another newbie..

[Nick Eanet]

Hello all,

I'm a professional classical violinist, and have always secretly wanted to play the guitar. I picked up a little Martin but having prefect pitch made me extremely frustrated trying to learn some chords. When I realized not long ago that a mandolin is tuned like a violin, I thought I could play some rep I know, like some of the Bach sonatas and partitas. I decided a few months back to youtube some mandolinists playing Bach and found Chris Thile. I stayed up all night listening to everything I could find, branched out to Mike Marshall, and then to more standard bluegrass players. I was living in NYC at the time and went straight on over to Mandolin Brothers. I tried everything they had, except for the '24 Loar. I bought a Collings MT. I love the sound and have been obsessed learning to play all types of music. I found this site not long after and have been a daily lurker. I'm down in central FL for a bit and a few weeks back I bought a '23 A2 snakehead that needed some work and had it fixed up at the Guitar Factory in Orlando. I picked it up today and am blown away at the difference in sound from the Collings. I bought all types of picks and have found the general shape and thickness that I like. I am playing hours every day and am definitely completely obsessed. Formally joining this forum seems like the most natural step right now. I read all the threads already but it is now time to participate and enjoy getting to know some good people around here. Thanks for letting me lurk around these past few months....

[Mike Steadfast-Ward]

Welcome to the Cafe Nick.

[F-2 Dave]

Wow, a Collings MT, and '23 snakehead is a great way to get started. Welcome to you. Pull up a chair and make yourself at home.

[Nick Eanet]

Thanks for the welcome guys. I've always been interested in playing all sorts of fiddle, and bows are a particular passion, so I decided to do some intense homework as I looked for mandolins that would keep me plenty excited down the road.

[Michael Weaver]

Welcome to the Cafe Nick. Sounds like you have a great start for sure.

[David Smith]

Welcome Nick. As obsessions go, this one is healthier than many, a lot less expensive than owning a boat....and much more portable!

[JeffD]

Welcome. There is a lot here to delight.

There are several others on here who came at mandolin from violin, but its a minority perspective, as most come to mandolin from guitar. Yours will be a very interesting perspective IMO, and I look forward to your thoughts and impressions, advice and questions.

I came to mandolin from woodwinds, a while ago, (way back in the Pliocene, when we used to ride gomphotheres bareback), and relatively recently started to learn the violin. I foresee lots to talk about, lots to think about.

Welcome.

[Austin Bob]

Welcome to the cafe. Sounds like you've done your homework and made a great choice on your mandolins.

Like Jeff says, you should have an interesting progression given your background. Most folks start out learning simple melodies, then 3 chord progressions. Only later do a select few try classical music, which should be very familiar to you.

Good luck, and happy picking.

[nickster60]

I play both also but I am not at your level. The pick cant really compare to the violin bow it its versatility. It seems the bow has endless techniques to master. It is a great journey playing the mandolin it opens the door to a world of music most violinist have never explored. The two instruments are similar, yet worlds apart. If you get a chance look up Aaron Wienstien on You Tube he is a great source of inspiration or exasperation.

[Nick Eanet]

Thanks again for the welcomes. I look forward to lending my violin perspective to many threads. As nickster60 said, the bow is how you tell the story when you play the violin (the left hand plays a supportive role) so trying to learn how to pick with expression is my main goal these early days. I definitely need an outlet because if I mention the word 'mandolin' to my wife once more....

[Denny Gies]

Nick The Lurker, huh? Welcome to this crazy world. It sounds as though MAS did not take long to infect you. You will have a lot of fun with your mandolins. When you get somewhat comfortable with them, find a bluegrass jam and youl will really be hooked. Best of luck and keep lurking.

[Randi Gormley]

If you like classical, try looking up Carlo Aonzo. You won't be disappointed -- and he runs a Manhattan classical mandolin workshop every spring you might find intriguing. And welcome to the café!

[Nick Eanet]

OK now, Aonzo is terrific, but besides a few select pieces, I'm looking to branch out from classical - I get enough of that with my violin day in and day out. Aaron Weinstein is fantastic - my guess is he started classically on the violin as a youngster, moved to jazz, and then picked up the mandolin. Those jazz classics are exactly the kind of stuff I would love to be able to play (like a lot of us).

And Nick the lurker sounds too creepy Denny - let's hope that doesn't stick...

[pheffernan]

Wow, a Collings MT and a snakehead in Florida sounds like me last summer . . . except for the professional classical violinist part. :))

[Ron Cox]

Nick, don't forget to visit the boards in music theory and technique. Your classical training (IMHO) will be quite welcome and you may find some answers yourself.

I have little music training but go there and read daily. A lot is over my head, but I learn something every day from folks like you. I look forward to reading your take on things from a Violin players perspective.

BTW, I have been toying with the idea of learning to play Violin/Fiddle since someone just gave me one. It's nothing special, but it is less than that if no one is playing it.

