where did you start?

[kristallyn]

hello, I haven t really introduced myself here
so will briefly do that now
I am kris, 41, mother of two and married to a great guy ( well that s substantial information ;))
I have been singing for most of my life and studied vocal studies in my early twenties. than life started "happening" we had kids, and I had no time or energy to pursue a carriere in music.
when I was in my late thirties my husband decided enough was enough and bought me an old guitar for christmas that het gave me along with guitarlessons. and so it started, I m currently singer and guitarist in two bands, and picked up the mandolin four days ago after falling in love with the instrument on a bluegrass festival.

well that s where I am at right now.
bought mel bay s book, complete mandolin method. watched a bunch of video s on youtube, and started playing

what I was wondering about,..where and how did you all start ..what do you learn first, there seems to be so much to learn, my goal would be to eventually be able to play in session and also pick up a solo part ..which will probably take me a while to learn :))

I started with practising from the mel bay book ( reading notes, playing songs from sheetmusic, practising scales daily, and also practising crosspicking patterns )
there is no teacher available in my area so I ll have to do it all by myself and am looking for some good structure.

how did you get started? what would be good advice for an absolute beginner with quick fingers and a good ear for music.

I d love to hear your stories and advice

kris

[AZStu]

I too came to mandolin after playing guitar for a good while so I already was comfortable with using my fingers and music theory. I found most of the beginning mandolin books and DVD's to be much too simplistic. I'd been playing guitar for over 15 years. I began mandolin last August.

I haven't had any formal mandolin lessons either, so I rely on print and DVD. The best resources I've found are:

Bluegrass Up the Neck by Niles Hakkanen
Getting into Jazz Mandolin by Ted Eschliman (You can download the first 4 FFcP exercises)
Mike Marshall's Mandolin Fundamentals for all Players (DVD 1 and 2)
John McGann's Rhythm Mandolin and Sound Fundamentals DVD's

After that, it's just a matter of finding the songs you want to play and applying the principles you've learned. There's tons of tab on the web to get songs from.

Mandolin's fun, isn't it?

[Mandobart]

Hello Kris and welcome. I'm also new to this forum and new to mandolin (playing less than 1 year). Like you I came from a guitar background, although playing fiddle and classical violin in school gave me a good background in reading music for the mandolin. Two things have worked pretty well for me thus far.
1. I've learned some of my favorite guitar songs on the mandolin. This really helps learning the chords.
2. I am in a couple of jam groups that get together about 5 times per month. Playing with other people really helps. Since you know guitar you will easilly be able to follow the guitarist's chords in a jam session.

Maybe you could change out your guitar playing with mandolin in one or both of the bands you are in?

[Charley wild]

I came to the mandolin from the guitar too. I don't remember where I got my first few chords from. But I worked out of chord formations to start with. I played (or tried) along with records at first and would try to get a basic sound of the song going. Pretty primitive way to learn. But there wasn't many mandolin books available way back then. The ones that were available seemed to be all of a serious "learn to read music" type. Nothing on Bluegrass. Soon I began venturing out to festivals and meeting other players. And the rest is history. I have reached my level of mediocrity seldom attained by continuing along that path. Lately, I've decided to get more serious and am using some course books, CDs, etc.

[Alex Orr]

Welcome to the world of mandolins!

I started after playing guitar for about four years. Mostly bluegrass flatpicking and fingerstyle country-blues.

I recomend them over and over and I'll do it again...Greg Horne's beginner and intermediate mandolin books.

Butch Baldassari's two beginner bluegrass mandolin DVDs are also pretty good. By the time I saw them they were a little too basic for me, but I still enjoyed them and felt like I got some ideas out of them. I still use his double-stop tremolo break as my "go to" lead for Weeping Willow in G.

For fiddle tune repertoire building, I'd recomend Steve Kaufman's Parking Lot Picker books for mandolin and the Fiddlers Fakebook. One strategy I like to use is to learn the basic lead from Kaufman's book (which includes CDs) and then learn the version in the fiddler's fakebook, which has no CD and thus makes me work harder on both shaping my own version and working purely from sheet music.

Good luck. There is tons of great info in these boards.

