Mando self-instruction for 11-yr fiddler & her Dad

[cobaltblue]

Hi all -

My 11-yr old daughter is a violinist (suzuki), good ear, loves playing fiddle tunes (fast and clear), and along with her sisters, adores the O Brother soundtrack. #Over the past few months, I've noticed that she's gotten very good at very rapid "pitzing" (Pizzicato - violin plucking) while holding the fiddle like a mandolin. #She recently learned of Sierra Hull, the talented 12-yr old mando/fiddler playing on Alison Krauss' latest tour. #She's *very* inspired.

Today we bought a Kentucky 150s mandolin for both of us to learn. #Mandolin is a 2nd instrument for her and third for me (piano, guitar). #With her violin lessons twice weekly (private and group), and lots of practice, we can't consider mandolin lesson now. #So we're looking for some self-instruction material. #Our interest is bluegrass, old-time, and some celtic.

Question: Can anyone recommend a good instruction book or video/dvd? Is there one better suited for kids? #I can help her with picking, but I'm concerned that we don't develop bad left-hand habits (position, fingering, etc).

[John Flynn]

I like Andy Statman's "Teach Yourself Bluegrass Mandolin," book/CD from Oak Publications. It teaches a good basic list of tunes that despite the bluegrass title, really span old-time and Celtic also. His approach is nice. Each tune has both a basic and advanced version and the CD has two tacks for each tune. One track has Andy first doing the basic version and then the advanced with a back up band. Then on the second track, Andy drops out while the band plays the rhythm twice through, so he student can play with backup.

I think books, CDs and even DVDs are not too helpful in preventing bad habits, though. That really is the realm of a good instructor. Even an occasional lesson can be invaluable in that regard.

[Rroyd]

I agree wholeheartly with Mando Johnny. Find someone to help you get started correctly, even if it means travelling to do so. You don't have to do it often, but to have someone monitor your progress is very important at the beginning. You can learn from books and videos, but they can't watch you to make sure you are using correct techniques with proper hand positions and so on.
Incorrect techniques can make progress and musical success difficult, and I've seen those who have physical infirmities caused by playing incorrectly. Your daughter should get along wonderfully with the left hand, but a lot of fiddlers struggle with the right hand and the pick. So get started with some sort of supervision, and your efforts will be far more fruitful. Good Luck!

[Martin Jonas]

Instructors are of course best, but in many places thin on the ground. I've looked through quite a bit of beginners and intermediate material, and the one that I find best in terms of going through things step-by-step and taking great care in pointing out common mistakes and pitfalls is Simon Mayor's Mandolin Tutor. That one is not style-specific, but has a slight bias towards Celtic and English tunes with a bit of classical thrown in and a slight bias away from bluegrass. As a result, it complements pretty well with the Andy Statman book, which is better on playing chords and rhythm. Both of these have accompanying CDs (be aware that you have to order the CD separately for Mayor's book; they're packed together for Statman's).

However, even with the greatest care, no book can anticipate all of the mistakes and misapprehensions that beginners have, so you should look at the fingers of as many decent mandolinists as you can find and ask questions (either here or whenever you corner a defenceless mandolinist in a bar...). Also, have a look at Nigel Gatherer's (http://www.nigelgatherer.com/mando.html) site, where there is a useful online tutor for the first few steps and a wonderful (predominatly) Celtic tablature/standard notation tune collection. It's not comprehensive enough to be the only source of tutoring, but it'll complement whatever book you choose in the end (Nigel, incidently, doesn't like any of them but thinks the Mayor book is less useless than the rest...).

Martin

[cobaltblue]

Many thanks to all for the thoughtful responses and recommendations. #Although I want to keep her focused on violin and just have some fun with the mandolin, I will seek out a teacher for some periodic critique and guidance.