[Pasha Alden]

Welcome to the mandolin world! It's wonderful. My fellow musician in our duo and I have managed a prelude by Chopin on mandolin. It sound good. We had to speed it up because the piano version is rather slow. But we adapted our arpeggios and now it sounds good. I work in tiny tremolos to sustain the note and that sounds good. He plays guitar and I mandolin. We did work on a Bach composition. However, simplified it a little more to the side of a song titled "A Whiter Shade of Pale", somewhat more to rock sound of Procol Harum. It sounds beautiful. We preferred that to try and follow the notes in the original. We should have allowed more time for that. Hopefully we will do so next year. Enjoy playing the mandolin.

[DataNick]

...I definitely need an outlet because if I mention the word 'mandolin' to my wife once more....

Yup, you've got it!

So being a professional classical violinist who no doubt plays a moderately expensive violin at the least, have you figured out how to get the wife on board with a Gil, Dudenbostel, Montelone, Ellis, etc that surely you're gonna "have to have"...? LOL!

[Capt. E]

I heard Chris Thile on youtube talking about his latest Bach recordings. He discussed techniques on violin that he could not do on mandolin and things he could do on mandolin that a violinist could not do. How hard he had to work to play pieces meant for violin. It is a different way of thinking about the compositions. I can understand how the possibilities on mandolin would open up a whole new world of sound to you as well as other musical genres. It will certainly do nothing but help you with violin as well.
Welcome to the cafe.

[DataNick]

Nick,

I read about you on Julliard's site, very impressive credentials!

So how does a top classical violinist and concertmaster get "lured" to the dark side, and "gasp" even mentions that he's not only into mandolin, but has checked out bluegrass!....LOL!

[lflngpicker]

We are honored to have you in the cafe, Nick. I welcome you as one who is relatively new, joining in the past year. I look forward to learning from you.

[Nick Eanet]

I might be able to play the violin well, but I'm sure that 99.9 of the members here can improvise better than me. Growing up in NYC, bluegrass was never right around the corner - when I was in school, I remember hearing one of Edgar Meyer's solo albums. I was completely blown away. I always listened to a lot of classic jazz, reggae, and my parents played a lot of folk music (on the radio) as far back as I can remember. But I never played anything but classical. That took enough of my time and energy and made learning other types of music more difficult - they have very different routes of learning.

As far as buying an expensive mandolin, my Collings MT is much better than I am at the moment and I have no need for anything more expensive. In fact, I have downgraded the violins I own to the point where I have a few bows that are worth a lot more than the violin I use most.

And I would be happy to help in the Theory and Technique section, but I know little about mandolin technique. All I can add to a few of those threads is that your left hand has to be relaxed and not carry the weight of the instrument, and if you have signs of tendinitis, you have to lay off and not try to work through it. Besides that one piece of advice, I'm here to share and learn - I'm not in a position to teach anybody anything about playing the mandolin.

Thanks again for the warm welcomes...

[Londy]

Nick...welcome to the cafe fellow Collings owner.

[JEStanek]

Welcome!

Jamie

[bart mcneil]

With your background your comments will have authenticity based on professional experience. I hope you join in wherever you have an opinion. Your comments will at least stimulate further discussion... and that is the fun of it!

[TexHawk]

Welcome Nick.

[nickster60]

Hi Nick

Just curious, what do you use for a violin in your symphony work. Besides bluegrass there are some interesting styles of music played on the mandolin, one of my favorites is gypsy jazz. The chords are a little easier than the chop chords to play and the music is very interesting.

Nick also

[Nick Eanet]

The violin I play the most is by an Italian who moved to Nice, Petrus Gaggini, made in 1936. I just sold a Pressenda, and have been lucky enough to play on borrowed instruments by Carlo Bergonzi, Guadagnini, and Stradivarius. I like to think that with a good bow in my hands, I can produce a nice tone, so comfort and volume are extremely important for sitting in the concertmaster chair.

And I should have mentioned, I'm a huge Grappelli and Django fan. Stuff Smith really does it for me as well!

[nickster60]

It is frightening what one can have tied up in a violins and bows today. The Pressenda could finance a fleet of mandolins with change to spare.

[Nick Eanet]

If I had that kind of expendable money, it would be nice, but kids don't make that very realistic.

[nickster60]

The age old question college fund for the children or more musical instruments.

[Nick Eanet]

I bought my first Sartory violin bow for $3,500 - now they go for $35,000! It's hard to weigh your choices too heavily on the investment side when your emotions and practicality are more important to your job. And yes, the college funds outweigh pretty much everything...

[nickster60]

It is amazing what they get for a little stick of wood with some hair on it. Coming from the violin world mandolins are a relative bargain.

[Nick Eanet]

A fine FX Tourte bow costs more than a Loar F5! Most violinists I know who play on a nice Tourte also play on a violin worth millions. Who can really afford these instruments? Unfortunately, not the players. I bought my Gaggini for 24k and am perfectly happy playing it in any situation but I have a few bows worth much more than my violin - all lucky finds.

[nickster60]

I know I can't and afford them. I have had a few lucky finds but nothing to write home about. I am also in pretty much the violin wasteland the west coast of Florida. If you need dentures or a hip replaced you couldn't be in a better place.

[Marc Ferry]

Welcome! Are you planning to branch out into other genres, namely bluegrass? It might be fun for you to do so.

Also, multiple people mentioned Carlo Aonzo earlier. He has given me a few Skype lessons, and I'm sure he'd be able to give you some too!