ubiquitous newbie thread

[littlemoon]

Hi everyone I nabbed myself an introductory mandolin a few days ago, it took me a whole day to tune but I've noticed that it is expected. I used to play guitar when I was younger; I never kept at it because it never felt right for me (I am rather petite and guitars are -usually- quite bulky). However when I first heard/held a mandolin I was amazed by how beautiful it sounds and how well it sat with me.
Just wish I knew about this instrument 10 years ago. So basically I'm going to jump right in and ask the all ever question; where do I start/am I going in the right direction?

I've learned a few chords, etc. I don't want to rush in with flaming fingers and be all solos etc, I need to work on my timing amongst other things. Literally just been experimenting on it and seeing what sounds "good" and just getting the feel for the instrument itself. I have read that playing along to songs helps, which I have been doing and I'm subbed to a few youtubers who give some fantastic lessons, I am also going to look into studying theory (where do I start with that? I have no clue) because I want to be able to sit somewhere outside and just jam away/improv.

Am I right in thinking it just boils down to picking up my instrument everyday and practice practice practice? Thing is I just don't know where to start, tis why I registered and set up this thread, (apologies if there is already 10000000 threads about this; but all of you seem very nice and willing to help out an eager beaver), slightly annoying when you're a newbie and you get all this information slapped onto you and you have no idea where to start/what to do with it, so that is why I'm asking A person who asks is a fool for a minute and a person that doesn't is a fool forever!

Thank you!

[Mark Wilson]

Some youtube links in no particular order:

Techniques and lessons etc
https://www.youtube.com/user/MandoLessons
Songs and lessons:
https://www.youtube.com/user/donjulinlessons
Theory and lessons:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...vU60wuKVBuVkdv

Lots on books and dvds available - some better for getting started and some better for after you've got on your feet

Pay close attention to proper basics early so you don't practice a bad technique for too long

[Tobin]

Am I right in thinking it just boils down to picking up my instrument everyday and practice practice practice? Thing is I just don't know where to start...

Well, yes, it's going to take practice, practice, practice. For years. Decades. But I also completely understand that it's frustrating when first starting out, not knowing where to start. There are many websites, books, and teachers out there, all of whom will have a slightly different approach and methodology. There's no single right answer here, and you pretty much just have to pick one (hopefully based off the recommendations of others) and see if it works for you. If not, find another. In fact, it's probably not a bad idea to use several different resources and merge all their ideas into your own head.

You used to play guitar, OK. But how knowledgeable are you about music theory in general? What other background do you have in playing music? Can you read standard notation? Do you understand the basics of chord construction, the circle of fifths, scales, arpeggios, etc.? I ask this because it will sort of determine where you need to start. If you're already an experienced or knowledgeable musician on another instrument and understand music theory, you may want to start differently than someone who is new to music in general as well as being new to the mandolin.

Mandolin for Dummies is a book written by a forum member here, Don Julin. It's a pretty good start if you're the type who learns by reading. He's got audio downloads to accompany the book too. But if you learn better by video instruction or one-on-one tutorials, obviously, a different approach would work better.

So maybe before we give you 500 different recommendations, you could tell us a little more about where you're coming from musically and from a personal learning standpoint. How do you learn best?

[Whittle]

Welcome! When I first started playing the mandolin, I picked up Don Julin's "Mandolin for Dummies". It's very detailed on how to start playing the mandolin with good technique. It also has some good exercises for beginners and recordings that you can listen to and play along with. He's also recently released "Mandolin Exercises for Dummies" which is an expansion on the techniques he covers in the first book. The youtube channels that Mark Wilson recommended are great as well. You might also check out Ben Clark's channel.

For playing, I made a commitment to play for at least 20 minutes a day. More often than not, that 20 minutes would turn into much more; but having a minimum was good for discipline. It's hard work to learn something new, and even harder to master it. Patience and repetition with good technique will work wonders. Play every day for a year and marvel at how far you've come.

Edit: Tobin beat me to it!

