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Thread: I'm a newb's newb

  1. #1

    Default I'm a newb's newb

    Hi everyone!
    Thursday was my first day picking up a mandolin, which actually belongs to my husband. I'm kind of commendeering it since he hasn't learned to play it in ten years. I was in concert band through Jr high and high school playing the flute and clarinet, so I can read music, though I'm so rusty it's not funny. However I've never played any stringed instrument before. I have a Fender mandolin. Not sure if it's good or not. It's what the dh bought.
    First off I'd like to say hi! I'm really grateful to have you all to cry to when my fingers hurt.
    Second, does anyone know any mandolin instructors in central California? Not exactly the epicenter of bluegrass, I know, but I'm hopeful.
    Finally, Nickel Creek and Chris Thile are who got me interested in playing. That, and I miss playing an instrument. I'd love if someone had the tabs to some of their songs.

  2. #2

    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Welcome, and first thing is to get a professional setup. Your fingers will thank you. I don't know anything about your mandolin, other that it is either a Korean or Chinese import. Properly set up it will get you going, but I suspect you will soon want something better, especially if you hang out here.
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  4. #3

    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Welcome BarCCakes! I look forward to following along on your journey.

    I have been plunking on the mandolin for a couple of years now, but really only got serious about March of 2016. Unlike you, I have no musical background at all and am having to learn to read music while also learning to play mandolin.

    I am in fly over country, so am no help in finding instructors in your area, However, there are several other avenues these days with Skype lessons, free lessons (check out Mandolessons.com), and tape-exchange lessons like Artist Works (try Googling them). They have two very good mandolin instructors, depending on what type music you want to pursue.

    Good luck, and keep us posted.

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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Hearty welcome. Hope it's not raining too much for your drainage in CenCal! And if your fingers/forearms hurt, it's probably because the strings are too high at the nut and maybe at the bridge. A lot of Fender mando's i've tried need to have the frets leveled and crowned which isn't as expensive as a guitar. Also to start with you can detune a half step and use lighter gauge strings, in addition to lowering the string action, to reduce string tension

    There's lots of good books/DVDs/Youtube to start with, i recommend the books by Don Julin and Greg Horne (the 3-in1 volumes with vol 3 by Wayne Fugate: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...g-for-THE-book

    http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...sources-Advice

    There's also a Newbie group: http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/group.php?groupid=76
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    Registered User Al Trujillo's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Welcome!! Great place here but it can sometimes overwhelm newbies. I know that from my experience as a newbie myself. Are you anywhere near a shop that has a luthier? If so a visit to spend some time with he/her would be time well spent. They can explain things and help you find your way in understanding everything from A to Z. I'm almost two years into this journey and I learn something new every day. Have fun!

  7. #6
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Fender mandolins are generally pretty "meh," but you can learn on one that's properly set up (see the posts above). Your fingers will be a bit sore for awhile, until you develop calluses on your finger pads, but if you feel any significant muscle strain, your instrument is improperly set up -- the strings are too high above the fretboard, and it's taking too much finger pressure to press them down.

    By the way, does the mandolin still have its ten-year-old strings on it? You might consider a new set (though restringing a mandolin can be daunting for a "newbie"), and you could get some light gauge strings that would also decrease difficulty in fretting.

    "Nickel Creek and Chris Thile," eh? Starting out at the top -- good for you -- but walk before you run. One thing that got me frustrated when I started out (during the Lower Jurassic Period), was that I couldn't sound like John Duffey or Jesse McReynolds, mandolin players who were my current heroes then. And you know what? It's 45 years later, and I still can't sound like them! However, I do sound a lot like me, and that's about what we all can hope for, right?
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    Down the road I go Trav'linmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    BarCCakes, welcome to the café. I am a newbie also and live in North California , at least when I am not driving a semi around the country. Have you looked up the California Bluegrass Association https://www.cbaweb.org/. Give them a try. They have a ggreat event Father's Day weekend in Grass Valley.
    Also, drop into the newbies group as Gtani7 suggested. We are very user friendly

    You can pm me also if you wish.

