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 full chords in the bass and double stops in the melody? 
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Post full chords in the bass and double stops in the melody?
I'm coming to the stick from a mandolin and pedal steel perspective, both of which used double stops a lot to imply chords, especially in an ensemble context, since someone else may be covering the root, or the major/minor for the chord.

I'm starting to work on some songs arpeggiating the chords on the bass side and playing "rhythm guitar" on the melody side.

I've been finding it a bit faster to use double stops (I,III or III,V) to fill out the chords and not sound so super full and lush -- sometimes too lush. (like the full chord in the melody and bass makes up more than 100% of the sound)

I'm still getting my head around the fingerboard and finding some of my 5ths knowledge helping me on the bass side (the pedal steel has brought me nothing so far, other than not being intimidated by 10 strings), albiet inverted sonically.

Didn't know how many others are comping this way, and if you had tips for integrating the two sides in an accompaniment setting, since that seems to be a nice place to start and get acquainted with moving chords and shapes around.

Thoughts? comments?

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Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:05 am
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Post Re: full chords in the bass and double stops in the melody?
atracksler wrote:
I'm coming to the stick from a mandolin and pedal steel perspective, both of which used double stops a lot to imply chords, especially in an ensemble context, since someone else may be covering the root, or the major/minor for the chord.

I'm starting to work on some songs arpeggiating the chords on the bass side and playing "rhythm guitar" on the melody side.

I've been finding it a bit faster to use double stops (I,III or III,V) to fill out the chords and not sound so super full and lush -- sometimes too lush. (like the full chord in the melody and bass makes up more than 100% of the sound)

I'm still getting my head around the fingerboard and finding some of my 5ths knowledge helping me on the bass side (the pedal steel has brought me nothing so far, other than not being intimidated by 10 strings), albiet inverted sonically.

Didn't know how many others are comping this way, and if you had tips for integrating the two sides in an accompaniment setting, since that seems to be a nice place to start and get acquainted with moving chords and shapes around.

Thoughts? comments?

//ad


I would say that it sounds like a pretty good plan to me! Not that I am anybody, but I am of the opinion that one should try stuff out; The Stick accommodates that... and if it sounds like music, it probably is...

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Sat Oct 14, 2017 7:29 am
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Post Re: full chords in the bass and double stops in the melody?
Yeah sounds like a good plan. There's a ton of ways to build chords on the stick so just count this way among them.

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Sat Oct 14, 2017 8:15 am
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Post Re: full chords in the bass and double stops in the melody?
I too have a background on mandolin although mandola and octave mandolin are what I like to play if I have a choice. I think of the bass side of a Stick as a mandocello turned inside out if that's any help to you. I also spent 30 years on the bandstand playing pedal steel and somewhere in there I picked up non-pedal console steel just for the challenge of having to use slants to get around on a fixed tuning. Around 1994 I consolidated my double 10 E9 & C6 down to a single 12 E9/B6 universal tuning because the E9 lacked a low root and the C6 lacked the chromaticism I wanted. How these things help me understand Stick is more related to the fact that like you, I'm not afraid of a challenge and I'd add that the theory I picked up from deciphering guitar, mandolin and pedal steel applies to any other instrument I might pick up. Also at this point I have a bunch of music rattling around my brain. For instance I recently put together a Stick arrangement of Estralita which is a tune all the Hawaiian steel guys play on non pedal. So in my case I'll port music over to Stick from steel or mandolin (or surf guitar) and find a way to play it there. I listen to and watch other Stick players to see what's possible, how they're getting around and the big picture but I think it's cool to play things no one else is playing and figure out all the fingering and inside stuff myself. One thing that's kind of analogous to the chromatic strings on E9 pedal steel is to tune your highest bass side string (string 12) down a whole step to a 4th instead of a 5th. This really only works on a 12 string but it gives you a bunch of left hand chord extensions it would take 2 hands to get otherwise (7#9, min13 to name a couple). One more tip - steel guitar amps like Session 400s, Steel Kings, etc work great for Stick.


Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:21 pm
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Post Re: full chords in the bass and double stops in the melody?
I do a lot of "rhythm" in the r.h. also and use two and three note chords but, yeah, a lot of double stops. Leaves room for other parts (with other people or your own recordings) I'm not trying to be a one-man-band w/ the Stick all the time.

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Sun Oct 15, 2017 8:26 pm
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Post Re: full chords in the bass and double stops in the melody?
AnDroiD wrote:
I do a lot of "rhythm" in the r.h. also and use two and three note chords but, yeah, a lot of double stops. Leaves room for other parts (with other people or your own recordings) I'm not trying to be a one-man-band w/ the Stick all the time.


There's a ton of folks who do the "one man band" thing, (which is awesome, I am working on it too!) it doesn't have to be played that way... :D I get a lot of situations lately where I just have to provide a fuller sounding accompaniment for a group; kind of like being a keyboardist I suppose haha not a lot of solos, tons of chord work...

It's amazing how useful powerchords (r5 and 8va) are in that sort of context... anyways, good luck, man!

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Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:33 am
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