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Thread: Looking a intro to mandolin dvd

  1. #1
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    Can anyone recommend a good beginner DVD for the mandolin? Mel Bay offers several, but I was also wondering about the 2 intro dvds that “Folk of the wood” sell-One is by Mickey Cochran and the other one is by their Luthier, Tradd Tidwell. Both of these DVDs are around $40. Most of the commercial marketed ones (such as Mel Bay’s) are under $20.

    I’d just like a recommendation on a good intro DVD for beginners (Watching proper technique on a video/DVD is a lot better than just reaching about the proper technique.)
    Many years ago, I decided I wanted to learn how to play the mandolin so I went out and bought a cheapo hondo mandolin. Had it for years, then in 2007 I purchased a Morgan Monroe MMS-4 Phantom of the Opry Mandolin. I retired the Hondo to a friend. Now in 2015, to keep the MMS-4 company, I have purchased a Gold Tone 800 Octave Mandolin. Maybe one day I will purchase a custom built Mandolin.

  2. #2
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    John McGann, Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music
    johnmcgann.com
    myspace page
    Youtube live mando

  3. #3
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    I'd recommend Greg Horne's Beginners Mandolin book with DVD. I just started playing back in early January, and have just about finished with the book. I've been using it in conjunction with Steve Kaufman's Bluegrass Mandolin Solos Every Parking Lot Picker Should Know, Vol. 1 and The Fiddler's Fakebook. In that time, I think I've made some excellent progress from having never touched a mandolin to being at the beginning stage of an intermediate mando player

    The Horne book starts from scratch, and gives excellent instruction on reading music, as well as plain old tab. The Horne book also touches on basic technique for old-time/fiddle tunes, bluegrass, blues mando, and mando in a rock/pop setting. The DVD does not cover all the stuff in the book, nor does it really need to, but it does do a good job of showing pick angle, how to hold the mandolin, tremolo, the “chop” and other stuff that really benefits from having a visual example. It’s about 30 minutes and as far as I can tell is very well-done and IMO, very helpful. Taken together, he whole thing really works to make the mandolin seem familiar and provides an excellent blend of general info as well as occasional deeper explorations of particular concepts.

    The one downside…is that the audio tracks are on the DVD. So, if you are going to listen to the audio examples (which you will no doubt want to do) you will have to play them through a DVD player. I just use my laptop, so it’s not that big a deal. However, if you don’t have a way of conveniently accessing a DVD player whenever and wherever you practice, then you might want to stick with the version that has the CD, or maybe look for some other beginner’s DVD instead of, or in addition to, the Horne book/DVD.

    I should be done with the whole Horne book in about 2-3 weeks and at that point I’m planning on picking up McGann’s DVD on Mandolin Rhythm playing. However, after that, I may very well pick up Horne’s Intermediate Mandolin book because I’ve been that pleased with the beginner’s book.

    Oh yeah, you might want to pick up McGann's DVD on practicing with a metronome. I don't have it, but if you're completely new to playing music, I would think it an invaluable tool. Practicing with a metronome, from the beginning, should be fundamental. Like I said, I haven't seen it, but I think it's wonderful that he put out a DVD on something that may seem fairly obvious but is actually a little more complicated than it first appears. Furthermore, there are no other DVDs specifically on this topic. Truth be told, even though I've been using a metronome since the beginning, I may still pick the DVD up because I'm sure there are some insights into practicing with the thing that I could use.

  4. #4
    ♪☮♫ Roll away the dew ♪☮♫ Dan Krhla's Avatar
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    Hey Crunch,

    I got the Horne Books (begin and intermed) when they only came with CD . Just a quick FYI to anyone using these, the Intermediate Mandolin book is every bit as good and useful as the first! I still go back to it for stuff all the time. I hear the Advanced (same publisher / look / format as the other 2) is mostly theory stuff, looking forward to picking it up this summer.