[UsuallyPickin]

1. Learn both open and closed position scales and arpeggios.
2. Take lessons from a mandolinist in the style you want to play.
3. Every time you pick up your mandolin tune it.
4. Play everyday … a lot of what you are learning is muscle memory.
4. Keep a loose wrist and fingers. Tension is both a short term and long term problem.
5. Hold your pick at 90' to the side of your thumb.
6. Do a lot of active ,with mandolin in hand, and passive, while doing other things , listening to mandolin players.
7. Learn fiddle tunes. Then learn to play them in odd keys. Not to befuddle your partner or parents but to really learn the fingerboard.
8. Find a jam to play with folks. It's the best way to dive in to playing.
9. Start practicing tremolo and crosspicking early on. Right hand control is crucial to tone production as well as keeping your play interesting.
10. If you don't already know basic music theory, learn it. It will help you evolve as a mandolinist and as a musician.
11. Yes to Don Julin's Mandolin for Dummies. It will help you get a good start and avoid some bad habits in your playing.....
Enjoy your music and mandolin.... R/

[Tobin]

For playing, I made a commitment to play for at least 20 minutes a day. More often than not, that 20 minutes would turn into much more; but having a minimum was good for discipline.

20 minutes a day is probably a good start when you're new to the mandolin. Even 20 minutes will start to hurt your fingers until you've built up calluses. And that's definitely something you should expect. Sore fingertips will be a nuisance, and learning to do normal tasks with growing calluses will be difficult at times. You'll want to be careful not to overdo it at first until you start building those calluses and finger strength/dexterity, so as to avoid injury.

But once you've been doing it for several months, I strongly recommend that you increase your dedicated practice time to as long as you can physically play each day. My personal minimum is one hour a day; two if I can squeeze it in. And even then, I feel like I'm not spending enough time. Heck, in 20 minutes I've barely gotten past the warm-up stage and gotten my mandolin to wake up. Things really start to sound and feel good after about 45 minutes, and that's when I'm really "in the zone". For me, that's where the real learning and progress occur.

It takes literally thousands and thousands of hours to develop the kind of intimacy required to master this instrument. Don't be intimidated by that, just think of it as your quest in life. The better you get, the more you'll want to play, so it's a self-rewarding goal! But even when you don't have your instrument in hand, you can still be learning by reading books, websites, learning music theory, and just hanging out here at the Cafe to pick up all the lingo and trivia surrounding mandolins. There's so much to learn, and you'll pick it up in time if you immerse yourself in it as much as possible.

[LindyHopper]

If you like reading a great place to start learning theory is The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine. I read the first hundred pages then went back and read them again before finishing the book and it really gave me an understanding of chords and progressions.

[Mike Arakelian]

Artist Works (NFI) offers a very good on-line program for the mandolin (among other instruments) with Mike Marshall. You can subscribe for 3-6-12 months whichever suits you best. The program is broken down into segments for beginner, intermediate and advanced, and also includes sessions on both basic and advanced music theory. You can visit any given lesson as many times as you like, and can also pick and choose whichever lesson you are interested in without having to conform to a strict regimen. You can also upload videos of yourself playing lesson tunes for critique and feedback. If you can't find a good mandolin teacher to take lessons from, this might be a good alternate for you. Welcome to the Cafe' and have fun.

[Mandoplumb]

All good advice but don't forget it's supposed to be fun. Don't get so hung up on becoming a "player" that you lose sight of the fun you should be having.

[OldSausage]

Playing mandolin is not really fun, it's more of a compulsion. Don't feel bad if you don't always enjoy it: that's perfectly normal.

[zedmando]

Hey, as a recent mandolin owner--and newbie player--welcome--lots of good stuff on here.
I'v learned a lot--even when I haven't commented.

Enjoy the mandolin!

[JEStanek]

Welcome to the Cafe and to the world of Mandolins.

Jamie

[Randi Gormley]

Welcome to the café!

[AndrewMTO]

Hi everyone A person who asks is a fool for a minute and a person that doesn't is a fool forever!

Thank you!

Well said

Beware of MAS. It's an insidious disease

[Mandoplumb]

Playing mandolin is not really fun, it's more of a compulsion. Don't feel bad if you don't always enjoy it: that's perfectly normal.

Sometimes I get so frustrated I want to throw the mandolin agin the wall. I can hear the note or notes I want but they don't appear to be on my mandolin, I don't play a Sitar so I shouldn't be thinking quarter tones, the compulsion enters then, I WILL FIND THAT D####d NOTE. That's when you really start to have fun!

[JeffD]

When I get frustrated or if playing seems a chore - I put it down, get a cup of coffee, and three ginger snaps. In a pinch Nilla Wafers will do.

Then I pick it up, and often the joy returns in a kind of a rush. Maybe I am still struggling with whatever it was that got me frustrated, but now it is easier to see the joy of having a life such that these are the problems I wrestle with. How great is that.