Advice for a newbie please!!!

[GeorgeF]

Hello everybody!
I want to start out by saying I'm 100% new to mandolin playing.
I am a guitar player, and lately I've been fascinated by mandolin. So I decided to get one and start learning. So far, so good, right? Yeah, but...I can't read a book on "how to", it would probably be boring as hell, so just like I learned guitar years ago, I would like to learn mandolin by ear, or maybe video instructions (I can deal with that).
I am getting mixed up on all Youtube tutorials, as everybody tries to be smarter and out do the previous guy who did a video on Youtube. Some of them are hard to follow too. So, my question is: how should I start, and I mean from basics. I really don't want to start out going in the wrong direction, because that would just make me want to quit learning, and I don't want to do that (like I said I really want to learn, I love listening to mandolin). Let me also say, the style I really like is the more modern sounding classical (theme) music (if that makes any sense, but I don't know how else to explain it) with the fast alternate picking (I think it's called tremolo).
I would really appreciate some good advice, so I thank you in advance.

P.S. I got an A style mandolin for starters.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi George - I started off just like you right now. Having played Banjo & Guitar before,Mandolin was totally new to me. If you're a 'flat picker' on Guitar,at least you know how to hold a pick. I'm a Guitar 'finger picker' myself so i'd reckon that maybe your Guitar 'pick grip' is pretty firm ??. With Mandolin,although it sounds odd,you need to have a loose grip on the pick,almost as though it's going to slip from your fingers - it won't !. I began by practicing picking & hitting the strings that i wanted,& not the one's i didn't - lots of watching my right hand. After i'd perfected that (Jeez - who am i kidding !),i transfered several of my Banjo tunes over to Mandolin & experimented with using them to find where i could play them 'up the neck'.
As an ear player myself,one of the things that really helped me along,is using I'net radio,CD & YouTube tracks/clips,as a 'jam session'. You don't know what's coming up & you have to think a bit sharpish to be able to join in.As a Guitarist,you'll know that after a time,you can anticipate chord changes & patterns of chords in tunes/songs & all this will eventually come on Mandolin.
I'd certainly recommend buying a few good tuition DVD's,especially the ones by Herschel Sizemore (with Alan Bibey) & the one by Adam Steffey,although any of the ones out there will offer good advice. After that as you'll understand,it's really all down to how much effort you put into it & your choice of which musical path to follow - good luck,
Ivan

[allthechad]

I'm just a newbie too but, I would say, even if it's just for a while, get an instructor. You can even Skype with some if you can't find a good local one. I'd think that if you had someone watching your progress from the beginning, so they can see if you're developing bad habits, would be the best way to avoid starting off on the wrong foot. I'm currently looking for instructors myself. Others on here with more experience may be of more help but that's my two cents anyway.

[GeorgeF]

Hello Ivan,

My concern is just the fact that the mandolin seems to be way different from a guitar (strings, tuning etc.). It feels like I'm getting into something totally new. Some mandolin players say you learn a lot faster if you played guitar before.I hope they are right. I'm gonna look up those instructional DVDs you have suggested (thank you BTW).
The other thing is, I played single notes on guitar mostly. I only threw chords in there when I had to. On the mandolin it looks like chords are dominant vs. single notes.
I just hope I'm not gonna hit a wall and get discouraged. We'll see...

[GeorgeF]

Allthechad,

The Skype instructor is not a bad idea at all. I actually have somebody in mind, check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQtLK..._order&list=UL

[Ivan Kelsall]

George - The Mandolin IS way different than Guitar & in my case Banjo. Don't even think of the differences,accept it for what it is & when you play it,you're a Mandolin player. Think Mandolin,search out & look for Mandolin stuff & play Mandolin stuff. Certainly for me,that approach worked. If i'd lead myself into thinking of the 'similarities' between Banjo, Mandolin & Guitar,i'd have come to the conclusion that they all had strings in various number - end of story. When you go back to Guitar - you're a Guitar player again.
On Mandolin,chords are a necessity when 'chopping' along playing rythm,much in the same way as with Guitar. Playing lead,'single notes' are the thing to do,but if you can slot a chord or two into your playing for added 'texture',then that's fine.
YouTube has a shed load of stuff by players in nearly all styles,& i use it a lot just to see as well as hear what players are doing. Most of all, give yourself time. Unless you're an 'older person' like me,hopefully you'll have plenty of it,just enjoy yourself & like the rest of us,you'll get there,
Ivan

[Malcolm G.]

Hi George,

Neither single notes nor chords dominate on mandolin and more than on guitar or banjo - depends on what you want.

Were you serious about your Skype instructor? That fellow is awesome (not hearing many chords there BTW).

Enjoy - we all do.

Cheers

[Marc Berman]

You mentioned that you're coming from the guitar. If you don't already know the left hand hold is different. Check out this video.

[John Kinn]

I had played the guitar for 25 years before I came to mandolin.But the mandolin (like the violin) is a much more logical instruments tuned in fifths so you can move chords and runs along on the mandolin, both vertical and horizontal (if that makes any sense) Enjoy the mando and have a nice X-mas!

[Randi Gormley]

I'll also point out that single-note mandolin is as usual as chording depending on the genre and your preference. I've managed to get by with minimal chording because I play Irish traditional (mostly single-note fiddle tunes) and the occasional baroque/classical bit where the "chords" are more like double stops, generally. ITM especially has an aural tradition where learning by ear is the cherished mode. Just remember to have fun and that it will take some stubbornness and work to get your playing to where it seems easy.

[GeorgeF]

First of all, I want to thank everybody for the replies. You guys are great!
I am making a lot of progress just watching Youtube lessons, but I'm not getting ahead of myself here. I do realize now how much different the mandolin is from guitar. It is almost like learning a brand new instrument. The really cool thing is: I love it!!! I want to say it's easier to learn than guitar, but just because I can play a few melodies and rhythms right now, that's not necessarily true. Bottom line is I really enjoy the instrument and I'm learning day by day.