Thu, 06/09/2011 - 10:21
Do you own a mandolin?
Can you borrow a mandolin?
Well say hello then, in this thread, because you too can join Mandolinists Unite For 5090!
It doesn't matter if you think you can't play a mandolin, once you start writing songs using one, you'll get the hang of it soon enough.
We're not fussy, if you play a mandola, a mandocello, a cittern, a bouzouki etc (see http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/howtotell.html for more info) then you're in as well.
Obviously Mike Skliar will be spearheading the mandolin revolution, :-) but i hope to dive in too at some point.
Thu, 06/09/2011 - 20:17
#2
I got a mandolin last summer about two weeks after 50/90 started. I don't know much more now than I did then, but I made a New Year's resolution to learn all of the major and minor chords. I also learned the music that plays in the background when you play Tetris (yeah, I'm a nerd...).
I've been playing around with a few chord progressions, so hopefully it'll make its way into 50/90 this year.
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 05:45
#3
welcome to the group! We'll outnumber those ukelelists sooner or later! 
btw, fyi, the Tetris tune is called Korobeiniki (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korobeiniki for info)
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 05:50
#4
Outnumbering is one thing. Outclassing is totally another 
Sgd
FUC
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 05:57
#5
oh FUC off. 
Fri, 06/10/2011 - 12:12
#6
I ordered the Extreme Mandolins VST from Native Instruments but of course they boogered up my order
Sun, 06/12/2011 - 08:24
#7
Get a real extreme mandolin!
Sun, 06/12/2011 - 12:19
#8
One of my fave artists, Anabelle Chvostek, is a great mandoloinist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqzzS3sTBoo so I picked one up in a shop a while back and the frets are so little and close together! I have big bass player's hands, you know .... Can't I just put a capo on the 7th fret of my guitar and run it through a delay? Would that qualify? I am with you in spirit, anyway ...
Sun, 06/12/2011 - 12:24
#9
I've a mando that doesn't stay tuned for crap.. but if ever I get it tuned.... well someone might have to encourage me to pick it up *smile*
Sun, 06/12/2011 - 13:35
#10
Now that Colin has thrown down the 8 string gauntlet and mentioned my name, I guess I have to do some mando madness!
and to that end, I just picked it up, tuned it and played a bit for the first time in a while...
reminds me of a half/joke half-true story...
a friend of mine was in a mandolin orchestra (yes there used to be those things, still are one or two, pretty much all classical tho) and told me this line
"we spend half our time tuning.. and the other half playing out of tune!!"
and TC, consider this encouragement--- go for it!
Mon, 06/13/2011 - 03:02
#11
Between FAWM and 50/90, I actually acquired my great grand fathers old 1942 Old Kraftsman mandolin which sounds great and also means I can get rid of my crappy Johnson mando!
Mon, 06/13/2011 - 07:35
#13
Just tune it in fourths, @hoops and no-one will notice!!!
Sgd
FUC
Mon, 06/13/2011 - 12:00
#14
Guitars are tuned to 4ths! Tune it to 5ths silly! If you have a 12 string guitar, you can make some pretty decent mando sounds capo'd up a ways on the higher strings.
Mon, 06/13/2011 - 12:16
#15
And, as hoops and I discovered, if you have a crappy electro acoustic mandolin and record through the pick up, you can get some uncanny steel drum sounds. It's most odd.
Mon, 06/13/2011 - 12:35
#16
Interesting! Neither of mine have a pickup, but thats pretty cool!
Mon, 06/13/2011 - 20:45
#17
i tune mine gdgd does that count?
Mon, 06/13/2011 - 21:08
#18
Put the fourths down to breaking open a fifth shortly before, people (or, for teetotallers, just a seniors moment, OK? ). Anyway, tried tuning the kitchen mandolin but all it did was remove my finger calluses.
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 04:57
#19
while i applaud the efforts of people to sound like a mandolin (and i'm looking forward to hearing the results), i really don't think it qualifies as a proper mandolin song!
And while i'm amused to see this has turned into a thread for people to apologise about the state of their mandolins (either being too small or in some other allegedly unplayable state) i'm hoping that the MUFF movement (as i will now think of it) will encourage you to nurse those mandolins back to health!
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 04:50
#20
A word of help on those lacking pickups (really!). Remember that piezo pickups are really really cheap, like this one at $10 incl post
http://cgi.ebay.com/Great-Clip-on-Piezo-Guitar-Pickup-32-Cord-/180632122...
and can be very useful in one-shot recording for MUFF or FUC purposes. Voice mic-left channel, pickup, right channel.
Disclaimer: Can also be capable of creating very strange sounds including non-musical ones from your squeaky hand, coat, music stand, anything brushing the instrument.
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 11:18
#21
How about a song about a mandolin?
Or maybe a song "Mandolin Lady" about a lady who pretended to write mandolin songs on her guitar, played on guitar.
Would that count?
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 11:55
#22
Hoops - if you're desperate to join the club, you may borrow my mandolin.
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 12:47
#23
Speak for yourselves about the condition of your mandolin, but ever since I acquired my great grandfathers mando, I've restored it back to the best playing condition it's ever been in!
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 14:11
#24
I just spent three weeks touring Argentina with nothing to play but my favorite traveling instrument. Mandolino, of course! Claro! It goes so well con vino tinto in the rain shadow of Los Andes. I'm sure I can come up with something to contribute to this season's MUFF.