[billkilpatrick]

i started off listening to and then playing along with videos on youtube - i still do. not the greatest way to learn or the most satisfactory - but for me, it's the only game in town. if you're nimble fingered, have a good ear and don't mind people looking at you on youtube, you could do quite well at the "song-a-week" social group, set up by barbara:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/group.php?groupid=67

[kristallyn]

first of all, thanks for so many great stories I really apreciate you all taking the time to write about your experiences with the mandolin
I am currently working through mel bay's complete mandolin theory
which I find a very helpfull book, also someone pointed out the anthony hannigan video s on youtube , and I must say that helps a lot

@AZStu;
well to answer your last question, yes yes yes, it is sooo much fun, it is like when I first played guitar and couldn t put it down , I am very lucky my husband is a great guy that is totally supportive of all my musical activities, and he was the one that decided not to buy me a cheap stagg mandolin , but the kentucky km 505 which was affordable enough and has a fishman pick up in it, so using it in the band is possible as soon as I manage to play some decent back-up chords.
@Mandobart;
nice to meet another newbie
I too have started playing chords on some of the guitar songs I ve been playing with the band
like Teach your children, and I can manage that when using the simple two finger chords, and am now working up to the more difficult chords on the same songs, you are right this works well
I will indeed use the mandolin in one of my bands, there s only three of us, two guitars and a bass so my guitar can be replaced in some songs by the mandolin and my bandmembers are very enthousiastic, I occasionly use a melodeon aswell, although I can barely play it yet LOL
@charley, I think it s best to learn with and from others, I do go to festivals whenever i can , so next time will bring the mandolin, hope I ll be able to play some back up by then so I can join session, doing is learning
@alex orr
some great tips on books etc, I am going to look into that.
I have a feeling I ve made an allright start by learning to play from sheetmusic and also going through the basic theory, I was thinking of maybe turning it around ( a girl has to have some ambition in life haha) maybe when I play mandolin a bit better in a couple of years I can start on the fiddle too LOL
@billkilpatrick
I may join that group although i don t know that many songs to play yet, I m not afraid to show my face on youtube, in fact most of my music is on youtube:)

thanks again all of you,..I m going to practise a bit more while my husband watches soccer
it is so much fun, and my new mandolin makes me so happy everytime I open the case

kind regards
kris

[Rick Schmidlin]

I started five years ago and have played almost every day since.Saw Ronnie and Ricky on the Down from the Mountain Tour at the Greek Theatre in L.A.,I had been playing guitar for a few years,bought and sold a bunch and I wass not getting anywhere except for my knowledge of Luthiers.Pick up the mandoin with Roland Whites book and learned five or six songs. Then the next to get me was Bud Orrs Mandolin Anthogy and then a few others from books. But those taught me about twent songs that I could play.Then I took some lessons from John Rieshman and talked with and got pointer from Roland White and David Grisman. Now I study Marilynn Mair The Complete Mandolinist Rich Del Grosso's Blues and Rich Delgrosso easy songs (for more practice in reading music). And I play every chance I have.

[Jack Roberts]

I started in 2002 at the age of 48. I quit my job to start my own business. Like Rick, I've played almost every day since then, except when I have been traveling.

I didn't really take lessons. I just grabbed a mandolin in the music store because it looked like it would be easy enough to learn (wrong there...) got a book, and charged into it. After about two weeks a guy I know showed me how to make the G, D, C and A chords and told me to show up at band practice every Thursday. There was no You tube in 2002, so I eventually took a handful of lessons to get someone to show me how to hold the pick properly. Later I picked up some Bach cello music, joined Mandloin Cafe, and now I'm older but no wiser. I still tell myself that some day I will be able to play this thing.

In the mean time, I've traded and bought, until now I have a couple of nice mandolins to play and share with my friends when we get together to play.

Advice? 1) Join a band. 2) Play in public.

[kristallyn]

tone monster, thanks for the booktips, I ll have a look at those on the internet, but first I d better finish the one I m workin on now

jack roberts; I don t think we ever really are ready learning when we play an instrument.
I do play in a band, and will use the mandolin ASAP ..but need to play some chords before I do ;)
I play in public but I think I ll save the mandolin for a few more months haha

[John Flynn]

I played guitar for 20 years, mostly for fun, at church and in a couple semi-pro rock bands. I wound up in a church group with four, acoustic six-string guitar players, which was redundant, if not outright boring. I went out and bought a mandolin and really got into it immediately. I played rhythm on it for one tune at church less than a week after I bought it. Within a year it was my main instrument and I traded up to a better mandolin. That was over 15 years ago. I rarely play the guitar now, although I still have one.

[Rick Schmidlin]

In the mean time, I've traded and bought, until now I have a couple of nice mandolins to play and share with my friends when we get together to play.


Do you still have you MF?

