I just ordered my first mandolin!

**Jeremy Tuel** · Feb-19-2012, 3:51pm

I've been getting interested in other string instruments lately, and the kicker came when I planned and played in a worship service at my church with a uke player and mandolin player. I decided to look around for a good deal on a mandolin I could start out with. I read up a bit here on the forum, and decided to grab a used Kentucky KM-160 A shaped model. They seem to be one of the best beginner instruments out there without totally cheaping out. Of course this one was such a good deal it was like I cheaped out anyway. I just know from experience with my acoustic guitars that if I really love it, I'll want a nice instrument - but I need to learn what I want in a nice mandolin, so hopefully this will take care of me while I learn.

I already know a few chord shapes - thinking of guitar chords upside-down - where else do I start? I guess I'll be able to look up some scale patterns and chords online. I don't really want to do a method book, but I will if people say it's extremely necessary. I'm a decent guitar player and want to be able to integrate mandolin into my song arrangements the same way I do with guitar. Thanks for any help you can give!

**stratman62** · Feb-19-2012, 4:32pm

There is a link on the cafe home page for chords, will show more than you will need to be up and playing. There is also a link to the JazzMando page that will lead you to FFcP that shows how to play diatonic scales starting with any finger. Lots of good info right here. Welcome to the Cafe.

**Jim** · Feb-19-2012, 4:37pm

The 2 finger chord chart here on the cafe is the most usefull thing i've found for getting started, wish it had been here when I started. FFcP is very useful too and I encourage all the beginners I know to start working those scales right from the start, even if you don't know what to do with them at the beginning , they will become a huge help in playing melodies and improvisation.

**Denny Gies** · Feb-19-2012, 5:05pm

Welcome to the wild, wacky world of mandolins. Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.

**Jeremy Tuel** · Feb-19-2012, 5:12pm

Wow - thanks for the helpful info folks! One other question I forgot to ask - what's the cheapest decent sounding pickup I could use? I am not opposed to installing something.

**David Rambo** · Feb-19-2012, 5:13pm

Welcome to our obsession! Your purchase is really going to be the first of many, so enjoy the trip! You will also find that this site is a treasure trove of information, so spend some time searching all the archives. While there are many books that show you the different chord shapes, the chord charts here are an excellent starting point. Again, enjoy your new journey!

**Pipeous** · Feb-19-2012, 5:57pm

I bought a mel bay mandolin chord chart but still visit the main page here for variations because it shows stuff the chart doesn't.

**Jim** · Feb-19-2012, 6:10pm

Cheapest & decent sounding pickup do not really go together. If you are playing through your church PA a microphone will serve you better, if you must have a p/u I lean toward a piezo in the bridge though there are some clip on microphones that are favored by some very good players. I think a piezo eqiped bridge could be had for a little over $100 from stewart macdonald. The clip on mics that I know of are quite expensive. A usable microphone and stand could be had from Musicians friend for $50 or less, this will not be a great microphone but IMHO will probably sound better than pickups that cost 3 times as much. The only time I would recomend the Piezo over a mic is if stage volume is so loud that feedback can't be avoided. Best of luck & have fun.

**Keith Erickson** · Feb-19-2012, 8:16pm

Welcome to the fun world of mandolins!!! 10 years plus and I have a custom build and a converted mandocello. You won't go wrong with the mandolin.

**Jeremy Tuel** · Feb-19-2012, 10:29pm

Jim, thanks for that input. I have plenty of good mics but I hate being tied to a mic stand with my instrument. I'm used to playing an acoustic guitar with pickup so that I have a little freedom of motion. Stage volume isn't horrendously loud, but we do play rock stuff. That's where I'll be integrating mandolin into some arrangements, too. We're a larger church so the PA may be more than you are thinking it is. I'm probably more interested in a piezo setup for the ability to plug in, and since this is a lesser instrument I'm not concerned with getting a high end pickup. If I feel that the arrangements work well and I really enjoy playing mandolin, I'll buy a much nicer mandolin and much nicer pickup.

So then, what kind (brand/model) of piezo pickup might you folks recommend?

**onassis** · Feb-20-2012, 8:08am

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...for-my-Eastman

Some good links in this thread from a while back. Search "pickup" in the equipment forum, and you'll get all the opinions you can probably handle.

**Adam Sweet** · Feb-23-2012, 9:54am

Scales scales scales

Using circle of fifths, I recommend the following patterns picked with Scale Sets (a scale set starts with C at the top of the circle of fifths and goes clockwise, a different set every day including the Major scale - 2 octaves with 4th finger, the Relative Minor - 2 octaves with 4th finger, the Major arpeggio - 1,3,5,8 2 octaves with 4th finger, the Relative Minor arpeggio - 1,3,5,8 2 octaves with 4th finger):

1. whole notes (4 beats per note) down strokes only, top string
2. whole notes (4 beats per note) up strokes only, bottom string
3. whole notes (4 beats per note) down stroke, up stroke, down stroke, up stroke, top string, bottom string only (don't brush across strings
4. quarter notes (4 strokes per note) down up down up, top and bottom string, don't brush
5. 8th notes (8 strokes per note) down up single strings, no brushing
6. 16th notes (16 strokes per note) down up etc
7. triplets - 2 sets of triplets (6 notes) per note down up single string no brushing

set your metronome at the slowest notch the first day, and increase it by one notch each day with a different scale set
It will take you 2 weeks to go around the circle of fifths (if you do a different set each day)
You should be at 69 on the metronome by the end of the 2nd week

THis sounds like a lot of work, but it isn't. Each set will take between 15 and 20 minutes a day. Some days I only do sets and nothing else. It's a great way to warm up and a great way to increase power in your left and right hands, increase control, increase speed and diction.

**mandolirius** · Feb-23-2012, 1:38pm

Originally Posted by lossforgain

Wow - thanks for the helpful info folks! One other question I forgot to ask - what's the cheapest decent sounding pickup I could use? I am not opposed to installing something.

The one that seems to have the most support around here is the K&K. I had one and thought it was ok for a piezo pickup. I wouldn't call it a "natural" sound but it wasn't too electronic-sounding either. It worked well on its own and a bit better with the K&K preamp. I've also used a McIntyre Feather, about the same price as the K&K and about the same results, maybe a touch warmer-sounding than the K&K.

**DamonIRB** · Feb-23-2012, 3:39pm

Welcome to the asylum! I had been playing on a borrowed mando for the last few months and just bought my first. I'm loving it...

Oddly enough, I found the Guitar Toolkit app for iPhone/Droid to be very helpful. It covers the chords/fretboard for all major strings instrurments, including the mandolin, and goes very deep into the chords. Very deep. It's nice that it has a tuner, but I don't really rely on it. It probably works just fine... I'm just a bit skittish of a tuner in an app that's less than 10 bucks. I hear the app has been dramatically updated/improved for iPad, so if you have one of those, it might be a nice addition.

Guitar Toolkit App at App Store

Have fun with your new baby.

D

**P.D. Kirby** · Feb-24-2012, 5:15pm

The hardest thing for me when I started was getting used to the string tension. I played and still play Banjo (don't tell anybody) and Guitar but the extra tension on the Mandolin strings will give your callouses callouses

but once you get that out of the way it's like any other instrument, your proficiency is directly related to how much you practice.

Welcome to the Cafe and be careful because there is a very contagious disease going around here called MAS and once infected your life as you know it will be over. It starts with one Mandolin and then one day you wake up and they are everywhere. There is no known cure and hanging around here with us can cause flair ups which will lead to even more Mandolins invading your music room, I hardly have room for all my Banjos anymore.