Where to start?

[slow_hand]

I just ordered my first mando ever. Now I need a plan on how to learn to play it. I play guitar a little but the random approach I am taking toward learning it isn't efficient or very effective. If I could find a teacher in my area I don't think I could afford lessons (3 kids music lessons come first).

So any advice on how to go about this?

This is very exciting!! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Jack Roberts]

do you play any other instrument? Can you read music?

[slow_hand]

Only the guitar. I can read music very slowly from reading a book and working with the kids on their keyboard songs. I am much more comfortable with tab.

[fatt-dad]

At the risk of repeating myself (from another thread earlier in the week), go to www.mandozine.com and click on their tabedit files. There are hundreds of tab files in the "tabedit" format that you can learn from. You first have to download the "tabedit" viewer, which is a free utility that lets you open these tabedit files. The "viewer" lets you print and play the files (if you don't mind the computer's rendition of the tune). I've learned lots of tunes this way and it's not too bad. The 'cafe also has lots of tab files for you to learn from.

Enjoy!

f-d

[MikeEdgerton]

If you're just starting and you play guitar check out Dave Nichol's DVD at www.custompearlinlay.com. I have no financial interest in this. It's an excellent introduction for guitar players to the mandolin.

[slow_hand]

Thanks...I'll check the two suggestions above.

[Jack Roberts]

If you can play a little guitar and are comfortable with Tab, you might consider purchasing Jack Tottle's book "How to Play Mandolin" it is inexpensive, but gets you off to a good start.

[KennyR]

I’d get a book of Old-timey tunes. Mel Bays 50 tunes for the mandolin is pretty good. It has notation and tabs. I suggest using the notation as you’ll have more sheet music options open to you. Old time Reels and Hornpipes are a blast to play, and a great way to learn your away around the instrument.

[mando.player]

Greg Horne's two books Beginning and Intermediate Mandolin are very good.

[Alex Orr]

Greg Horne's two books Beginning and Intermediate Mandolin are very good.
I was going to say the same thing. Pick up Horne's first book.

[slow_hand]

Thanks guys. Last night I was reading in another forum on this site about the Horne/Fugate books. Everyone in that topic said they were great. I am going to order Horne's first.

Also, are J. McGann's books for more advanced players? I've seen good comments about his stuff but not necessarily from beginners.

Thanks again.

[F5G WIZ]

When I started I learned a few two finger chords just to get started. C, G and D. VEry simple and easy to learn then you can advance from there. The C and G will be the root for the three and eventually the four finger chop chords for BlueGrass. Stay away from the capo if you can because you really don't need it, coming from guitar I naturally started using a capo when I first started playing and it took me a long time to get rid of the training wheel. Don't get me wrong there is nothing really wrong with using one but I have found that since I quit using my capo, my knowledge of the fret board up the neck has grown quickly. Have fun and play with a group if you can. Of course taking lessons from an accomplished musician will keep you out of making the bad habits.

Darrin

[mandroid]

Mel Bay has some well written beginning books , Too .
Sounds like you can benefit from a little bit of knowing where to find the melody notes off the kids piano books , [hint: middle C is the 5th fret on the G string] and play along with , and perhaps progress simultaneously with your children.

[hip]

Here's my recommend fast track to mandolin. It won't turn you into a clone of Sam Bush, but if you already play a little guitar this will quickly get you playing rhythm with your friends.

WARNING: I'm not a teacher, a professional, or even good looking, so take my words for what they are, free #### off the internet http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

First, learn the 2 finger G (0023), C (023x), and D (2002) chords, but pretend your index finger is missing. In other words, play G and C with your ring finger and pinky, and the D with the middle and ring fingers. Most places show playing them with the index and middle, don't.

Next learn to recite the natural notes (the ones that aren't sharp or flat). A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and back to A. Well that was easy.

Now memorize where the sharps and flats are NOT. There isn't a sharp/flat between B and C, or E and F. Every other two natural notes has one between them, i.e. they're two frets apart. So walk around the house mumbling BC, EF, BC, EF, until you have them memorized.

Got GCD down? Now learn how to find the other major chords. For example to get a E, start with D (2002). Lay your index finger on the nut, see the pattern? Slide that pattern up one fret gets you D# (3113). The index finger is now barring at the 1st fret. Slide up one more fret gets you your E (4224). Sliding another fret gets you a F (5335), remember there is no sharp/flat between E and F.

Do the same with the G and C chords, lay you index finger on the nut, then slide the whole pattern up the neck. And you get

From D you go to D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#
From G you go to G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#
From C you go to C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B

Now the minor chords. Gm is 0013, Cm is 013x, play those with your pinky and middle finger. Dm is 2001, you'll probably have to switch the roles of your middle and ring fingers. See the patterns? Slide them up the neck as before.

There you go! You can spend the weekdays working on your picking, scales, learning new tunes, reading books, and watching videos. Don't forget to practice that nasty four-finger G (7523), and less nasty three-finger C (523x). Practice them everyday, and slide them up the neck! On the weekends, go out and play rhythm for your friends. You probably won't "Wow" anybody at first, but at least you'll be participating while you improve.

[slow_hand]

hip - I am printing your post to put under my pillow at night. Great stuff to get me started! Thanks

[Matt Hutchinson]

I'd also recommend Anthony Hannigan's great free video lessons at Music Moose (http://www.musicmoose.org/). I've only been playing for 4-5 months having come from guitar & pedal steel & I found them really useful.

Matt

[Chippster]

No one's mentioned setup! I taught guitar lessons all through high school and more of my guitar students got discouraged by guitars that were hard to play. With a mandolin, setup is even more crucial to a beginner because a nut that is a few mm too high is going to be a misery to the fingers of a new player! Get your new instrument to a good setup tech who regularly works on mandolins. Light guage strings won't hurt either. If it's not new, make sure the neck, nut, and bridge are working together to make it fun to play.

[devilstone_the_bard]

Greg Horne's two books Beginning and Intermediate Mandolin are very good.
third vote on these 2 (and then Advanced when you are ready). Absolutely the way to go.

[Alex Orr]

In addition to the Horne books, I'd recomend Steve Kaufman's, "Bluegrass Mandolin Solos Every Parking Lot Picker Should know". If you play BG guitar, you're probably already familar with SK and this series of books. One of the things I've found very helpful about SK's solos is that the beginner versions are VERY easy but still sound nice. These are really perfect solos to learn when you are starting out because you'll certainly increase your knowledge of songs, the fretboard, and a lot of stock runs and licks, but you'll never feel like you are in over your head - in short, they are perfectly suited to the beginner. Of course there are also intermediate and advanced solos in the book, but I'm just working my way through the beginner breaks, so I can't comment on the more dificult solos.

I've also found it very helpful to take the time from the bginning to learn sheet music and to primarily rely on standard notation over tab, which is something I never did with guitar.

[slow_hand]

I have been checking out the video mandolin lessons at musicmoose.org ... those are going to be really helpful once my mando gets here. I am going to pick up the Horne book next week and I'll look for the Kaufman book too.