[Rob Gerety]

I'm sort of in the same boat. Played a fair amount of acoustic guitar and recently started teaching myself to play mandolin. One thing I discovered recently is some you tube videos and a related web site by a fellow that gives a good explanation of the way chords work up and down the neck on the mando - sort of a CAGED system for the mando. I found it very helpful. Here is his web site. You might have poke around on the site a bit to find everything. http://www.franksviolins.com/mandolinchords2.asp

[Miked]

I started out about 5 years ago (46 years young) when a friend at church had an idea for a group. My main instrument is electric bass, but I saw this new group as an opportunity to learn a new instrument and mandolin was something that always intriqued me. I took some lessons at first, but wasn't very happy with the instructor; he pretty much just winged it from lesson to lesson with no structure. I ended up just learning on my own; I grabbed chord charts off the internet and learned the songs off sheet music that we had for the group.

After a few months of over-zelous practicing with improper technique, I developed some nasty tendonitis. To make a long story short, I wish I had started out with sound fundamentals rather than jumping in with trying to learn a bunch of songs. It seems like we're impatient as adults and forget about the steps that children are guided through when learning an instrument. I now have to be very careful when I play and be mindful of light touch and proper position or my wrist can get over-worked.

Anyway, I just wanted to echo on the Mike Marshall's Fundamentals DVD. It has been a tremendous help in correcting some improper technique that I had transferred from my guitar and bass playing. What works for those instruments doesn't quite work the same for the mandolin (go figure ;)).

[ChrisStewart]

I started with two finger chords, and learned a few fiddle tunes. I didn't really even try to take breaks for years but now I am trying to step up and do some.

Try the Song-a-week group -lot's of practice material there and a nice range of playing abilities where everyone can be comfortable participating. You get to here many variations of each tune which I think will help to develop your ear as well.

[kristallyn]

I joined the song-a-week group yesterday,..and am working on a tune now that I ll record next week if I can
going to a bluegrass festival in germany tomorrow for the weekend, but am taking my mando-baby with me so I can practise ;)

[JCook]

Hi,

I started playing guitar when I was 14, and have been playing now for 44 years. I'm a fingerpicker, play celtic tunes, lots of blues, and a whole bunch of eclectic stuff. I sing once in a while, but I'm extremely shy about how my voice sounds, and frankly I don't know if I sing well or not. Usually I find it best to just stick to the instrumental stuff, which is what I've been playing all my life.

I took up the fiddle at 27, having fallen in love with celtic music, via the Bothy Band. I played fiddle up until about 4 years ago, when for some reason unknown even to me I just slacked off for a while. I do want to get back into it, though.

Way back in the early 80's, I decided I wanted to play mandolin, too, figuring it would be pretty close to the fiddle. I went to a flea market and bought probably the worst mandolin in the world for $15. It's a no-name brand. No label either. The action was pretty high, and the neck was pretty bowed, but I did manage to play that thing for a few years before it just became ridiculous. Then I stopped, and lusted for a mandolin for a loooong time. I finally bought a pretty decent cheap mandolin just over a year ago, a Kentucky KM150S, from a friend. Very nice, pretty easy to play, a little less easy to keep in tune, but it's great to have it, and I've been playing my celtic tunes, and also some blues on it (took a workshop with Rich del Grosso last September - boy was THAT fun!) ever since, and trying to get my chops up to where they are on the guitar. It'll take a long time, but the journey is fun. I'm now starting to save up some money for a better mandolin, thinking Eastman 604 (but dreaming of a Weber Vintage A), and having a blast playing in the meantime.

Music is the best thing there is. You can do it in groups or alone, and it satisfies your soul. I don't make my living playing music, but it's what makes me live.

Jack

[HddnKat]

Hi,

I started playing guitar when I was 14, ......
Music is the best thing there is. You can do it in groups or alone, and it satisfies your soul. I don't make my living playing music, but it's what makes me live.

Jack

Jack, I'm with ya'. I started playing guitar when I was about 14, then when we were seriously dating my future hubby one-time said something negative about my singing, and I stopped doing either one for about 25 years (tho' I still married him and we have 4 kids, LOL) . He gave me a mandolin about 5 years ago as a mother's day present, and I was back to playing both and singing with anyone who wouldn't run away. I didn't realize until I started again that those years in between were like living life in grayscale - it wasn't bad, but without letting myself make music, I wasn't complete, either.

[Jill McAuley]

One of my musical heros would be Kitty Hayes (R.I.P.) - a concertina player from Co. Clare - she played in her youth and then set it aside when the responsibilities of raising children and running her household took over. Years later, after her children were all grown, she picked up the concertina once more, performing and recording - it's never too late to start, or to start again!

