Why are Mandolins more fun than Guitars? :confused:

[Gsouth]

Hello again.

I've been reading many posts in which people who play Guitar, Mandolin and sometimes more instruments, mention that playing the Mandolin is more fun than Guitar, some even mentioning that after buying an mandolin they sold all their Guitars to buy better Mandolins because they were so much more fun.

I've attempted teaching myself to play the guitar about 10 years or so ago when I was in high school (didn't we all), but failed miserably (I blame too many strings and weird tuning, haha).

I've always had a passion for the classics and especially violins, and bought myself a cheap secondhand one about a year ago.

Only once I did that and started playing around on it and going through "How To's" did I really start to "understand" music, which I attribute to the 5th s tuning of the violin.

I did however find the bowing to be very difficult and more times than not, I would rather pick it up and pick it with my thumb than bow it.

This lead me to mandolins, of which I do not yet own one, but am actively saving for, while I play around on my violin in the meantime.

Long introduction, my apologies, but actually, I am just very interested in finding out, in you're opinions, why Mandolins are generally found to be more fun than Guitars.
Thought it would be an interesting thread, as I couldnt fine one specifically for this discussion.

Thanx for all the members in this forum BTW.
You are all super helpful and friendly!!!

[Tobin]

I came from guitar too, as did many (most?) here. And I also agree that being tuned in fifths makes it a more "logical" and intuitive instrument. Thus, it's easier to learn the basics and start improvising. That gives it a big head start on being fun.

But on top of that, the short scale, high tension, and easy reach between frets makes it much more friendly for fast picking. Not to mention, it's easier to do slides and other fun stuff. Overall, I think it's just designed better for high-energy playing.

And it just sounds like a happy little instrument too!

[jaycat]

There's a sizable demographic here on the Cafe that played guitar for 20, 30, 40+ years before picking up a mandolin. So maybe it's not intrinsically more fun, but something new and different, which is always fun.

[Gsouth]

There's a sizable demographic here on the Cafe that played guitar for 20, 30, 40+ years before picking up a mandolin. So maybe it's not intrinsically more fun, but something new and different, which is always fun.

Very relevant point.

[Gsouth]

I came from guitar too, as did many (most?) here. And I also agree that being tuned in fifths makes it a more "logical" and intuitive instrument. Thus, it's easier to learn the basics and start improvising. That gives it a big head start on being fun.

But on top of that, the short scale, high tension, and easy reach between frets makes it much more friendly for fast picking. Not to mention, it's easier to do slides and other fun stuff. Overall, I think it's just designed better for high-energy playing.

And it just sounds like a happy little instrument too!


But this also makes a lot of sense.

I would love to hear some more opinions and experiences.

[jaycat]

I wouldn't agree that it's easier to do "slides" on a mando, unless we're talking about 2 different things.

[robert.najlis]

I did not come from guitar. I started with mandolin (okay - I did play a bit of piano as a kid). I have since learned a bit of guitar, but it does not hold the same attraction for me as mandolin. Mandolin is my main instrument. I would like to be able to play a bit of rhythm guitar, in case it is needed, but generally guitar players are not hard to find, so I don't really worry about that.

[Tobin]

I wouldn't agree that it's easier to do "slides" on a mando, unless we're talking about 2 different things.
As compared to a guitar? Really?

The double courses alone make it easier to slide without catching on the fret. The shorter distance between frets makes it easier as well, not to mention it sounds more like a slur instead of a distinct step.

The guitar does have the advantage on string bends, though.

[jaycat]

Well maybe it's just me. But to me the double courses make it more difficult, especially on the lower strings. Maybe your guitar needs some fret work?

[jim simpson]

I've been gigging over 20 years on mandolin and I still love it. I do seem to prefer playing guitar (acoustic and electric) when I'm home.

[roysboy]

I've been asking myself this question since I started playing mandolin 2 years ago .I am one of those 50 year veterans of the guitar . Couple of thoughts keep coming to mind .

For me , its one of the sweetest sounding acoustic instruments ( along with a fiddle, in the right hands ) I've ever heard . Years ago I remember hearing Grisman's jazz-abilly records and being enthralled with the sweet sound of the mandolin .

The mandolin is , obviously , much more portable and easy to pick in my lazy boy or pack to a jam ...lol . Not so much with my acoustic guitar.

