A momentary divergence back into the Now...

[annathepiper]

... because I have to gush about the nummy mandola that they have at Trading Musician now. It's actually the second one I've seen there, but only the first one I've gotten to play with. It's a Trinity College instrument, like my octave mand, and it is a very sweet little instrument. I don't know the right terminologies for what I experienced playing it, but the strings seemed very solid under my fingers as I played, and made for a good, ringing, clear sound. It was very weird to try to play "Judas Cart" on it and have it come out in a totally different key than I've gotten accustomed to hearing that ditty in, as well. On the mandola, using the same fingerings that I do on the mandolin, the song comes out in G and the chords go from D, Bm, G, and A7 to G, Em, C, and D7. So I have discovered much to my satisfaction that I can strum this thing in G if I want to, and it'll be an interesting exercise to see if I can transpose the fingerwork as well.

Cyn and I bought several new picks for her and Paul and me, and I am pleased with some of my new ones. They're heavier and less bendy than the tortoise-shell one I've been using on Autumn up until now, and if my ear is telling me truly on this they seem to help reduce the rattle I get out of the strings. Also, one of them has a rather nifty pointed end which seems to, oddly enough, help focus and better enunciate the sound even as the greater thickness makes it darker and richer. Which I dig.

But I really, really liked that mandola. Not that I could afford a new instrument right now or that I really need one, but mmmmmmmmmm....