View Full Version : Wish me luck, First Mandolin lesson tues night!
Countrygirl
Feb-02-2009, 6:47pm
I have my first lesson with an instructor tomorrow night. I am very excited and a little nervous. My goal for the first 6 months is to learn timing, basic chords and tabs. Enough to play along with my friends, and do simple songs that I can sing to. I have some singing experience but zero with playing instruments. This should be fun. :confused:
SternART
Feb-02-2009, 7:01pm
This should be fun.
Sounds like you don't need luck..........your goals sound very reasonable, and you're right it should be fun!
David O'Brien
Feb-02-2009, 7:20pm
My goal for the first 6 months is to learn timing, . . . . This should be fun. :confused:
Timing, is not achievable from the git go., so don't fret over that. . . but when you practice chords, work on timing, not so much left hand finger position for chord construction, that will help later. . . :confused:
JEStanek
Feb-02-2009, 8:22pm
Good Luck and Have fun!
Jamie
PS Don't forget to do your homework. ;-)
mountain dawg
Feb-02-2009, 9:06pm
Great to see you are taking lesson I just started two week ago and I just love it. keep me posted how thing go for you its alway nice to share. James
R. Kane
Feb-02-2009, 10:02pm
I used to be nervous with lessons, and it would invade the beginning of every lesson. Your teacher will probably ask you to play something you know, to get a sense of where you are, even if that is just a G scale. Play slowly, and loud, expect to make mistakes, and keep going. He/she expects that. Don't forget to breathe!
Troy Mayfield
Feb-03-2009, 5:48am
Good luck to you. I have taken a total of 7 lessons (3 banjo - 4 fingerstyle guitar) so understand a bit of your excitement. My banjo teacher played along with me and we normally just worked through a couple of songs trading lead and vamps. My guitar teacher, on the other hand, rarely played along, but had a fantastic way of explaining things.
The main thing is to keep having fun, laugh and soak it all up like a sponge.
I always seemed to get the most from the lesson in the hour or more drive I had to get home. I actually learned to Travis pick with my left hand on the steering wheel and my right hand on my leg.
Countrygirl
Feb-03-2009, 6:37am
Wow thanks for all the great advice. I am excited!
Chris Biorkman
Feb-03-2009, 6:40am
Have fun and relax. I've gotten back into taking lessons here recently as a way of keeping myself accountable. Otherwise, my practice seems to be pretty unfocused.
Bruce Stein
Feb-03-2009, 7:06am
The one thing I learned about lessons is that not every instructor is the right one for you. I went through three different instructors until I found the one I clicked with. Don't be afriad to try new instructors if you don't get what you want or need out of the first (or second or third) one.
This afternoon I'm going for my first lesson too. My last formal lesson was about 50 years ago. I hope I remember how to act. I keep telling myself I really can do this.
Hey, CG, if your lesson goes well, and you're excited to show off what you've learned, my monthly acoustic jam is this coming Sunday in central NJ.
Oh, and if your lesson doesn't go well, and you need to boost your confidence in a relaxed, beginner-friendly setting, my monthly acoustic jam is this coming Sunday in central NJ!
http://www.folkjam.org/node%252F4726
ApK
thrax0831
Feb-03-2009, 11:20am
cakewalk
Santiago
Feb-03-2009, 11:34am
After a while, the only time I was scared at lessons was when I didn't practice what I was supposed to.
Patrick Market
Feb-03-2009, 1:50pm
Good luck and enjoy yourself!
For timing practice get a metronome... They are remorseless, brutally honest... If you have the instructor work on timing he'll likely use a metronome and you'll be paying for both of you to practice...
I hate the fool things but I use them every day when I practice. Here's a free Online Metronome (http://www.metronomeonline.com/). Not as good as real one but it is free. I use it during my lunch time practice sessions.
Countrygirl
Feb-03-2009, 8:46pm
So my lesson was a sucess! I really liked the instructor. He was a very talented man. I am going to practice the cords and tabs for some basic songs and I will go back in 2 weeks. (I have to wait for my books to get here) I did some singing too. My Hb got a banjo lesson too.
Howard33
Feb-04-2009, 1:19pm
My Hb got a banjo lesson too.
My condolences....:))
JEStanek
Feb-04-2009, 1:38pm
Excellent.
Jamie
David Currie
Feb-04-2009, 1:44pm
I hope your lesson goes well. I had my first lesson on Saturday. It only took me thirty plus years of self-taught playing to finally take the plunge and seek professional advice.
I have to say it was an extremely positive experience and has increased my motivation to become a better player. I'm not going to dwell on the might have beens, if only I'd have gone sooner, etc but instead focus on what I can do going forward. The teacher was very skilled and pitched the lesson on the basis of what I could do already and what I had identified as my learning priorities.
I've even booked my second lesson!
Good luck!
mandolinlee
Feb-04-2009, 3:28pm
Countrygirl,
Congratulations on a successful lesson and welcome to the world of mandolin pickers.
Are your mandolin and the Hb's banjo lessons by the same teacher? If, yes, ask the teacher to have both of you work on some of the same tunes, in the same key, then you can practice those together. This can then help both of you learn the art of rhythm and lead playing. It will be easier than playing all by yourself.
Also, as your finger tips get sore, your picking fingers get stiff, your arm hurts from holding the thing, people tell you your notes /timing are wrong, your in the wrong key, it 's hard to tune, etc.,etc....remember your original post "This should be fun."
It is fun and the better you play the funner it becomes,
Good Luck,
Lee
mando.player
Feb-04-2009, 3:34pm
What books did he have you order? Just curious more than anything. Good luck with the lessons and enjoy yourself.
Are your mandolin and the Hb's banjo lessons by the same teacher? If, yes, ask the teacher to have both of you work on some of the same tunes, in the same key, then you can practice those together.
And if they are not by the same teacher, ask them both to do that anyway!
It's a good idea, and as fun as this stuff is, it's WAY more fun with another person.
...Unless that person is someone you see day in and day out and were looking at this as a way to spend some time AWAY from that person. :grin:
ApK
Countrygirl
Feb-04-2009, 4:30pm
Yes we went to the same teacher and he does have things in mind for us to do together.
I already have toughened up my first 2 fingers since I was playing 2 finger chords my first 2 weeks. But man they were sore!
And as far as books he is teaching out of the "Bluegrass Mandolin" book by Oak publications.
Thanks for all the kind words, oh and condolences!! :whistling:
chordbanger
Feb-04-2009, 4:33pm
You will love learning the mandolin! Best of luck!