I saw almost those exact words today, posted by a very accomplished and respected luthier re: his own mandolins. It seemed like an interesting illustration of how different musicians think about tone: Is tone something built into the instrument? Something we pay a lot of money for, in a high-end axe? Or something we bring to an instrument?
Classical mandolinists spend a lot of time learning to control their tone. A good instrument usually gives you a wider range of tone color, but learning to explore that range -- and the shadings of mood -- is very much a matter of learning to vary the sound over an interval of time: as a piece develops, we explore a change in moods via tone, dynamics, etc. The process is nothing unique to classical mandolin, but you might say that classical mandolin, with its subtle shadings of tone color and dynamics, is an excellent platform for developing your tone. Most of that tone is in your fingers!
Classical mandolinists spend a lot of time learning to control their tone. A good instrument usually gives you a wider range of tone color, but learning to explore that range -- and the shadings of mood -- is very much a matter of learning to vary the sound over an interval of time: as a piece develops, we explore a change in moods via tone, dynamics, etc. The process is nothing unique to classical mandolin, but you might say that classical mandolin, with its subtle shadings of tone color and dynamics, is an excellent platform for developing your tone. Most of that tone is in your fingers!
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