Ashokan Farewell on the mandocello

This is Jay Unger's modern day classic, "Ashokan Farewell" that has become as popular as any song in all of North America -- fiddlers in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia play it routinely. Here is my attempt at it on my 1936 Gibson K-1 mandocello (the cello voice of the mandolin family -- pitched an octave and a fifth below the mandolin or down an octave from the mandola). Here it is played in the key of G (it would be D on the mandolin). It's a little rough but I am not a precise player -- I know lots of songs but none are played as a virtuoso! But I love it anyway

Category:

Music

Tags:

• mandocello
• mandolin
• folk
• music
• mandola

[ebennett7]

How cool that this song was written in our time and is such a timeless classic. Good job, Jay!

[Mandolin1944]

@ebennett7 Thanks for the kind remarks -- I was just starting to play mandocello back then and there were more than few mistakes! LOL! I should repost it again now that I've improved a bit. Amazing that it has 12,000 viewings -- I never would have guessed it.

[sonomabob]

Give you $300 for it.

[Mandolin1944]

@sonomabob Hey I'm not worth $300 and the song was free! But thanks for listening and I love that Gravenstien mandolin orchestra -- where are you at. I sat in a few times with the Dayton Mandolin orchestra but I did not have time to learn the material -- I'm retiring soon so I might join again.

[toyboxpsycho]

I work at a museum in New-Brunswick that was once a convent. We have an amazingly beautiful chapel in the convent that has amazing acoustics, so much so that a visitor asked if he could play his mandocello inside the chapel. Needless to say, I said he could. His mandocello was a 1906 Gibson, and it really sounded beautiful. That's how I ended up on this video, because I love the sound. :)

[Mandolin1944]

Thanks for watching. And thanks for the comments. Yes something like a large chapel would be wonderful for mandocello sounds. Your note was ironic -- I sold a 1906 Gibson mandocello to a person from California about 2 year ago!

[ThatRandomGuy325]

how would i go about learning how to play the mandocello? i love this instrument and i want to hand build one.

[Mandolin1944]

Well in 1973 or so I think I paid about $150 -- (<:

The most desirable mandocellos are the Gibsons - they invented it.. The (A-styles) which are the K-1's (like mine) and K-2's going or between $2500 and $3500. ( a mint one could go higher) -- but the K-4's (F-style) will easily top $5000 and K-5' s maybe many thousands.

But there are many fine manodcellos and similar Irish bouzoukis available from other makers for much less - both Weber and Eastman make good ones.

[BearRiverBand]

Do I dare ask how much it cost you? I might be in the market for one and am wondering how much I'm going to have to spend.

[Mandolin1944]

Thanks for tuning in. I bought it years ago from an instrument trader -- only recently started doing much with it. I should repost this! (<: