Jacob Reuven's Mandolin Warm-up Routine

Version française

Jacob play's a Kerman mandolin, Thomastik strings and a 73mm Dunlop Nylon Pick.

www.mandolinmusic.co.il

Mando-Show Podcast Interview

I had the opportunity to meet the great mandolin player Jacob Reuven at the Bellows Falls mandolin festival in July 2016. In this interview, he his talking about his background, influences and challenges. (Go to the page)

Explanations of the routine

Part A: G Scale

Play a 2 octaves G scale in the 1st position using all possible open strings.

• Single note motion (↓·↑·↓·↑)

• Double notes motion (↓↑·↓↑·↓↑·↓↑)

• Triplet notes motion (↓↑↓·↑↓↑·↓↑↓·↑↓↑) *with emphasis on the 3rd note

• Sixteenth note motion (↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑)

• Sixteenth note triplet motion (↓↑↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑↓↑)

  If you want more you can use a 3 octave scale

Part B: G Scale in thirds

Play up a 2 octaves G scale in the 1st position using all possible open strings, using the melodic interval pattern: third up and second down (GB·AC·BD·CE·DF#·EG·F#A·G)

• Single note motion (↓·↑·↓·↑)

• Double notes motion (↓↑·↓↑·↓↑·↓↑)

• Triplet notes motion (↓↑↓·↑↓↑·↓↑↓·↑↓↑) *with emphasis on the 3rd note

• Sixteenth note motion (↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑)

• Sixteenth note triplet motion (↓↑↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑↓↑)

  If you want more you can use a 3 octave scale

Part C: G Major & Minor arpeggios

Play a 3 octaves G major arpeggio followed by a G minor arpeggio using this suggested pattern:

• Single note motion (↓·↑·↓·↑)

• Double notes motion (↓↑·↓↑·↓↑·↓↑)

• Triplet notes motion (↓↑↓·↑↓↑·↓↑↓·↑↓↑) *with emphasis on the 3rd note

• Sixteenth note motion (↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑)

• Sixteenth note triplet motion (↓↑↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑↓↑·↓↑↓↑↓↑)

Part D: Octaves

Play the G scale in octaves using this pattern:

• Go up 5 notes and back 3 notes on the 4th string (G,A,B,C,D·C,B,A)

• Go up 5 notes switching to the 3rd strings on E (B,C,D closed·E,F#)

• Go back 3 notes switching to the 4th strings on C (E,D open, C)

   

Repeat the same cycle starting on the 3rd string:

• Go up 5 notes and back 3 notes on the 3rd string (D,E,F#,G,A ·G,F#,E)

• Go up 5 notes switching to the 2rd strings on B (F#,G,A closed·B,C)

• Go back 3 notes switching to the 3rd strings on G (B,A open, G)

• Finish the scale diatonically until the high G:

Part E: Scale Modulation

All alternate picking (↓·↑·↓·↑)

• Play 5 notes ascending 3 decending on the 4th string: (G,A,B,C,D · C,B,A),3x

• Play the ascending scale from G to G using the open D (G,A,B,C,D open,E,F#,G)

You are in the key of G major

Repeat the same cycle starting on the 3rd string. 

• Play 5 notes ascending 3 decending on the 3rd string: (D,E,F#,G,A · G,F#,E),3x

• Play the ascending scale from D to D using the open A (D,E,F#,G,A open,B,C#,D)

  You are in the key of D major

Repeat the same cycle starting on the 2nd string.

• Play 5 notes ascending 3 decending on the 2nd string: (A,B,C#,D,E · D,C#,B),3x

• Play the ascending pattern from A to A using the open A(A,B,C#,D,E open,F#,G#,A)

  You are in the key of A major

Finishing the ascending part

• Play 5 notes ascending 3 decending on the 1st string: (E,F#,G#,A,B · A,G#,F#) , Repeat 3x

• Play 5 notes ascending, then decend the A major scale.

• Ex:(E,F#,G#,A,B · A,G#,F#, E open · D,C#,B,A open · G#,F#,E,D open · C#,B, C#,A tremollo)

  *watch for the ending going back to C# and then resolving to A.

Playing the transposed parts:

Repeat the same exercise but starting on A with your first finger (second position)

• Play 5 notes ascending 3 decending: (A,B,C#,D,E, D,C#,B),3x

• Play the ascending scale from A to A, switching to the 3rd string on E (A,B,C#,D · E,F#,G#,A)

You are in the key of A major

Repeat the same cycle starting on the 3rd string.

• Play 5 notes ascending 3 decending: (E,F#,G#,A,B,A,G#,F#),3x

• Play the ascending scale from E to E (E,F#,G#,A,B,C#,D#,E)

  You are in the key of E major

Repeat the same cycle starting on the 2nd string

• Play 5 notes ascending 3 decending: (B,C#,D#,E,F#,E,D#,C#),3x

• Play the ascending pattern from B to B, switching to 3rd position on G#

You are in the key of B major (with you 3rd finger on the 7th fret).

Going down:

• Play 5 notes ascending 3 decending, starting with your 4th finger on F#, 2nd string 9th fret : (F# · G#,A#,B,C#,B,A#,G#),3x

• Play 5 notes ascending then decending in the B major scale until the fourth string: (F# · G#,A#,B,C#,B,A#,G# · F#, E, D#,C# ·B,A#,G#,F# ·E,D#,C#,D#,B)

*watch for the ending going back to D# and then resolving to B.

You are in the key of B major

Repeat the exercise at every whole step (C#, D#,F and G)

You have mastered the first half of Part E !!

Part E: Scale Modulation (end)

Play the 2 octave ascending major scale

Emphasize the first note starting on a tremolo then followed by an upstroke on the following note. Continue the pattern in a down-up-down-up 16th note motion. Come back from the high note starting down.

This will result in a magnetic rhythmic attraction
Chromatically go down the fingerboard 1⁄2 step every sequence

This is it! Have a good morning exercise from Jacob Reuven

Jonathan Bélanger for Mando Montreal

Jonathan Bélanger

Founder of Mando Montreal, Jonathan Bélanger is an active multi-instrumentalist musician, teacher, arranger, composer and conductor since 1998. He studied guitar at the Cégep de St-Laurent and film music composition at Université du Québec à Montréal. He perfected his classical and jazz playing in masterclasses studying with renowned musicians worldwide.