The mandolin is quiet enough to practice the same thing over and over and over and over without raising the ire of others in the house . ( At least I don't THINK it's grating on anyone ...)

For me the mandolin initially came across as being deceivingly simple to get a handle on . UNTIL I bought one and tried to play it . There's a challenge to it which I find intoxicating , inspiring , and ALWAYS challenging in trying to learn and improve . Not unlike any instrument , I suppose , in that respect ...but just not something I'd anticipated running up against with a toy-like four string ( 8 , I know ) 'mini-guitar' . " Hell , if I can play a guitar , surely and mandolin will be a piece of cake "... . Hah !!

In closing , your honor, I think you have to play it for a bit to understand the addictive qualities and challenges it holds . If you LOVE a healthy addiction and LOVE a challenge which you can master sitting in a chair as opposed to , say , climbing out of bed at 5 AM and running 10K to train for a marathon before your commute to work ....the mandolin may just fit the bill .

[Givson]

My wife has informed me that she finds the guitar a sexier instrument than the mandolin. I play both instruments, and as a result am both happy and married.

[Timbofood]

You can play them in the front seat of a car.

[Doug Heinold]

I've only been playing mandolin for about two months but I'm totally hooked. I started playing drums in high school, played in a band (alternative covers and originals) in college 20 years ago, and then in grad school bought an acoustic guitar. (Kind of hard to enjoy drums alone, and not a very quiet or portable instrument for a student vagabond). I am proficient enough on guitar to play along on family jam sessions, but have never really advanced over the years. Two months ago, my sister gave me a mandolin as a gift. Out of the blue. And I fell in love with the instrument, and already upgraded to an Eastman 515 (thanks to a lot of research done right on this forum). I've learned quite a bit already and have my first lesson lined up in a couple of days. So why has the mandolin hooked me? It MAKES SENSE to me. I don't know how else to describe it. I just seem to get it a little quicker than picking up new guitar bits, and maybe I will hit a wall at some point, but I feel like I'm making constant progress on it. Add to that that it feels like it has a VOICE. A warmth and a feel that I can really enjoy while I play. Whereas the guitar feels more like the background to the voice over it. And lastly, it seems to me to be one of the most VERSATILE instruments. I'm learning a great variety of styles. Odd that I didn't even choose the mandolin. I'd say my sister did alright on that one.

[Scriptor]

Another 40+ year guitar veteran here ... I played in Bluegrass bands as a teenager and got "exposed" to many different acoustic instruments but stuck with guitar until ... when the 2 oldest of my 3 sons began playing guitar, I wanted to try something different to fit in (besides, they were hogging my guitars) ... the first non-guitar instrument I chose to learn was mandolin mainly because I wanted to play those old fiddle tunes I used to accompany my Grandfather on ... so in 2000, I learned mandolin ... around 2002, I learned banjo ... then tenor guitar and most recently dobro ... so you could say that the mandolin began a sort of musical renaissance for me ... I do find mandolin (as well as the other instruments mentioned) a great deal of fun to play ... but each instrument is satisfying in its own way ... if left with just one instrument, I guess I'd still choose the guitar since it has been a fine companion all these years ... I still can get lost in fingerpicking a six string for hours ... but the mandolin is right up there in the satisfaction department ... learning multiple instruments has been rewarding and now I can pretty much fit in with a group picking up whichever instrument is sorely missing ... :mandosmiley:

[William Smith]

Well that is because it just is!

[bjewell]

Yeah, been playing guitar since 1954 and for real since 1963. Play the pedal steel too and some cajun acordion. The guitar is too big to carry on a Harley but the mandolin is perfect. I have a terrible right hand so it's great exercise to play the mandolin. Plus it is a closer fraternity/sorority of pickers compared to the universality of guitar picking. And the Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe played a mandolin -- for you Ralphie!

[Austin Bob]

You can play them in the front seat of a car.

But how do you pick, change chords and steer at the same time?

:mandosmiley:

[BeginnerMandolinistTyler]

I just love the chop haha! Thats what got me into mandolin in the first place. That and Thile. For me being a percussionist and a guitar player, its the perfect combination!

[mandocrucian]

Well, you know, there are plenty of guitar* and fiddle^ players who may double on mandolin, but (yet!) they still are/remain primarily "guitarists" and "fiddlers".