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    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    "Nickel Creek and Chris Thile," eh? Starting out at the top -- good for you -- but walk before you run. One thing that got me frustrated when I started out (during the Lower Jurassic Period), was that I couldn't sound like John Duffey or Jesse McReynolds, mandolin players who were my current heroes then. And you know what? It's 45 years later, and I still can't sound like them! However, I do sound a lot like me, and that's about what we all can hope for, right?
    Nothing to add to that. There's a man who could talk an ant into a coast-to-coast hike and make it sound easy
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    Beginner Mandolinner Tripping Springs's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Welcome, BarCCakes! Come on in, the water's fine!
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  12. #10

    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Hi BarCCakes-

    You are gonna have a ton of fun.

    Lots of folks have poor opinions of Fenders, but I had one once, and it was just fine. It needs a good setup (see threads on the forum for insight, and Rob Meldrum (Robster) has a great free book about setup. From experience, I feel that the fender NEEDS bright sounding strings... DR MD-11 strings are a good place to start in my opinion. Get a set, string 'em up, and that Fender will take you to places you can only imagine.

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    Registered User Randi Gormley's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Nobody's yet mentioned Rob Meldrum's free ebook on setup if you want to try and tinker with your instrument yourself (if you're the tinkering kind). If nothing else, it will explain what to look for and what "set up" means. I'm sure there's a music store somewhere around central California where there might be access to a luthier but you certainly can get strings, picks and books. You can even find a "learn how to play the mandolin!" book sometimes, and that should work well with your early music training to help recover your music chops. Music stores often have message boards with things like local jams, teachers and whatnot. Just a thought.

    Welcome to the mandolin and the café! Don't hesitate to ask a question or jump in on a discussion!
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Welcome to the Cafe!

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    formerly Philphool Phil Goodson's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Welcome BarCCakes.

    If you would like to jump into the whole thing with both feet, you're timing's good. You can work on building calluses with some of the above information and then in April fly to North Carolina for Pete Wernick's Jam Camp prior to Merlefest in North Wilksboro. Four days of jamming instruction and then stay for Merlefest. You can Google both happenings for specific info and costs.
    The jam camp is enough fun that some of us go even if we're not total newbies. You do need to be able to strum a few chords before then, but G, C, D, & A should do it.

    You'll be totally immersed and a little overwhelmed, but it would be a fantastic life experience for someone starting out. Just something to consider.
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Welcome to Mandolin Cafe. Check out the "Newbies" social group. We have a big boat over there so there is room for more. Problem is that we keep forgetting who has the paddle.

  18. #15

    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Thanks for the warm welcome!

    Lol, no, I don't have ten year old strings on my mandolin. Only because I tried tuning it and snapped one. I re strung it according to a tutorial on YouTube and it seems ok, but I'm no luthier. (The English lit Chaucer reading nerd in me is really geeking out about that)
    Only my fingertips hurt and I think that's as per usual for a newb. I'm just whining😉
    Gtani7 I'm still above water, for now. I took that Sunday school song seriously and built my house on the rock, in this case, on top of a mountain.
    I'm looking around my area for instructors. There's a local bluegrass group I was going to look into as well. But for now I've got a book, and YouTube and tremelo practice to keep me busy.

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  20. #16

    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Welcome BarCCakes
    Good luck on your journey! Great advice from the gallery. One thing I always recommend to students of any musical conquest is to listen to the songs you are going to play over and over and over.....(until it is plastered to your brain like wallpaper!) Much of traditional folk music uses standard notation or tabs as guide posts for learning the tune but "jam and or performance music" needs to go from the page to your ears and fingers as quickly as possible. A good (let me repeat...good) teacher is a great way to start out right ( years ago, I had to relearn a bunch of self-inflicted bad techniques to move ahead in my playing, (thanks to a few years at Nashcamp with Butch, Roland and Mike !!!)

  21. #17

    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    BarCCakes, Welcome. Let me tell you something that may help in the sore finger department. Was watching youtube, don't remember which video it was but the guy said to not apply any more pressure on the string(s) than necessary. Start picking a string and start pressing down on it with your fretting hand. As soon as you get a clear note, that is enough pressure. You don't have to press down really hard to get a good sound. AS they say, it only takes so much force to smash a styrofoam cup.

