Jon, I assume (since you mention the mandolin) that you are referring to the flatpicking practice of going back-and-forth across a string really fast. There are at least two other uses of the term. One is a fingerpicking technique used by classical guitarists in which the thumb and three fingers hit strings in rapid succession. The other is the use of a whammy bar or tremolo bar on an electric guitar, which basically moves the bridge to tighten and/or loosen the strings.
Mandolins have very little sustain, so the technique is used on mandolins when note duration exceeds the instrument's capabilities. Only small octave dulcimers would have that same issue.
Having said that, the tremolo effect has a certain romance to it, and there is no reason why we couldn't do it on the dulcimer. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've heard Stephen Seifert do it when imitating a mandolin on the tune "Mama Don't Allow."
There is no reason to reverse your strings. You can do this technique on the bass, middle, or melody string. If you have double melody strings, it might be a bit easier and would sound more mandolin-like.
The only adjustment you might have to make is to turn your flatpick so that you are not using the very point but a smoother side. If you have a round pick, you might practice with that. And I'm sure there are mandolin instructional videos out there that could help.
Should I expect to hear you playing the Godfather theme soon? I think that would sound great played in a tremolo style.
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Dusty T., Northern California
Site Moderator
As a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and one foot forward into the future.
-- Dizzy Gillespie
updated by @dusty: 06/11/26 11:25:38AM
