The KM-162 or the RM-75

[frecky]

Just a couple questions-

I want to start playing some irish and bluegrass on a mandolin. My first question , is the mandolin hard to learn and play. I know that everyone gets better with time and practice, I played Tenor Sax about 40 years ago, but really havent played another instrument sice.

Also I am looking at the KM-160 serires and a blemished RM-75. I have heard goods and bads about A and F style. It appears to me that the F style has a little cleaner sound.

Any suggestions you have would be gratly appreciated.

Thanks! Frecky!

[allenhopkins]

Difficult to say if mandolin is "hard to learn and play." On the one hand, it's small, easy to hold, not terribly complicated to tune or chord. You will have to get through the "sore fingers" period until the fingertips on your fretting hand develop some callouses.

Playing Celtic or bluegrass music means learning to play melodies early in your development. Some of these melodies are complicated, and much of the music is played a fast tempos. So you will have to develop speed and some dexterity before you can really "get into" either kind of music. There are copious instructional books, DVD's etc. that can help.

Either a lower-end Kentucky or the Rover RM-75 can be a good student instrument. Make sure if you're buying it from a catalog or a "general-purpose" music store, that you can get it looked at and properly set up by someone with expertise on mandolins. The most important thing for a beginner isn't the look or the sound of the mandolin, but its ease of playing. If your instrument's easy to play, you'll spend a lot more time with it, and the amount of time spent is the most important variable in learning any instrument.

As for the difference between A and F mandolins, the consensus is that acoustically there's very little, especially in student-level instruments. Most of the attraction of the F-style is appearance rather than musical qualities. And, there's a much greater variation among individual mandolins, than an overall "A vs. F" generalization can explain.

I hope you have a chance to try the instruments you're considering, before buying them. And it's always good to take a mandolin-playing friend along, if you have one, to give his/her opinion on the individual mandolin before you purchase it.

[Folkmusician.com]

Either of these mandolins will serve you well. I am with Allen on playability being the single most important factor. Setup is key here, and you might also consider having the shop set it up with light gauge strings.

[GTG]

Welcome to the cafe! In my experience, the mandolin is a somwhat tricky instrument to learn. I played saxophone for several years in high school and remember it being relatively easy to make musical sounds (mastery, on the other hand, of course would take many years of dedication, just like any other instrument). Developing decent right hand technique will likely be the slowest aspect. Playing at speed also tends to come very slowly. However, you will probably be able to strum open chords quite quickly, which helps a lot (I found that the early stages of playing an instrument, when you can't even play a simple song, are the most frustrating).

I'd place it at slightly harder than the guitar (or sax), but considerably easier than the fiddle/violin. Of course, already having a good ear and understanding of music will help immensely.

As for A and F styles, fill your boots. F styles are certainly more expensive, but don't tend to, on the whole, sound any better or even different. But I still think they have a traditional beauty and appeal that is undeniable. As previous posters suggested, buying a cruddy F-style rather than a somewhat-decent A-style (for the same price) is possibly the most common mistake of the first-time mando purchaser.