Tue, 06/14/2011 - 22:20
#25
I was given my grandfather's mandolin yesterday, and this morning I've sussed out the C, G and Am chords, so I'm ready to go
Wed, 06/15/2011 - 02:34
#26
havnt got one myself but have used a sample from a friend of mine in a dance tune ..also it sounds proper cool through a vocoder 
Wed, 06/15/2011 - 02:36
#27
i know im not really supposed to post in here as i dont actually play one but they are a mint soundin instrument
Wed, 06/15/2011 - 10:49
#28
well you can discuss mandolins till you're blue in the face! But unless you're physically holding a mandolin at the time, it's hard to actually play one.
Wed, 06/15/2011 - 11:20
#29
OK, so do I have to write and demo the song totally on the mando, or is just adding mando to a guitar-based song enough to qualify? This is important to know for some reason.
Thu, 06/16/2011 - 04:49
#30
well in my opinion, having a mandolin (or related instrument, a partial list is at the top of the thread!) in the recording is pretty much enough to qualify, but i'm not the fuhrer of this group, anyway, once you've added mandolin, maybe the song isn't so guitar based anymore!
Thu, 06/16/2011 - 09:08
#32
Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein! Nein!
Ich bin der Führer!
Ha nah.... I say MUFF doesn't really need a supreme leader. Our love of the mandolin can bring us all together over anything else.
Thu, 06/16/2011 - 12:27
#33
i 100% agree with Nick. I would have to reject any suggestion of my fuhrerdom anyway, since being on the receiving end of some quite upsetting textual harrassment during FAWM, i'm wary of anything that could be used against me, humorous or not.
Thu, 06/16/2011 - 22:40
#34
Why is this thread NOT about muff diving? I am extremely disappoint.
Fri, 06/24/2011 - 14:02
#35
I bought a cheap Rogue mandolin a few years ago (because I missed my violin but DAMN are those expensive) that just sits in the closet. It would be a shame if I didn't dust her off and see what inspirado lies within.
Wed, 06/29/2011 - 12:13
#36
I'd like to write some mandolin-centric songs for my band this 50/90. I'm not the mando player, though -- maybe some of you would like to advise and/or collaborate?
Also, I didn't see banjolin mentioned in this thread or the BUFF thread. Perhaps I should start up a chapter of BUM?
Thu, 06/30/2011 - 04:12
#37
i wish i had a banjo mandolin, and not just because i want to be part of Nancy's BUM!
Nancy, i would be honoured to do a mando collab with you this year, just let me know if you fancy it when you have time. Also, happy to give any mandolin advice to anyone (though i'm not sure i know anything that couldn't be easily found on the interwebz!)
Fri, 07/01/2011 - 22:00
#38
Cool. I have a beautiful mandolin and I can play three chords on it. I'm not sure what they are. I think that's enough preparation and learning and stuff, isn't it?
Sun, 07/03/2011 - 23:23
#39
Do I win the 1st Mando Prize? I didn't tag it, but my first song is just *lousy* with mandolin.
Mon, 07/04/2011 - 00:56
#40
Hi all. Noob, here. But, yes, I own a few mandolins. Hope to post a tune with one at some point, here. =)
Mon, 07/04/2011 - 04:46
#41
@TomS yes, that's all you need.
can i just say that in my opinion they DON'T count unless you tag them as MUFF and mandolin.
We've had plenty of mandolin songs in the past that people didn't bother tagging, well no more. start now!
Mon, 07/04/2011 - 09:04
#42
The problem is, I took a vow of 50/90 poverty, and plan to record using exactly the same setup for all 50 songs, just a Strat, a P-bass, and drums. But vows are made to be broken, eh?
Mon, 07/04/2011 - 12:06
#44
folks, PLEASE tag your mando songs. virtually nobody did during FAWM, please if it's only for me, even. i know nobody else searches the tags for "mandolin" or "MUFF", but have a heart, will ya?
tag them now! it's never too late!
Sun, 07/17/2011 - 01:07
#45
Here's a brand new song (about Irish author James Joyce) which uses mandolin and guitar
Sun, 07/17/2011 - 18:49
#46
I finally managed to do one with a mandolin in it! Sorry for remaining a hypocrite this long!
Here we go: http://fiftyninety.fawmers.org/songs/8168
And even though i sort of cheated him out of playing mandolin on it himself, my thanks to Mike Skliar for the co-write.
Sun, 07/17/2011 - 20:05
#47
Calum- my pleasure! you nailed it, fantastic job! I love it! great mandolin and guitar work on that one, too!
Wed, 08/17/2011 - 08:26
#48
and here's a new song of mine (i just posted three!) featuring prominant mandolin tracks, both rhythm and lead....
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 09:23
#49
not one but two new songs with mandolin...
the ver serious and somber song about 9/11 'remembering that day in september'
http://fiftyninety.fawmers.org/songs/10720
and this fun collab i did with downburst- based on a songskirmish lyric that i did. downburst did the music for this one (guitar, drums) and sang, i played mandolin and dobro
Wed, 08/31/2011 - 19:09
#50
and one more- played on an old old old Gibson a-style mandolin, which dates from 1922.
Buster Keaton's reel
I own a mandolin, but it hasn't left its case in about 8 months. I guess I should probably remedy this at some stage, and maybe change the strings.