Best book/tape etc. for total beginner

[wilded]

I am a total know nothing beginner. At the age of 51 I have decided I would like to learn the mandolin. I will be taking my first lesson in December from a mandolin teacher and was wondering what books/tapes etc. would be most beneficial for me to study between now and then. Thanks for you opinion. ET http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[ab4usa]

Ed,

Started 2 years ago at 53. Your just a kid. My instructor started me out with a Bert Casey mandolin primer. If you start with that you will have a couple of songs under your belt before you start. I don't think this will lead you down any "bad" roads. You could also call your instructor and ask.

[wilded]

Alan, I just ordered the book and CD. I do not know my instructor as this beginning lesson is a gift from my daughter and I do not know where she bought it yet. Thanks for the info. ET

[sean808080]

i second the bert casey choice as the best first learning material. i have a few others that i would not recommend to a beginner. the next one after bert casey would be the bluegrass slow jam for the total beginner with dr. banjo. it's a great counterpart to the bert casey material. thats of course assuming you're interested in old time and bluegrass music. good luck. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[wilded]

I hope to someday be able to play bluegrass and Texas style country. Thanks for the help. ET http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[mr51]

I am a total know nothing beginner. #At the age of 51 I have decided I would like to learn the mandolin. #I will be taking my first lesson in December from a mandolin teacher and was wondering what books/tapes etc. would be most beneficial for me to study between now and then. #Thanks for you opinion. ET #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
Wilded, like you I am 51 and a total beginner. I have the Bert Casey DVD "Introduction to Madolin for Beginners". As a beginner, for me it is easy to follow and understand. I have also ordered a beginners mandolin DVD from Folk of the Wood. I haven't received it yet so I can't tell you if it is worth the money or not. It was shipped last Friday (11-18) so I expect it at any time.

The reviews that I have read about the DVD/tape from Folk of the Wood have all be very positive; but they were from the Folk of the Wood web-site. I'll let you know what I think of it after I receive it.

We all want to know, what kind of mandolin do you have, and so far what do you think of it.

And by the way, WELCOME to the cafe. You've come to the right place for any help you may need.

[Jackie Walters]

Another great starting book is "Roland White's Approach To Bluegrass Mandolin". It comes with 30 tunes, tablature and 2 CD's to learn to play with him. I found that most helpful. But stay with the lessons. I've been taking mandolin lessons for going on 2 years now. And to me, THAT is where you'll learn the most. And it helped me to be accountable to my teacher every week to work on assignments" he'd give me. And practice everyday, no matter what..And this is something you're not used to hearing. But I pray and ask the Lord to help me to become a better mandolin player. Help me to find my notes and chords etc. As the bible says to "Ask the Lord with a pure heart and it shall be given to you". And I'll tell ya what. It's true. I've been playing for 2 years, and he's blessed me. I now play in a bluegrass gospel band, and we've been getting bookings like crazy. And I'm a 46 year old woman with a family! So you see..God gives us these talents. They are GIFTS..use them! Have fun
Angelfire

[wilded]

"We all want to know, what kind of mandolin do you have, and so far what do you think of it."

So far I haven't gotten one. I was going to order a Rover 75 from Janet Davis but they went up about $75.00. I also want to see the work of Ron Drake at Harker Heights before I put my money on something, otherwise I will try to find a good A model around Austin to buy. I know I get more for my buck with an A but there is something about the way an F model just looks. I am trying to learn as much as I can from all of you guys before I buy. Thank God I did not win the first auction on ebay I tried or I would have a junker.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[mr51]

As I had mentioned in a previous post, I had ordered the DVD "Intro to the Mandolin" by Mickey Cochran from Folk of the Wood. #

I received it this morning. #I stuck in the DVD player and watched most of it while eating breakfast and doing some housework. #I am impressed with what I've saw. #It is easy to understand, easy to follow and good quality photography. #As stated before, I also have the Bert Casey DVD. #Of the two, I would recommend the Mickey Cochran DVD. #Mickey's lessons cover a much more broad range of exercises than the Bert Casey lessons.

The DVD also discusses proper set up of the mandolin; gauge of strings, proper bridge placement, and string action height. #

Some sources for buying the video/dvd are: #

www.wisdomofthewood.com

www.elderly.com

[cbarry]

I've got Mel Bay's First Lessons: Mandolin, by Dix Bruce. I bought it at musixnow.com.
CD, DVD and book. I had been playing melodies from tab for about a year, but this method has got me playing chords now, too.
I'm 51, too, so I've got a year of playing on you. I bet you catch up soon!

Chuck

[gnelson651]

Interesting, I started playing the mandolin two years ago at age 51. I also got the Cochran video as a beginner. I did found it informative enough to get me going in the right direction. But Cochran does recommend at the end of the video to purchase a #methodology book to learn more. He is correct in that most beginning mandolin books are nothing more than songbooks. Your teacher will probably have you purchase a book to work from, so you may want to wait or call him/her to find out what book is used.

I took a different tack in that I used my daughter's beginning violin book to learn to read standard notation. I also took the suggestion to learn 50 fiddle tunes and bought the American Fiddle Method books and proceeded to learn the 18 songs in each volume (I&II). Later, I joined an old-time fiddle jam group to play with others, which has really helped my playing. But I would suggest you learn atleast 15 basic fiddle tunes, both melody and chords, before joining a jam.

You are fortunate to have a teacher available for you. I am self-taught since I haven't found any decent mandolin teachers in my area. As far as getting an instrument, buy the very best you can afford. An A-style will give you more bang for your buck, but if you're set on a F-style, then get what will motivate you to practice. And that's the key to becoming a good player, practice with a purpose. No less than 30 minutes a day, an hour if you can. Keep you mandolin handy so when you're in the mood, pick it up and just noodle on the songs you know. I will do this during commercials when I am watching TV. And that is a big if because I rather sit and play for fun (which is not really practicing but will help you improve your playing). Sometimes I will try to play a song by ear that I heard on the TV, (show opening, commercial jingle).

Most important, have FUN!!!!

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress (instrument bought, meeting your teacher, etc). #We'll all in this together and here to help each other.