New Mandolin Person

[Anyse]

I am looking for the very best mandolin training book for beginners that would take me up to intermediate level. I am hoping for the works: book, CD, and DVD Video all in one for mutiple reinforcement. I know that I am asking for a lot but it seems that many sets seem to start at Level 2 (whatever that is) and I would want something that would take me from Level 1 through Level 2 so that I can then move on to more advanced stuff. I already play the guitar and banjo so I know that will help me somewhat to move along fairly well. What do you recommend? I want to spend my money on something that I can one day say, "Ya know, that was the best mandolin investment I ever made to learn this thing!"

Thank you so much for your help and advice.

[Martin Jonas]

I'm not sure that anything quite like you imagine exists, certainly not specifically on Irish/Scottish music. The closest there is are the Simon Mayor books, CDs and DVDs. They do start at "Level 1" with the first book/CD: "The Mandolin Tutor". To get the visual reinforcement for that, you can match this with his DVD "Mandolin Essentials", which covers a similar playing level even if it's not the companion DVD to the book.

To follow on from these two items, you can move to Simon's book and (separate) DVD "The New Celtic Mandolin". The book has 31 tunes, the DVD gives a detailed view on how to play five of them. There is an accompanying CD as well, with the same title, but be aware that the CD (unlike the book and DVD) was not recorded as instructional material but rather is simply one of his albums. Nevertheless, the book contains all of the tunes from the CD.

Finally, building on "The Mandolin Tutor" and partially building on "The New Celtic Mandolin", there is his intermediate/advanced book/CD set "Mastering The Mandolin". No DVD with that one, but once you've reached that level you probably don't need one anymore anyway.

I started with Simon's books myself, and found them to be better written than any other mandolin book I've seen, intuitive, straightforward, yet not simplistic. Be aware though that Simon's style of playing Celtic music is not very similar to the way most tunes are treated in Irish sessions. Also, there is very little on rhythm playing and chording in his books.

Check all of these out at Simon's web site (http://www.mandolin.co.uk/).

Finally, be sure to check out the excellent and free web site by Nigel Gatherer (http://www.nigelgatherer.com/), where you'll find a beginner's tutorial on Scottish mandolin playing as well as a vast number of great mandolin arrangements in standard notation and tablature of all types of Scottish, Irish and Shetland tunes (and a few exotic others, too).

Martin

[withak]

Be aware though that Simon's style of playing Celtic music is not very similar to the way most tunes are treated in Irish sessions.

I was going to point out the same thing. If the accompanying book is anything like the album, then it will be a great way to learn some very nice-sounding arrangements of those tunes, but not a very helpful way to learn the style/technique/ornamentation that you will need if you want to be able to play with other people in a session.

I think he even says something about this in the liner notes; that he wanted to record his own solo mandolin versions of those tunes without worrying about how the style would fit in a session.

[Anyse]

Yes, that seems to be a problem with all of my research into this very thing. Personal rather than traditional playing are not what I am after here. It seems to me that the best way to go about it would be to go the Bluegrass route to learn all that I can about that style of playing (which is not really my favorite) and then to get some of those tabbed or notated Celtic books that are really notated in the true traditional form. Since these are usually for level 3 or greater players, I guess I will just have to strive for that level and then go for the Johb Burke and some heavy publications just chocked full of Celtic tunes for Level 4 or so players.

Also, I really don't understand why they don't apply Levels to every learning book, tape, or DVD in order to help someone like me. I am new and it seems that all you need to get from Level 1 to Level 2 is a single book like the "Mandoline Primer" or something like that. Am I right here as well? It seems that beginners (even with the fiddle) are left in this big lurch to understand these levels and what they are really comprised of.