And there are mandolin players who may have (subsequently) also taken up guitar, or fiddle, or some other instrument which now has more-or-less usurped the mandolin as their main interest.
......(And where are they now, the treacherous little mando-backsliders of Stonehenge)?
Probably on various guitar (acoustic and/or electric) and fiddle forums and e-lists, and playing guitar and/or fiddle in their bands.

*Ry Cooder, David Lindley, Richard Thompson, Albert Lee, Johnny Winter, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Martin Carthy, Duke Levine, Fred Tackett, Ian Anderson, Dave Pegg (bass), Dick Gaughan, John Jorgenson, Paul Buskirk, Davey Johnstone, Steve Earle ........

^Byron Berline, Stuart Duncan, Dave Swarbrick, Chris Leslie, Michael Doucet, Johnny Gimble, Mark O'Connor, .......

NH

http://img3.etsystatic.com/000/0/5137860/il_570xN.14826711.jpg
PS: Why is playing flute so much more "funner" than mandolin? :))

[OldSausage]

Oh, guitars are just so stodgy.

[Randi Gormley]

I've never played guitar (outside of learning a chord or two when I was in middle school) so I have no insight to offer except that you've asked this on a mandolin forum. You'd probably get a different answer on a guitar forum. But a couple-three people in my group, all guitar players, have picked up mandolin within the past couple of months. They seem to like the idea that it's a melody instrument (we play Irish, where guitar is often a poor substitute for the bass line on pipes or an accordion and mandolin is mostly playing melody) they can use their strumming abilities on yet it's a completely different instrument.

[mandocrucian]

Mr. Stodgy and Monsieur Stodgee

http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Entertainment/gty_jimi_hendrix_feb_24_1969_thg_121120_wblog.jpg

http://www.allaboutjazz.com//media/large/2/f/0/1831b8e482a3bf85670a009fcc544.jpg

[Gsouth]

Hahaha, my dictionary defines "stodgy" as being "Excessively conventional and unimaginative and hence dull" interesting word choice.

Interestingly enough, I've seen the "playing Mandolin is more fun than Guitar" quote on many guitar forums as well.

[re simmers]

Well, Charlie took up the guitar, and Birch....he took up the fiddle. So all that was left for me was the mandolin. No, I'm not sorry I took it up. The mandolin worked out for me.

Bob

[Londy]

...because everybody and their brother plays guitar. I want to be different and add something different to the sound.
(and im actually a piano/keys player!)

[Londy]

But how do you pick, change chords and steer at the same time?

:mandosmiley:

Thats why we have knees! :disbelief:

[bratsche]

Well I'm one who never played guitar (although I tried it for +/- 4 months when I was about 13; what a laugh!)

But I'm having a blast playing on my Baby Taylor guitar (3/4 size) that I converted to an Octave Mandolin. Have to have that fifths tuning in order for a fingerboard to make sense to me, I guess! Learning to play it has been a stretch (literally), but the best benefit of it is that it makes playing my 17" scale mandola a piece of cake to get around on - everything's relative! I don't particularly find a regular mandolin to be that much "fun", except in limited small doses, though. I'd rather be stretching than scrunching, and personally find mandolas to be the most comfortable in the hands, as well as pleasing to the ear.

bratsche

[EdHanrahan]

Dear GSouth,
It seems to me that someone answered your question pretty well even before you even got the first answer!


...attempted ... guitar ... but failed miserably (I blame too many strings and weird tuning, haha).

And I'm one of those long-time guitar folks!

[TheBlindBard]

Personally, I played a little guitar, but it never really clicked. then, I was roleplaying a thief in a game (I was a hobbit thief, a Tolkien-based text-based game) and I had a mandolin as an instrument. I looked at them at guitar-center, and bought one soon after. Then upgraded recently with an eastman md305 and still loving it. It's alot more intuitive than guitar, and it sounds beautiful.

[Frank Farley]

I'm not nearly as accomplished on the mandolin as the guitar,but I love playing the mando more. One thing which I really love about mandolin is it is so much easier to gig with because of its small size. Also it seems that there are not near the movement on the mandolin to get the same notes. After I play a gig on guitar I am usually very tired but with the mandolin I have much more stamina and can play for a much longer time without getting tired. Mainly though I just love the sound of the mandolin, those big powerful chop chords and those bell like lead notes. Also it is really nice to be heard without really having to pick very hard. Just a few reasons why I have more fun playing mandolin but for sure not all the reasons.

