For Beginners: What Do You Really Want in a Beginer's Workshop?

[Mandobart]

I'm a volunteer for a local music festival coming up at the end of the summer. I'm going over the applications from all the folks who want to come and play. Most of these players do not want to teach a workshop, so there are very few planned. That's why I want to give a beginning mandolin workshop. There hasn't been a mandolin workshop at this festival in the years I've attended. This is a free festival and I'm not going to be paid to give the workshop; but I want to be as professional and helpful as possible. Workshops usually run about 50 minutes.

I plan a general intro to the mandolin, mentioning the different styles but not focusing on a specific genre (i.e., we're not going to jump right in to the G-chop essential for BG playing as mentioned on a previous thread). I'm thinking the 7 basic two-finger major chords (with charts that also show the full 4-finger form) to play in the keys of C, G, D, A and E. Then learn a simple 2-chord song like "Angeline the Baker."

So if you are a current or recent beginner, particularly one with no prior instrument experience, I'd like to hear from you as to what would be helpful and what is definitely not helpful.

Also, if anyone out there can remember a particular thing that triggered a response like "Boy I wish someone woulda showed me that when I started!" I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

[markbaptiste]

I think a good demonstration of proper left hand position would be helpful. I know it's supposed to be different from guitar, more like a violin with space between the palm and the neck. I still haven't mastered it, tending to collapse my palm to the neck especiially with chords. Cd's and videos don't seem to give a good visual of the proper position. Thanks for helping new players.

[JH Murray]

Some simple strumming patterns that can be used on folk, celtic or old-time music would show the different ways the mandolin can be used in different genres.

[Willie]

I find that learning to go from one chord to another sounds a lot better if a 7th chord is used to bridge from one to the other...I don`t see many mandolin players using 7th chords anymore....Alos learning how to make the chords at different places on the neck would be very helpful for someone that is a beginner...

Willie

[allenhopkins]

Spend a bit of time on the right hand, as well: type/size of pick, "free wrist" vs. planted fingers, tremolo as well as fiddle-tune-linear picking. You could spend 30 seconds demo-ing cross-picking, as well.

A one-shot beginner workshop has to be a bit of a "survey," not one that'll inculcate real technique or repertoire. One very useful component is to emphasize the "equal fifths tuning," which, unlike guitar, means that a fairly limited number of finger patterns can be moved all over the fretboard to create a wide variety of chords. So you can learn a couple of two-, three-, or four-string chord fingerings, then move them up and down the neck, and from string course to string course, to achieve many chords.

One overall suggestion: if you have 50 minutes, don't attempt to cover two hours' worth of material. It takes a long time for a beginner to assimilate even a simple melody or a few chords. If you can, put your chord diagrams on a hand-out, so the participants have something to take away.

Oh, and spend a bit of time on tuning, which can be the biggest hurdle for a beginner to overcome. Seventh-fret unisons, and suggest purchase of an inexpensive electronic tuner.

[Mandobart]

Thanks everyone for the input. Hadn't thought about left hand position, that's a good idea. I know that was stressed by my teachers when learning violin. Totally agree on the simple moveable chord idea; I was planning on making that the bulk of the workshop. Definitely going to talk about relative minors and 7th, but hadn't intended to teach them. I feel that could be confusing to brand new students. I use 7ths and 9ths in every song I play, partly because it signals the upcoming chord change to the rest of the band. Definitely will start out with tuning and recommendations for tuners to use (and one to avoid).

Planned on covering mostly first position 2-finger chords, but also show how moving up 2 frets from the IV chord yields the V chord; so they will get two (simple) forms of each chord. We'll start in the key of C; learning C, F, G chords. Then move by 5ths thru G, D, A then E. Each subsequent key then only requires one new chord.

The chord chart I'm preparing will be arranged by keys. It will have the I, IV and V simple 2-finger forms with black circles (and suggested finger to use) for the root and 3rd, then the "rest" of the 4-finger form shown in white circles. I'll also state the caution about not trying this in a hard-core BG setting...

I'm thinking closed position moveable forms up and down the neck would be better suited to something other than a short beginner class.

[Ed Goist]

* Proper tuning, intonation, set-up, and care of the mandolin
* Proper playing posture, positioning of the mandolin, and the benefit of using a strap
* Why string and pick selection are important
* Intro to reading tab
* Playing a simple popular melody from a tab
* An introduction to closed position chords (I'd use A maj 2-2-4-5), why they're movable, and how that's a powerful tool.
* Intro to the Nashville Number system and the power of understanding the I-IV-V chord progression

[mandolinlee]

Mandobart: Good luck w/ the beginners! Here's some problems I've encountered w/ workshops. They may be listed for beginners, but you get players at all skill levels. As you show them chord forms, a rank beginner says I can't reach that, so the more experienced player beside them decides to help by showing them a different fingering or fret board position and the workshop degrades into chaos and NOISE. If you can keep control of the students, you will be successful. I often give handouts with an easy tune, (often "Red River Valley") in both notation and tab along with the 2-fingered chord diagrams on the same paper. Then get them to play the tune in unison, followed by playing the chords in unison. Then split the class and have half play the tune and half play chords. After several times thru have them switch from tune to chords, etc. They will leave with a feeling of accomplishment.
If you have experienced players in the group you can recruit them to help you on the demonstrations and this keeps them from starting their own workshop.
Good luck and remember to hold your temper and have fun.
Lee

[Mandobart]

Mandobart: Good luck w/ the beginners! Here's some problems I've encountered w/ workshops. They may be listed for beginners, but you get players at all skill levels. As you show them chord forms, a rank beginner says I can't reach that, so the more experienced player beside them decides to help by showing them a different fingering or fret board position and the workshop degrades into chaos and NOISE. If you can keep control of the students, you will be successful.

Yep the FIRST thing we're gonna cover is "picks up".

[benbonewilly]

It might be good to show them how to go about picking the melody out of a real basic tune like, "Worried Man Blues" by ear. They can practice doing that, and it isn't too frustrating. You can show them how knowing the tune by ear in basic form can lead to fancier playing of it later on down the line. Let em know that if they hear a song they like to try picking the melody from it. Good for general musicianship and ear training.

[markbaptiste]

Thanks everyone for the input. Hadn't thought about left hand position, that's a good idea. I know that was stressed by my teachers when learning violin. Totally agree on the simple moveable chord idea; I was planning on making that the bulk of the workshop. Definitely going to talk about relative minors and 7th, but hadn't intended to teach them. I feel that could be confusing to brand new students. I use 7ths and 9ths in every song I play, partly because it signals the upcoming chord change to the rest of the band. Definitely will start out with tuning and recommendations for tuners to use (and one to avoid).

Planned on covering mostly first position 2-finger chords, but also show how moving up 2 frets from the IV chord yields the V chord; so they will get two (simple) forms of each chord. We'll start in the key of C; learning C, F, G chords. Then move by 5ths thru G, D, A then E. Each subsequent key then only requires one new chord.

The chord chart I'm preparing will be arranged by keys. It will have the I, IV and V simple 2-finger forms with black circles (and suggested finger to use) for the root and 3rd, then the "rest" of the 4-finger form shown in white circles. I'll also state the caution about not trying this in a hard-core BG setting...

I'm thinking closed position moveable forms up and down the neck would be better suited to something other than a short beginner class.

Sounds great. If not too much trouble, could you post your chord charts here?
thanks

[re simmers]

What I wish I would have learned properly: how to hold the pick and the value of the right hand.

Make it fun!!!

Bob