[mikeyes]

I don't think you have to go the BG route, besides, the techniques used in BG are not the same as what the typical Irish mandolin player uses. If you go to Ireland thre are several tapes (Mostly in PAL but you can find the USA standard) and you might google Custy's and see if they have the tapes.
Another way to go is to look at several of the banjo books, and especially the MadForTrad CD-ROM by Gerry O'Connor. At this juncture, the mandolin is not being separated out very much from the banjo. It is an entirely different instrument but all I can see is that it is considered as "banjo-light" by most banjo players. Good albums featuring the mandolin are scarce although Mick Moloney's "Strings Attached" is a good one to start with because it is still in publication.
I went from BG mandolin to banjo and back to mandolin with a different take once I learned more about Irish music.
IF I were you I would find a good slow session and develop a style there. Nothing is better than actually playing the music and if you can find a teacher/mento all the better. Pay attention to the fiddler. (Which is good advice no matter what the genera.)
BTW, "Celtic" can mean almost anything and a lot of very odd music falls in that rubric. I am assuming you want to learn Irish music or Scottish at the outside. The session/listening/lessons way is the best one to achieve your goals.

Mike Keyes
Banjosessions (http://www.banjosessions.com/aug05/righthand.html)

[withak]

The nice thing about playing mando as compared to fiddle or pipes of flute or any instrument with more of a trad. history like that is that there isn't really much of a "right" or "wrong" way to do things. Your best bet is to listen to as much music as you can and play in a way that sounds to you like it fits with everything else. You don't have to put up with "well, so-and-so didn't play it that way on his record from the 1930s" comments. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[mikeyes]

Anyse,

I am having a senior moment here. Don't forget to get Shatter the Calm (http://www.celticmusic.com/dan/shatter_the_calm.html) by our own Dan Beimborn. To me this is the best example of the Irish mandolin available. If you search this site for discussions on the best Irish mandolin his name will always pop up. And the album is available, a rarity now a days.

[RolandTumble]

Let's see, there's:

Irish Mandolin (A Complete Guide to Learning) by Padraig Carroll
Irish Mandolin Playing A Complete Guide by Philip John Berthoud

Both of the above are book/CD sets (though with the first you might have to buy them separately). Both from Mel Bay. Both assume that you're new to the instrument as well as "the music" (Irish Trad). Both are both tab & standard notation, with the tunes demonstrated on the CD (Carroll anounces the title of each as part of the recording).

There's also:

Irish Mandolin by Mark Bickford

I mention this one as a caution--it's not for raw beginners. You might find it useful once you get past that stage, though. The book is tab only, after an introduction/explanation section, but the recording format is more like the Homespun Tapes format: he plays the tune up to speed, then talks you through each phrase, then plays the tune slowly (unfortunately, that's all one track, so you can't program a repeat of just part of it--say, the slow tune--on a standard CD player). It's published by Musician's Workshop.

NFI, &c.....

[Fergs]

“those tabbed or notated Celtic books that are really notated in the true traditional form”
No they’re not - that’s half the problem. If you learn straight from notes and not from other
players you will have difficulties playing along in Irish sessions.

I’d reiterate what mikeyes said “the techniques used in BG are not the same as what the typical Irish mandolin”.

I would recommend that Philip John Berthoud book as well, and the CDs mentioned above.
Good banjo CD’s from Gerry O’Connor and Cathal Hayden (Banjo and fiddle).

But get a teacher – and go to sessions, and listen to as much Irish music as possible to
Pick up the subtleities not notated. Don’t be looking for all the answers in DVDs and books.

[GBG]

Check out thesession.org for discussion of ITM and a listing of sessions around the world. There are several in California. One may be near you.

[Martin Jonas]

Both are both tab & standard notation, with the tunes demonstrated on the CD (Carroll anounces the title of each as part of the recording).
The Carroll book does not have tab (at least my edition doesn't). I'm not saying that's a good thing or bad, I'm just pointing it out.

Also to follow up the comments on Simon Mayor's playing, his personal style choice on his albums is not really relevant to his "Mandolin Tutor" book (the one for beginners), though it does apply to "The New Celtic Mandolin". It really is a general tutor that will lead you from a level where you first pick up the mandolin to a level where you should be able to easily be able to learn the standard session tunes from the transcriptions at Mandozine or at Nigel Gatherer's site; I happen to think that at that particular game, it's the best there is. The Carroll book, I find, is much less intuitive and, as it concentrates solely on Irish playing, I don't think working from it alone would give you a decent grounding in the instrument as such.

Martin