[ralph johansson]

I started to play the mandolin in 1967 because a few years earlier I had transcribed a few tunes from H Forrester's Fancy Fiddlin' album, and found they had a lot of difficult string crossings. Tunes like Rutland's Reel, Brilliancy, and High Level.
Some songs are more thankful to present on the mandolin, but, apart from rhythm (not just the chop), there's not muche else to it.
It's a soprano instrument.

The guitar is where I learned music 56 years ago; it has a nice range (covering all of grand staff plus one ledger line above and below)
and is, of course, much richer in harmonic possibilities (though not as rich as the piano!).
I particularly like the interval between the foruth and sixth strings; the tuning is very
intuitive; what could be more natural than a minor seventh chord?

[Petrus]

Hmm, interesting question. I never thought of it -- I haven't considered the basic premise beneath the question, namely that mandolins are in fact more fun than guitars. I think like most creative pursuits it's a subjective issue, each to his own taste. Most of my thoughts here probably repeat parts of what others have commented above.

I started music with the violin in grade school, even played in the school orchestra and got my photograph in my hometown newspaper when I was ten years old. I got to a certain plateau and couldn't get beyond that (maybe around the time they tried to teach me vibrato technique), gave it up for thirty years, then suddenly got interested again a couple of years ago and went hog-wild. Mid-life crisis? :grin:

I started on mandolin because the tuning was the same as the violin (G-D-A-E), it was small and portable and actually looked a bit like a violin (I love f-holes and tailpieces ... no double entendre intended!) I bought a cheap electro-acoustic A style (Ibenez, iirc, about $200) and had some fun with it, especially when patched through a guitar effects pedal which got me some interesting quasi-electric guitar sounds on the cheap. I've shelved it temporarily, as I'm having fits learning chords. The small scale, which makes fretting easier in some ways, actually makes chording harder for me as my fingers get in each others' way (common beginner's problem I'm sure.) Also, keeping 8 strings in four courses tuned is a bit of a struggle. But I'll keep trying, and I'm always on the lookout for an interesting mandolin or mandocello (which seems to give me the best of both worlds between guitar and mandolin.)

At the moment, I'm enjoying vintage guitars ... I recently got a '60s era Harmony archtop acoustic. Nice jazzy sound, and an appearance very similar to what I also like in violins and mandolins. I understand what others here have said about guitars being "too common" or ubiquitous and I agree, which is why I'm looking at vintage or unusual guitars, like old arch tops or "grand bouche" gypsy guitars (a la Django Reinhardt.) I wouldn't mind a National Tricone resonator, if I could afford it someday.

I don't find the six strings to be a problem, and the larger size and spacing actually makes fretting easier for me (though you can easily find a 3/4 or 1/2 size guitar.) I like the resources and variety available for guitars, and the flexibility -- you are not limited to standard tuning. You could, in fact, tune a guitar in 5ths if you wanted to, like a mandolin (maybe GDAEBF, perhaps an octave lower like a mandocello due to the larger scale of a guitar), experiment with nylon vs. steel strings, etc.

I'm also looking into getting an electric violin (either the Wood Stingray or NS WAV) or the NS Design omnibass. I have a cheapo eviolin which I've restrung as a viola (CGDA) and patch through my guitar effects pedal to make some funky sounds.

[Petrus]

I saw an instrument today at a local shop which I think was a requinto, or some other mariachi-type instrument. Slightly larger than a ukelele, originally 6 strings but someone had refitted the bridge and nut for 5 nylon strings. It was about twice as thick as a ukelele, and the fat body gave it an amazingly rich, low, bassy tone which you would not expect to come out of such a small instrument. Fancy wood design and a very elaborate sound hole design, but it was around $400 and out of my price range.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I suspect that many guitarists would hold the opposing viewpoint,that guitars are more fun than mandolins.As much as i adore the mandolin,the guitar with it's wider tonality & scalar range,is more flexible in many ways in more genres of music than the mandolin.However,i agree totally with Tobin,that the tuning in 5ths of the mandolin, makes it more accessible in a shorter time period than a guitar. I had a mandolin for only 3 weeks before i found that i could pick simple tunes (Angeline the Baker) quite easily. Holding the pick proved to be the difficult part !. The bottom line for me is that all instruments are fun. Some are just easier to get to grips with & so the fun begins earlier,but whatever instrument you play,it should be enjoyable,if it's not,don't force it,that way you'll end up being put off it for life.Best to leave it for as long as it takes until you really feel that you 'want' to play it again,then try again,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

I blame too many strings and weird tuning, haha

You've answered your own question there.