    Roger, definitely snag the metronome DVD from McGann, (and a good, portable metronome) wish I knew about it when I started playing, great stuff.
    do good things

  5. #5
    Registered User MandoSquirrel's Avatar
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    I have very limited familiarity with DVD lessons, but would like to offer an opinion that learning what John McGann teaches in Any of the 3 products mentioned in this thread at the Beginning of your learning experience will get you off on the right foot, while avoiding having to retrain out of bad habits/into good habits later.
    Elrod
    Gibson A2 1920(?)
    Breedlove Cascade
    Washburn 215(?) 1906-07(?)
    Victoria, B&J, New York(stolen 10/18/2011)
    Eastwood Airline Mandola

    guitars:
    Guild D-25NT
    Vega 200 archtop, 1957?

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    I have this DVD by Dennis Caplinger (banjo player for Bluegrass Etc) and think it's well done:
    http://elderly.com/videos/items/05-DVD908070.htm
    Ralph
    1984 Flatiron A5Jr; Collings MT; Built an F-style kit
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  7. #7
    Registered User Jonathan Peck's Avatar
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    http://www.homespuntapes.com/prodpg/prodpg.asp?prodID=1056&prodType=
    And now for today's weather....sunny, with a chance of legs

    "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." - Abraham Lincoln

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    as a shameless plug, I just placed a Greg Horne beginning DVD and book still in the plastic in the classifieds. I ended up getting a backorder from one vendor, cancelled that order, ordered from somewhere else, received my order in a few days, then a month later the first vendor ships and charges my card. I figured it was best just to sell it myself as opposed to sending back to the vendor.

    I really like the book and the DVD is great. Also, I think Bert Casey's book and DVD are great, so are John McGanns.

    chris
    Perhaps Today

  9. #9
    Registered User F5G WIZ's Avatar
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    Surprisingly Chris Thile's video is excelent for beginers, he goes over some very basic mando stuff that every starting mando player should know, does some simple songs for beginers, and then goes into the blow your mind stuff just to satisfy that itch. Ron McCoury's video is also very good and if you want to tackle some Monroe stuff the combo Monroe/Bush video will get you going. I'm sure there are more but those are the ones I own. All available from Homespun Videos I got mine of Ebay.
    Have fun!
    Darrin
    Poe#5, Neely#72, Kentucky KM 150 (The Bagram Beater)
    http://WWW.myspace.com/easternskybluegrass
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  10. #10
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    My favorite introductory DVD with a small book is:
    SMP Beginning Mandolin
    This DVD teaches intermediate music on a beginner basis. It is very good on finger positions.
    I recommend playing this and other learning DVD's on a player which allows easy repeating of sections; my computer DVD player is better at that than my TV DVD player.
    If you never played before it will take longer to go through then they suggest.
    At about $10-15 it is a bargain.

    SMP has a second level
    SMP Bluegrass Mandolin for Intermediate to Advanced Players.
    This is not recommended by SMP for beginners.

    I found the DVD's have a limited usefulness after a few months of playing.
    After awhile go for the Mel Bay books with CD in your area of interest: country, Irish, international, Bach, Favorite Picking Tunes, etc.
    You can get almost of them at reasonable prices from amazon.com and many from buy.com.

    Most of the time you are not going to the DVD anyway, you are practicing. The CD's are good because they give you the rhythm and tempo.

    If you are into reading standard notation, which is difficult for a beginner, then get the Mel Bay or Leonard 'Method' books.
    If you want help with finger location then use a TAB or TAB/ standard notation book.
    I do not read standard notation, but, when using TAB with a TAB/ standard notation book I use the standard notation to get clues to timing.

    Another wonderful learning tool is TABLEDIT (with a free reader from tabledit.com).
    The best source of music of any type and skill is
    http://www.mandozine.com/music/index.php.
    Using TABLEDIT you can set the tempo to any pace and repeat measures at will.

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