Lesson 3 Octave Mandolin: Basics Fretting Exercises

by Mickey Cochran

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We will now start our focus on the fretting hand...we are trying to establish a solid foundation before we start learning our first tune.

Notes on Octave Fingering: Octave mandolin is quite a bit different than standard mandolin. The scale length of the neck is so much longer that it demands a serious stretch of the fingers. For instance, on standard mandolin, the fretting hand's third finger easily reaches the fifth fret; whereas, on octave mandolin, the fifth fret is more comfortable to reach by the little finger.

Fretting Exercises

Make sure you're in a comfortable position to both flatpick and finger the neck simultaneously. We have established the importance of keeping rhythm with methodical down and upstrokes matching your tapping foot. We will now utilize the same exercise but incorporate our first G scale.

Finger Positions for the fretting hand:

2nd Fret: Index Finger
3rd Fret: Middle Finger
4th Fret: Ring Finger
5th Fret: Little Finger

Practice the above exercises until you are completely comfortable with fretting and picking simultaneously without hesitating between beats. Remember, these exercises are considered accomplished only if you're keeping an even tempo without losing a beat.

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