My "career" was the other way around: I had to learn the violin as a child but hated it for being classical and philistine; later, in a band, I tried to play the guitar, but... (see above). What I was desperately looking for was an instrument as cool as the guitar and as mathematically consequent as the violin. And here I am, playing mandolin family instruments for 30+ years now (and that includes the TB). Never again shall I play anything other than GDAE.

[Timbofood]

Austinbob, I don't text.
Do drive stick though, rawhide is a little hard going through Chicago so, I let someone else play if it's my turn to drive there.

[Tobin]

Well maybe it's just me. But to me the double courses make it more difficult, especially on the lower strings. Maybe your guitar needs some fret work?
I suppose everyone will have different experiences in finding things easier or harder on different instruments. But I've owned many guitars over the last 30 years and I kinda doubt all of them needed fret work. I think the reason I personally find slides to be easier on the mandolin is because the double-courses offer a wider "track" for the finger to slide on. And with the shorter distance between frets (and higher tension), the strings don't have to be pushed all the way down onto the fretboard itself in order to maintain tone as you slide up. With a mandolin, my fingers just ride on top of the strings when I slide. With the guitar, a slide seems to involve humps, since the string is bending over the fret and down into the valley between frets. It just doesn't seem nearly as smooth to me with a guitar.

But yeah, sliding on wound strings is always harder than sliding on plain strings.

[Steve Ostrander]

Another 40+ year guitar player here. I know that the 5th tuning is more intutuive for me, and I can improvise on mandolin to a degree that I couldn't on guitar. I also love the rhythmic chopping on mandolin, probably because I was always a rhythm guitar player and not lead. As I get older, my fingers are not as nimble, and stretching on guitar is difficult, but not so much on mandolin--except for that damn G chop chord....

[jshane]

OK- I'll give it a try.

I like the mandolin better because it forces me to be more impressionistic rather than representative-- and I find that I enjoy that.

For example, have you ever seen those Japanese ink paintings that are created when an artist takes a piece of rice paper, dips a brush into watered black ink, and makes like 5 perfect strokes on the paper and you say, "WOW, a monk with a peacock on his shoulder, walking up a forested path on the west side of Fuji, in late spring as the blossoms fall, just before sunset",?

With only 4 simultaneous tones possible, and, practically speaking, usually only 2 or 3, the mandolin forces one (or me, at least) to be more evocative in my music. My choices in voicings, etc. have to suggest as much (or more) than they actually represent. After all, complex chords usually just cant be complete with only 4 possible tones. SO, in each situation, one has to choose WHICH tones are actually required and which aren't. And that choice, of course, changes with context.

With a relatively small amount of sustain, one has to decide how to represent longer notes. Tremelo only cuts it in some cases. Since we (usually) use a pick, suggesting a similar effect to the intensity-increase on a note that can be achieved with a bow is an interesting challenge.

And so on.

Because of these kinds of factors-- many of which could be viewed as limitations-- making the mental switch to USE the imposition of these conditions is kind of mentally-freeing. And THIS makes the mandolin, at least to me, an unbelievably versatile instrument, capable of playing Bach, Little Richard, Clapton, Coletrane, BB King, Levon Helm, Bob Marley, Johnny Cash, etc. in addition to the Bluegrass and Celtic that we usually identify with the instrument...

And, of course, the chicks dig it. ;-)

[stevedenver]

Why are mandos more fun than guitar? well, objectively they shouldn't be, I think. They are more finicky and a lot more expensive, and they make your butt look bigger than when you have a guitar...LOL.


Its small and easy to carry or sit with.

Its beautiful. (at least the ones I have , to my eye).

Being tuned in fifths, I just seem to intuitively know where and how to play a melody, almost perfectly first try, on the fly, in any key. I cant do this on guitar after forty years as well as I can on mando.

Its sound is simply superb when you get the instrument stable, intonated and tuned perfectly.

It frees my spirit. I don't have a bluegrass 'catechism', ie no preconceived musical framework for mando. I have far more in jazz and celtic as well as folk and rock.
It begs me to explore/find new technique, applications, and to be unconventional and creative: drones, cross picking, harmonics, tunings. So in a way it is really intriguing.