Cheers,
Jill

[kristallyn]

I'm sort of in the same boat. Played a fair amount of acoustic guitar and recently started teaching myself to play mandolin. One thing I discovered recently is some you tube videos and a related web site by a fellow that gives a good explanation of the way chords work up and down the neck on the mando - sort of a CAGED system for the mando. I found it very helpful. Here is his web site. You might have poke around on the site a bit to find everything. http://www.franksviolins.com/mandolinchords2.asp

thanks for that weblink, I was looking for something like that:)

[Mike Snyder]

I started in 1974 playing Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, John Prine and Merle Haggard tunes at keg parties. Two finger chords on cr*ppy mandolins. Then I laboriously learned a lead part for Mr. Bojangles, Dirt Band. Many years later, I'm still learning laboriously. Now mostly fiddle tunes and old-timey stuff I really love, and Monroe stuff because most of the folks I jam with are bluegrassers.
The more I work on Monroe, the higher esteem I hold for him. Fast and technical, tough stuff.
Still have had no instruction, face to face, I'm a little intimidated (shame on me) and have a dinged up fret hand. I don't know what an instructor would make of that. I do some non-conventional things to make up for a partially missing finger. Many pickers have worse disabilities. Mostly I'm in it for the joy of creating music. We are all glad to have you here on the cafe. Have fun.
You can almost make out that mangled index finger on my avatar. Wheeeeeeee!

[JCook]

HddnKat,

I've played guitar all my life, and gradually I added more instruments to my list - flute, violin, dulcimer, mandolin. When I started having kids (2) I started having less time to play them, of course. I dropped the flute when my second son was born, and some of the others gradually peeled off the list, but I always kept playing the guitar (it's always been my first and best instrument). Now the kids are 17 and 21, and I have more time, so I finally took up the mando pretty seriously, and I want to get back into the fiddle. But somehow there just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day anyway; I mean, I suppose I've got to sleep sometime! But the guitar, and music in general, has been with me always, through thick and thin. Now it's guitar and mando, and I'm lovin' it. My oldest son started playing guitar at 14 also, electric, but some acoustic as well; so it's been passed on.

You have a thoughtful and smart husband, to give you a mandolin. He must understand. Everyone should have a soundtrack for their life, and if you can make it yourself, all the better.

Jack

[kristallyn]

my husband is indeed a great guy and he loves music although he doesn t play it , recently he had been giving my banjo "the eye":))
so who knows he ll give that a go sooner or later , I ll be right behind him to support him if he does
I kind of lost my heart to the mandolin rather than the banjo , although I do like to still play my banjo also

well I joined the song a week group,..have opened a youtube account to upload video s, and am practising fiddle tunes all the time
also still following the mell bay method
and keeping eyes and ears wide open when around other , better players

I seem to be getting somewhere ..although I realise it will take me years before I can actually say I can do "something" with the instrument :grin:
in the mean time, it is FUN

[mandroid]

I started in my head, whistling melodies to myself :whistling:,

that seemed to annoy people when I was in public. :redface:

So I transferred the head tunes down thru my fingers, eventually, :confused:

.. a less annoying 'voice' in public. :))

[HddnKat]

@Kristallyn in response to where did I start - when I was learning to play mandolin, my teacher first got me interested in Irish tinwhistle music - I got a book by a friend of his, The Complete Irish Tinwhistle Tunebook by L.E. McCullough, and then moved me on to the Fiddler's Fakebook for old fiddle tunes. I'd been playing about 3 years before I learned any chords - partly because I was so versed in guitar that he wanted me to stretch my ability to play melodies. At this point I know most of the basic chords, but I really struggle to shift gears mid-song between strumming chords and playing a melody. It shouldn't be that hard, but for me it's like totally switching from automatic transmission (the chords) to manual four-wheel drive (playing melody) - and Lord help me if someone should stare at me expectantly waiting for an off-the-cuff break. Add that to the fact that my bandmates expect me to sing, in harmony, made up on the spot, and I"m a mess. I warn them that I can sing, I can think, and I can play, but I can only do two of the three at once, and so they'd better pick which two.

[kristallyn]

oh hddnkat..but it IS hard, I play and sing in a band ( guitar) and most people I know that try to sing and play have a hard time learning
learning the mandolin for me is hard too, I think it is my age, being 42 it is definetely harder to learn something new, I refuse to admit it most of the time ( I m not old LOL), but I guess our brain does get older haha
it is harder to remember chords, it is also hard for me as a singer to remember lyrics as fast as I could when I was twenty

but at least we make an effort dont we haha