. Thanks

Profile
 
 
Posted: 20 August 2007 12:07 PM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 1 ]
Newbie
Rank
Total Posts:  6
Joined  2007-08-20

If you head over to http://www.jazzmando.com and search for FFcP you turn up a bunch of info on scales.

FFcP stands for four finger closed position.  These boil down to 4 scale patterns that you can move all over the neck to play in any key.  You don’t really mention what you’re looking to learn so I’m just assuming that exercise is your primary goal smile

An easy drill to do with the FFcP scales is to play the scale in this order:
- Play the first 5 notes (ascending/descending) : Repeat 4 times
- Play the entire scale plus the ninth (ascending/descending) : Repeat 4 times
- Play the Root, Third and Fifth (ascending/descending) : Repeat 4 times
- Play the Root, Third, Fifth and Seventh (ascending/descending) : Repeat 4 times
- Play the Root, Third, Fifth, Seventh and Ninth (ascending/descending) : Repeat 4 times
- Play the Root, Third, Fifth, Seventh and Ninth ascending, play entire scale descending: Repeat 4 times
- Play entire scale plus the Ninth ascending, play the Ninth, Seventh, Fifth, Third and Root descending : Repeat 4 times

Play this for each of the four scale forms.  In addition to learning the scales, you’re progressively learning arpeggios at the same time.  In the case above it’s the Major Triad, Major7 and Major9 arpeggios.  I’m in the process of boiling this down into a a set of sheets.  Hopefully I can post something soon.

Charlie Jones

Profile
 
 
Posted: 23 August 2007 12:55 AM   [ Ignore ]   [ # 2 ]
Newbie
Rank
Total Posts:  7
Joined  2007-07-26

Charlie,
Thanks for info about the jazzmando.com site. I will check it out. When you have something printable, please let me know.
All the best. Yossi

Profile