It has a wide range of music and styles, as well as getting different tone.

Relative to other instruments, it makes you a bit out of the herd.

More than guitar, it seems to bring out the wild man and abandon in me while playing. I feel uninhibited and very free to experiment / screw up, probably because I know I'm still learning and I don't care what others think when I play, even on stage.


otoh, I still love guitar the most, and, I still think as the ONLY instrument for accompanying vocals, mandolin is not the best (compared to guitar).

[OldSausage]

I wonder if some if it isn't just "I have more fun with the mandolin because I don't really take it seriously, so I don't suffer the same angst as when I wrestle with the guitar." I can imagine that could well be a part of the answer for some guitarists.

For example, I always have fun playing the banjo because, even though I'm a terrible banjo picker, who cares? It's just a banjo.

[poppop]

I've been picking up the mando more than guitar lately for bluegrass playing. I just can't seem to play bluegrass style on guitar as well as :grin:i'd like to. I come from guitar with a strong rock background, and i think it gets in the way in my note choices. With the mandolin, I seem to approach traditional styles with more honesty, and easier(less cloudy thinking) than guitar. New to mandolin, but loving it!

[GuitarDogs62]

I love playing guitar and love the many differrent ways it can be played. I have taken up Mandolin because I wanted to play another instrumnet and truly enjoy hearing the Mandolin play in the Bluegrass Jams that I attend. I find playing the Mandolin fun because it's a new toy and different sound that I hear and can play. I also found the Mandolin helped my flat picking on guitar. So with that in mind I love both instruments and would not consider just playing Mandolin or just Guitar only. I love both and will play both. Sometimes I get into a Mandolin mood and it is strictly Mandolin only. The same holds true for Guitar. Then those weeks of must play both occurs and it's just pure bliss.

[catmandu2]

The polyphonic range of the guitar provides sufficient capacity for "serious" pursuit in solo playing--that is, repertoire and tradition. My flamenco mentor called the guitar a "miniature piano." For me--Bach and flamenco and guitar was all the music I needed to sustain me for decades.

For some (many) who've spent much time with guitar, going to another stringed instrument is like taking a slice of the whole pie: with mandolin we're typically not playing solo arrangements with all of the internal contrapuntal devices and dynamics of solo guitar, and the tunes and music we play is instead more concentrated in melody, lyricism, more overt rhythmic figures, etc.--perhaps discrete aspects of a "total" score or ensemble. To the degree that one has the wherewithal to discern stylistic and technical nuance in a variety of idiomatic forms, playing the strings in a variety of styles is natural avocation. When I went into playing "folk" music on other instruments, much of the gravitas of the rigor of playing guitar was conspicuously missing--providing an easily satisfying musical experience. I've also been studying fiddle for decades--between fingerstyles and the fiddle bow, it's just plain fun ("easier") to pick. The mandolin--in particular--provides easy fulfillment in this respect: a light, responsive, resonant instrument--yielding a bright tone with good volume without demanding the requisite expenditure as does "serious" guitar, (bowed) strings, woodwinds...

[Charley wild]

I wonder if some if it isn't just "I have more fun with the mandolin because I don't really take it seriously, so I don't suffer the same angst as when I wrestle with the guitar." I can imagine that could well be a part of the answer for some guitarists.

For example, I always have fun playing the banjo because, even though I'm a terrible banjo picker, who cares? It's just a banjo.

This describes my experience with the mandolin exactly. I bought and learned to play my first mandolin just for fun. I was a guitar/dobro player. Later I went on to the banjo and steel guitar but still kept the mandolin as just something to have fun with. I had no teacher except a simple chord book. It was easy to pick up a few two finger chords to get started, a little tremolo in chord positions followed, you know the story......
I was kind of pushed into playing one in a band for a while and didn't enjoy it all that much. I enjoyed the band but I didn't like being pushed on the instrument all that much.
So today it still remains something I play just for fun. It will be the last instrument I get rid of.:)

[aphillips]

I enjoy playing everything I can - guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, flute....

Actual skills is an entirely different matter though..... :-(

[TheBlindBard]

I'll second that. Playing any instrument is fun. Part of the reason I enjoy mandolin is because the fact it was so easy. Celtic tunes are just plain fun to figure out and play. I really don't feel pressured or stacked up to other people and compared when playing mandolin. it's just me and the music.