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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    "Nickel Creek and Chris Thile," eh? Starting out at the top -- good for you -- but walk before you run. One thing that got me frustrated when I started out (during the Lower Jurassic Period), was that I couldn't sound like John Duffey or Jesse McReynolds, mandolin players who were my current heroes then. And you know what? It's 45 years later, and I still can't sound like them! However, I do sound a lot like me, and that's about what we all can hope for, right?
    Echoing this, I'll offer you the single most important piece of advice that I can imagine for any new mandolin player. As you're learning to play, remember that you sound better playing that instrument than almost all of the people you know would. (It is, by the way, this same logic that led me to the mandocello. I am now one of the two or three best mandocello players in my town - because I own one.)

    Enjoy the ride!

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  24. #19
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Hi BarCCakes! As both a recent newb and an English lit Chaucer nerd I welcome you heartily! A couple of thoughts from my own adventure:
    1) learn the basic open chords. They are easy! Find chords to some songs you know (maybe not Nickel Creek right off the bat, but many many songs have only two or three chords.) Pretty soon you will be able to strum along with songs you know. I think it's important both for fun and for ongoing motivation to put yourself in a position from early on to feel like you are actually playing the instrument instead of just gearing up to be able to.

    2) once you have a few chords down and can strum along to some songs, but still pretty early on, learn some fiddle tunes (mandolessons.com is a great free resource here, with beginner lessons as well as more advanced ones). Fiddle tunes help you learn your way around the fretboard melodically in way that's much more fun than scales and exercises. It's always a good idea to learn the scale of the key a tune is in, but a little time on that combined with a bunch of time on a fiddle tune in that key will be way more fun--once again, you'll be playing music, not just endlessly preparing to do so. And there are many fiddle tunes with melodies so lovely that they sound great even when played simply and slowly as a newbie usually will.

    Have fun!

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    Front Porch & Sweet Tea NursingDaBlues's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Quote Originally Posted by BarCCakes View Post
    Finally, Nickel Creek and Chris Thile are who got me interested in playing. That, and I miss playing an instrument. I'd love if someone had the tabs to some of their songs.
    Welcome!

    Well if you like Chris Thile's interpretations of Bach, you might check out "J.S. Bach: Mandolin Play-Along Volume 4 (Book/CD)" published by Hal Leonard. Costs around $15.00. Available at a lot of music stores, BN, and through Amazon. It would be a reasonable step-up from introductory tabs, but not too terribly difficult. Pretty soon you might give Chris a run for the money.

  26. #21

    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Thanks for the great advice everyone! I found a local mandolin teacher! He sent me some tracks he receded of himself and he definitely has skills! I'm excited!
    I have been on mandolessons a lot lately, playing (very very slowly) tam lin and shady grove. It's very satisfying to play a tune even at quarter speed.

  27. #22
    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    I didn't read all of the comments above BUT I did see you had sight-reading skills developed in the past to some degree.

    BRING THAT BACK TO LIFE!!

    Tab has it's place in the underworld but if you want to be literate, well you know what to do. The violin method is similar to mandolin and the printed material is a good element to add to your practice menu. In the old days there was the Bickford Method that had just about all the basics detailed.

    I'm in the Nevada County area and available for some beginning technique lessons. Getting started with the right form will make life so much fuller.

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  29. #23
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Advice above is all good. That said, don't abandon learning some Nickel Creek just yet. Lots of their songs are very accessible, and several are only 5 or 6 chords. Jealous of the Moon comes to mind. Now, don't expect to sound like Chris for a while yet, but there's no reason you can't strum along and work out the lead riff by ear. A lot of guitar tab sites have pretty accurate chord charts you can use. Destination and Rest of My Life also pop into my head...I still haven't quite figured out what up the neck chord shapes Chris isnusing, but the basic first position chords aren't hard. Playing along, IMO, is like practicing with a metronome, but more fun! Enjoy, you're embarking on a fantastic journey...enjoy the ride!!
    Chuck

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  31. #24
    Registered User Otis_Spunkmeyer's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    Just going to add get a setup, then learn your open G c D chrords and your chop G c D chords.

  32. #25

    Default Re: I'm a newb's newb

    I second the Kentucky KM150. I have one I bought off ebay from a pawn shop with a case new strings and an extra set of strings. It is by far the loudest mandolin I have and is in near mint condition for less than $200 to my door. It is a keeper. You should think about one.

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