What Is It About Mandolins?

[meskalito]

Why is everyone on this board so nice?
Why does no one flame me when I post too much or make asinine points?
Why are the posters here different than the posters on other forums?
Why do people here actually try to understand each other's ideas?
Why do little children and babies like mandolins?
Why did our piano tuner say my Phoenix has a warmth that other steel string instruments lack?
Why do people name their mandolins "Crusher" and "Hoss" when they look like little Florentine ladies to me?
Why do I stare at my AAA+ flame back as if it's going to tell me the secret of happiness?
Why does Bill's Loar sound like an electric guitar, an organ, and a snare drum?
What is it about mandolins?

You guys and ladies are cool.

[luckylarue]

Let us all "live" the question, Jeremy.

Love the tag, by the way, I might have to copy your model.

[fredfrank]

Why does everyone in the world look at me like I speaking some lost, ancient language when I tell them I play mandolin?

[mando_pete]

Why is everyone on this board so nice?
Because we play the mandolin !!

Why does no one flame me when I post too much or make asinine points?
Because we are to busy playing the mandolin to care !!

Why are the posters here different than the posters on other forums?
Because we play the mandolin !!

Why do people here actually try to understand each other's ideas?
Because all we talk about is Mandolin !!

Why do little children and babies like mandolins?
For the same reason Cats like Mandolin Cases!!

Why did our piano tuner say my Phoenix has a warmth that other steel string instruments lack?
Because your piano was tuned like a banjo at the time !!

Why do people name their mandolins "Crusher" and "Hoss" when they look like little Florentine ladies to me?
This question has freudian interpretations I prefer to stay away from !!

Why do I stare at my AAA+ flame back as if it's going to tell me the secret of happiness?
Endorphins!!

Why does Bill's Loar sound like an electric guitar, an organ, and a snare drum?
Mojo, man, Mojo !!

What is it about mandolins?
A fine work of art that makes wonderful music. Blended aesthetics that no other instrument can match. Delicacy, Beauty, and tone in motion.

--pete

[arbarnhart]

It is very interesting. At the few jams I have been to, everyone is nice, even the banjo players, who I better not make too much fun of because I have a home built one almost done on my workbench.

I have never witnessed an online forum with as much respect for the opinions of others as I have seen displayed on this board. Even polarized discussions with absolutely no middle ground are polite. I could go post a plan for splittling a baseball bat as a neck and nailing a hubcap to it as a resonator body on the builder board and I bet some top flight luthiers would tactfully point out some possible issues that I might want to consider instead of just calling me an idiot. Amazing.

Humility is rampant. It comes easily to me, because I am really not that good yet, but even the guys who obviously are very good are humble.

It is a folk instrument. I think that has something to do with it. While it can be used for solo performance, it is primarily an ensemble instrument and often used in informal ensembles. It is a social instrument. The genres all seem to be more tightly intertwined. We pretty much all play acoustic, maybe amping just for volume. Our styles of music are so similar that there is soehting to be learned from any of them that will apply to all others (probably; and you can't figure out when that is unless you try to understand).

Just some guesses. I don't really know either. I think it will have a big part in keeping me interested in the instrument and making more progress thanI ever didi with guitar or piano/keyboards.

[250sc]

Don't forget that Scott has kept things from getting out of hand since the beginning. I think that is the main reason.

[ewallack]

Maybe it's because mandolinists are usually part of ENSEMBLES. They're team players, sometimes allowed out front to sparkle, other times steppin' back to lay down that backbeat and let the others shine, smiling all the while.

Eric

[fatt-dad]

Why do little children and babies like mandolins?
. . . and my dog, Bonka Mundi. She will come to my feet on the front porch and just sit there when I play (no there is no howling).

f-d

[luckylarue]

I think it has to do more w/ making music than exclusively the mandolin. More arts = better world, imo.

[arbarnhart]

I think it has to do more w/ making music than exclusively the mandolin. #More arts = better world, imo.
I never noticed the comraderie when I played guitar or piano, but I may not have found the right group. One of my neighbors is trying to get me to go to a blues jam where all kinds of instruments are welcome (guitars, horns, keyboards, mandos, lap steels, dobros. whatever) and he said it was a very freindly environment.

A lot of players tend to be more competitive and not always in a good way. I haven't met a mando player like that yet. I may catch some flack for this, but I think the people with the biggest egos want to do lead vocals and/or guitar. I am not saying every singer or lead guitarist is a jerk, but but those with big egos are more likely to seek the spotlight and not play a folk instrument.

[Bob1300]

As a rank beginner, I'd say another reason might be that the instrument is so danged hard to play that those who have succeeded attract a kind of sincere respect that is well earned. Being impolite or flaming a fellow picker seems out of the question. (Personally, I'm even planning to write myself notes of congratulation if I ever manage to play 4 notes in succession cleanly on the same string.)