[mandroid]

Shadenfreude watching people carrying big heavy Guitar cases .

[Petrus]

With only 4 simultaneous tones possible, and, practically speaking, usually only 2 or 3, the mandolin forces one (or me, at least) to be more evocative in my music. My choices in voicings, etc. have to suggest as much (or more) than they actually represent. After all, complex chords usually just cant be complete with only 4 possible tones. SO, in each situation, one has to choose WHICH tones are actually required and which aren't. And that choice, of course, changes with context. With a relatively small amount of sustain, one has to decide how to represent longer notes. Tremelo only cuts it in some cases. Since we (usually) use a pick, suggesting a similar effect to the intensity-increase on a note that can be achieved with a bow is an interesting challenge.

That's a pretty sophisticated answer, well argued.

[Petrus]

The following is guitar obviously not mandolin, but clearly shows one can well achieve a speed and dynamic with acoustic guitar as well as with the mandolin. It's not just for accompanying vocals (which is why modern rock bands divide duties between rhythm and lead guitar.) Gypsy jazz always strikes me as most similar to bluegrass in its emphasis on speed and melody over vocals, and the friendly competition between band members who try to outdo each other on their solos.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EclkF61N3Ck

[kjcole]

Reading with great interest. I play banjo and guitar (mostly a bluegrass old country repertoire) and now looking for my first mandolin. I detect a common theme on this thread - the joy of playing that little 8-string descendant of a lute. Thanks for the inspiration.

[TheBlindBard]

Yup :D a beautiful instrument

[fatt-dad]

I love melody - blowing the trumpet, French horn, singing and such. I learned cowboy chords in elementary school. Entertaining myself, I prefer playing melody lines on the mandolin though. I still fingerpick blues on the guitar though.

f-d

[pheffernan]

I don't think that mandolins are inherently more fun than guitars, but I'm having more fun playing the mandolin than the guitar, as I would imagine many migrants from the guitar would agree. The reason for me is that I had fallen into a rut on that instrument. I often joke that I have played the guitar for twenty- five years but have not improved in twenty-four. I'm a borderline passable rhythm guitarist; hand me a guitar, and I'll immediately go to a G chord. Left to my own devices, I'll fingerpick Kathy's Song by Simon & Garfunkel. And while I initially approached the mandolin as an upside down guitar, picking out reversed chord shapes, I have become much more adept at flatpicking out melody lines. In other words, I've made much more significant musical gains than I have in a quarter century, especially with the internet resources available now that weren't around when I first picked up a guitar, and my experience of those gains has been pleasure, i.e. fun.

[Ben Cooper]

For me the main reason is simply that I can play the mandolin relatively easily and I have never been able to master the guitar. Well, I am by no means a master at the mandolin, not even CLOSE, but I keep playing because I am somewhat successful at it. The fact that I love the sound and find it easy to jam with friends on is also in there. I have been a musician (mostly vocals, but some bass and harmonica, random percussion) for almost my entire life... since I was about 4 years old. Still can't read music though. :redface:

[Gregooch]

There's a sizable demographic here on the Cafe that played guitar for 20, 30, 40+ years before picking up a mandolin. So maybe it's not intrinsically more fun, but something new and different, which is always fun.

that is a great question. I've been thinking of a few reasons why I like it better myself; I think that the size of the mandolin makes it a lot easier to tote around and the fact that it only has four strings (well eight) makes it somewhat simpler to play and also the fact that it is a mandolin makes it a little more unique since the guitar is probably the most commonly played instrument.

[UsuallyPickin]

Well ....mandolins are easier to carry around ... that's for darned sure. Tuned in fifths ... no "B" string... no Bow...... lots of, Is that a - - - - - - - questions. Which makes it a good conversation starter....... And they do have a happy sound ... even when playing a song about death , divorce or divestment of property...... maybe we should call them Fundolins .....

[Gsouth]

...... maybe we should call them Fundolins .....

HAHAHAHAHAHA.

You made my day, I Really love that Idea. Id vote for that.

@benjamin35, I love your quote, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.", I am an architecture student and that is sooo true.

[Bertram Henze]

I think a guitar can be fun, too, when somebody else plays it, and plays it well (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOx6HftlrHc).

