Wooope, my daughter wants to play mandolin!

[spoefish]

My daughter will be 9 in two weeks and has been working on the fiddle since the beginning of the Summer (with a decent teacher). #Her teacher thinks she is doing great, and she loves it and works at her practice. There is a lot of Alison Krause and Dixie Chicks influence going on there. Recently I have started playing along with her on the simple tunes she is practicing - now getting a little more complicated, she plays through, then I play through, they we play together. #This weekend she discovered that the mandolin was tuned the same as her fiddle (as if I had not mentioned that about 1000 times) and wanted to try my mandolin. #I let her try my easiest playing one (Weber Hyalite) and she thought it was great but much harder than her 1/2 size violin to finger. #I am sure she is right. #Being a crazy dad, I did a BIN on the nice Martin A model on e**** today Martin A style mandolin, excellent condition, late 70's (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d11?ViewItem&item=7358567518&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1) I thought the 13" scale would be easier to start with (and if it does not work out I bet I can find a good home for it). #

Has anyone starting out kids started with just a single string for each pair? #Looks like it might be a little easier, and at this point when I have just barely set the hook I don't want to spook her. #With any luck she will turn out as good as her brother - he is in his mid 40's now and a really excellend mandolin-banjo-guitar-dulcimer player. #Wow, we may yet get to play together as a family. #I am in the clouds right now.

Stephen

[8ch(pl)]

If you are spending a bit on this a Mid Missouri Kid-Mo 4 string may interest you. Theey have an 11 7/8 scale length. Their website suggests new price at $290.

[J. Mark Lane]

Very cool. I think Weber also makes a little thing called a Sweet Pea, and I think I've seen them with 4 strings.

If you don't mind my asking, what age did you start her in music, and with what instrument?

[spoefish]

She started on the violin about 6 months ago and really took to it. #It was interesting at first she took my Korg tuner (one of the older LED ones) and kept it on her music stand so she could check to see if she had the note right - I was amazed that this was her idea. #I actually had a MiniMo that I had given to my son - now that he also has a Flatiron 2MW (thanks to good dad), maybe I can get the MiniMo back. #And maybe it was that I just wanted the Martin - but I am just so excited about the fact that she wants to play the mandolin. #She even found that if she if careful she can bow on the G string and play tunes on that one string. #Zounds, this dad business is really fun sometimes. #BTW, here is my son's website with a picture of him and the new mandolin player.

Timber Poe's website (http://www.unc.edu/~timpoe/index_old.html)

Stephen

[ShaneJ]

My daughter is 10, and she recently began playing my mandolin. I got her a Baby Taylor guitar last year. She's come along very nicely on that, and is making an easy transition to mandolin. She plays mostly just chords now, but plinks around on a melody or two. I try really hard not to push her too much.

[8STRINGR]

Hey Spoefish,

If anything, you could always have the action lowered until she get's the feel for the mandolin strings. I'm not sure if the strings set even lower on the nut of a fiddle than on the mandolin. You could always raise the action little by little as she gets use to it.

What kind of turned my seven year old away from my mandolin was the fact that what seemed to be "easy" fingering for me was a "killer" on the fingers for him. Just like Ray Deaton (IIIrd Tyme Out) had suggested to me when I had asked him about my Son possibly trying an upright bass, he suggested to start him on a Cello, tuning it as a bass. Then, move on up from smaller to full size acoustic bass as he gets older and use to it. He also said that 7 was a good age to want to start your kids on instruments.

Sounds like she's been off to a great start though.

Good luck!


8STRINGR #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[bsmando]

Hi Stephen,
What an awesome Dad you are! With younger kids I have tried tuning the mandolin lower (to lessen the string tension) and I have tried taking off 4 strings. It turns out to be harder on fingers to press down a single string than the pairs of strings...especially the thin E string. So, keep the pairs of strings and you could lower the tuning. However, most 9 years old can handle a normal mandolin. Just keep it fun!

[Stephanie Reiser]

WHen Chris Thile was much younger, he experienced some sort of hand trouble - to the extent that he removed the pairs of strings so that he was only playing 4 single strings. He wrote Ode To A Butterfly in this configuration. But I agree with the person above who said that single strings are more painful on uncalloused fingertips.
It is so great that your daughter is playing music with you. You are such a good dad.

[jim_n_virginia]

My daughter will be 9 in two weeks and....

With any luck she will turn out as good as her brother - he is in his mid 40's now.....

I am in the clouds right now.....

Stephen
Stephen I'd be in the clouds too if was turning out musicians for as long as you! LOL!

9 to 40? wow thats pretty impressive?!?

My daughter for a little while became interested in playing music like me but stopped when she found out she would have to cut her "boogie nails" as I call them!

It's great that your daughter wants to play mandolins but I'd get her her own that way maybe she would bond with it or something. Sounds like you are doing a great job keeping your kids interested in music and staying out of trouble!

Also I don't think I would get a singlr string as it would be too hard to adjust to the 8 string when the time came. Maybe a 8 string with a really low set up done professionally with some flatwound string might be easier on little fingers?

happy picking I see a family band in the making.. maybe ala The Kendalls? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Cary Fagan]

Would you please talk to my two daughters?

[MWM]

My 9 year old son asked for a mandolin for about 6 months before we got him one last summer. Even before he got his own, he could accompany me with 2 finger chords. He likes to do that and we play a couple times a week. He's got good rhythm and hears chord progressions on his own. I encourage him but generally don't teach him unless he asks. He's still struggling with 3 finger chords but he's doing fine. I've got his action set low and easy. When I first asked him why he wanted a mandolin, he proudly said, "To play up there on stage with you and the other guys". My heart just melted.

My oldest daughter started violin when she was 7. She's had classical lessons but plays a real decent BG fiddle. She's 11 now, plays in a Jr. Symphony and still goes with me to an occasional BG jam. I once came home from work and heard her practicing Salt Creek instead of her usual classical stuff. That gave me a smile. A couple years back, a hot fiddle player asked her if she would play something with him. She was reluctant and he finally said, "How about Old Joe Clark?" I warned her not to play it too fast and the fiddler interrupted, "She can play as fast as she wants". #He won't ever say that again as she scorched through it with style. It was quite a treat. If I ask her to sing with me she usually says, "Maybe later". Here's my secret: If I just start picking something like Wildwood Flower or Shady Grove on guitar, she and my youngest daughter will be singing within a minute. My youngest daughter is very proud of her siblings and me - she just beams when we're playing for an audience. She wants to start violin next year when she's 7. I'm truly blessed. Don't ever push your kids - just keep their instruments tuned and let them grasp it on their own if they want.