Didnt know where else to post this so…
My wife plays mandolin. So we sometimes play fiddle tunes together, her favorite but not mine since doing variations on 1,3,5 gets dull. I found a few songs with good bass lines she will play (Heroes, Im a believer, Walls) but she really doesnt want to sing and so far I cant. So Im looking for instrumental songs for a bass / mandolin duo. Any suggestions? TIA.
Welcome to the forum @barrilles .
Im not aware of any mandolin players here in the forum, but I’d bet mandolin and bas would make a nice duet. Good luck!
I wouldn’t know where to start to suggest songs for mandolin, even less instrumental stuff, but how about if simply nobody sings?
How do the 2 of you feel about Bluegrass? The bass and mandolin work together really well in that genre.
Thanks but its the same as the same fiddle tunes to me.
Tried that. I may try it again if I dont find a good instrumental. She feels compelled to try to sing but doesnt really want to.
There are some ones like Sarah Jaroz. But she’s singing. Sarah Jarosz - When Doves Cry 6/10/17 - YouTube
Maybe something like a version of “Banjo Duel” from the movie Deliverance?
That might work. Thanks
There are TONS of great ways for mandolin and bass to play together.
Warning -
It’s lots of fun and acrobatics for the mandolin, and lots of boop-boop-boop-boop roots and fifths for the bass.
The world of bluegrass and fiddle tunes is waiting for you!
Here’s a great book - it’s for fiddlers, but mandolin players (in my experience) love this stuff and love learning these great melodies.
The chords go along so the bassists can know what chord to play to.
The mandolin player would need to be able to read music to make this work, but check out this lovely book!
Thanks for the suggestion but we are already deep into fiddle tunes. Im looking for other genres.
Is growling on the table? You could try Scandinavian melodic death metal.
Thats my style but not hers. I wonder if there is a death metal mandolin group?
I have that book and it’s excellent. I’m no good with chords on a mandolin but I used to sight read melodies pretty well. The way bass and mandolin work together in bluegrass is what led me to try bass in the first place.
Well I’ve been learning the mandolin. Slowly but surely. My chop chords are progressing nicely. I’m almost ashamed to say that I haven’t touched the bass since I bought the mandolin. All I can tell you is they’re tuned the same but backwards to each other. 
The mandolin is tuned the same as the violin. I’ll check out that book @Gio mentioned. I’m also learning to sight read treble clef but is progressing slowly.
Bluegrass is about right for the interaction between the two. Lots of 1-4-5 progressions.
Awhile back I was thinking of getting into bluegrass with my upright and uncovered a list of top bluegrass songs on YouTube. It seems just about every one of them had mandolin and/or banjo.
I love their collaborations!