[Timbofood]

Benjamin35 it's not that you and I CANT read music, we simply don't. We can both learn if we really wanted to. I was called out on that one day and it raised my hackles something fierce. It's something learnable pure and simple, at my age I am being a bit more choosy as to things I store in my head, that is just not a high priority.
I do think the "Fundolin" is something more intimate than guitar, maybe it's the closeness of everything about it, small size, closer fingering, all that sort of thing.

[catmandu2]

You know, small IS fun. I played bass for quite a while, and I always told people that--compared with fiddle--bass playing feels akin to carpentry!

With mandolin, the ratio of energy expenditure to sonic output is delightful

[Brandon Sumner]

Wow, Interesting thread. As a guitar player I must admit the Mandolin is a lot more fun for me, and I am considering selling the guitars. A right hand thumb injury has left me unable to do fingerstyle anymore anyway I a mglad I took the leap to the Mando!

[Pasha Alden]

At Bertram, agree. Guitars are fun. Mandolins are fun too, they are actually so different in sound.
I would like to say that music is fun!
Happy playing and remember let the music take you!
Vanillamandolin

[Pasha Alden]

At Benjamin35
To me the mandolin is more fun as it resembles something of me.
I feel content in its safe small presence, then that beautiful gurgling of argent water and then the streaming of honey golden autumn and rays of sunshine poured out by the tremolo!

[Pasha Alden]

At Vstrings: to me the guitar is savoury in its sound, and the mandolin is sweet.

[Alex Orr]

The mando is more fun to me because I just found that I naturally play it better than a guitar. Playing an instrument that I hust seemed to "get" more intuitively is more fun. That's it.

That said, I'm probably going to irk a lot of folks by saying that I don't think the mando is inherently more fun. Compared to a guitar it has a far more limited timbre. It doesn't work as well as a lone accompaniment to vocals. It's tougher to lead a jam with one, as opposed to a guitar. You can play rock mando, but really, it is NOT rock guitar. It doesn't fingerpick worth a damn for most folks. Electric guitars are an insanely broader and more dynamic universe of instruments than electric mandos. There is centuries' worth of classical music both transcribed and written specifically for classical guitar. Is there flamenco mando? I could go on and on...

Mandos are really fun instruments, and basically my only instrument, but if I had the power to become insanely good at one or the other with a snap of my fingers, I'd go with guitar.

[Mike Scott]

I have come to this tread a bit late. I would have to say I enjoy both equally well. Been on guitar much longer and play each at about the same level. Mandolin (and Dobro-which I recently took up) are my jamming instruments. Guitar is my solo kind of thing. I play for my own enjoyment mainly and while I really like the ease of learning new melodies on the mando, I think I prefer the tonal qualities of a good acoustic guitar. I think the guitar is the more versatile of the the two as well. Size wise I love the portability of the mandolin. So...................as I said - equal.

[Lord of the Badgers]

it's not saying much, but I'm way better at mandolin than I ever was at guitar... that and it's made me write full songs at last because it doesn't distract me so much.
Yeah it seems more logical, and though my melody playing is still iffy at best, I still prefer it by miles. To be honest, I'm liking anything with four strings these days (except for bass) eg uke, GDAD-tuned zouk...

...the other day I picked up a guitar and struggled to fret the standard D Major!! Kept missing all the strings... jeez.

[Lord of the Badgers]

the other point - if you're a decent guitarist, you're still not as interesting as a good mandolin player is to most folks. Let's face it, a smidgeon of ego isn't a bad thing :)
I was at an open mic on friday, my mandolin got way more attention than the acoustic guitars or even the fiddles. It was the only instrument someone desperately wanted to borrow for a turn.
Mandolins are just a whole lot more cool. Guitars are everywhere, and folks need a lot of impressing with guitars. Ukes are fun, but who isn't playing cutesy or ironic covers with a uke these days?

[OldSausage]

Ukes are fun, but who isn't playing cutesy or ironic covers with a uke these days?

[raises hand]

[Dave Hicks]

I've played them both for a long time, and I'm not sure one is more fun than the other in all circumstances.

But, when you got 4 guitars all plonging away on the same chord-strum, doing something different that adds to the music IS a lot of fun.

D.H.

[terzinator]

For me it was the realization that fiddle tunes work much better on mandolin than they do on guitar. At least for me.

Then it was off to the races.

Plus, it's a lot lighter to carry at fests and gigs.