Why do we like mandos so much?

[Tillmanator]

Hi folks,

We all totally love the mando here at this site. And even though I'm new to the whole mandolin thing, I can't seem to stop looking at pictures of them and playing mine.... etc. I teach elementary school and three of my students who take guitar (one is actually a former student now in middle school) were so taken with my mando when I brought it to school, that they have all bought their own now. They were totally enthralled with it..... how it looked... how it sounded.... how it felt.

I was wondering if this is inborn in us. I saw a TV show once about how babies (both human and animal) are cute so that the parents will want to care for it. We're designed to like cuteness. The mando is cute. Is that we like it so much?

So what is so appealing about this little instrument? I assume more of you here are men than women (but I'm not sure about that). Do men think it's cute or is there something else? I personally think it's cute! But of course there'e more to it than that. The sound is unique and appealing to my ear.

What really attracts you to the mando rather than guitar or something else?

[Steve Cantrell]

For me, it was love at first sight. I love the whole aesthetic of the mandolin--the sound, the feel, the appearance. I knew from the first time I really got my hands on one that I absolutely HAD to have one and learn to play it. Been hanging around here ever since.

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Inate liking of mandolin? Possibly. But it is not universal. My wife prefers instruments with voices in lower registers, guitar, mandocello, octave mandolin, and bass.

Mandolin the best instrument in the world because its tuning is uniform and regular, there's no majot third to strugle with as on guitar. It's extremely versatile: the same instrument can easily handle classical, jazz, bluegrass, country, and folk music. It's a melody instrument and a percussion instrument, first and second; it's a rhythm instrument third. And it fits in the overhead bins of all but the smallest of airplanes. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Daniel

[jeromie]

I'm eager to see what answers others have to give, but in the meantime I'll add my two cents.

Reasons I like the mandolin:
1) The sound. If I didn't #like the way it sounded, nothing else would matter too much. I love all sorts of instruments, but I've always had a soft spot for strings.
2) The novelty. It seems like everyone and their sister plays at least a little guitar (including me, if you can call it playing). The mandolin is something different. At the same time, it's a similar enough instrument to the guitar that I don't have to start at ground zero with technique.
3) The neck makes sense. The tuning is intuitive, at least to me, which makes it fun to start playing. I also feel like it makes it a good instrument to learn music theory on.
4) It's portable. It's easy to throw my mandolin in the back seat of the car when I'm going somewhere. And if I'm plucking it quietly while sitting around with friends, it's small enough that I don't feel like I'm hiding behind it.
5) I'm looking for the instrument that speaks to me, and the mandolin seems like a worthy contender. I'm too new in the mando world to know if this will be my primary instrument for the rest of my life, but I've certainly practiced it a lot more than I've played my guitar in a long time. And I'll be able to take any music theory I learn on to any instrument I play.

I think that pretty much sums up why I like the mandolin, though I may have to add some me toos after other people answer!

[jeromie]

I didn't even finish what I was writing, and I already have to add a me too on Daniel's comment about versatility!

[Robert Moreau]

I played guitar for over 20 years but never had as strong an attraction to it as I've had to the mandolin (a much more recent acquisition).

It must be a combination of the look, the playability (the tuning in 5ths and the smaller neck), the sound, and this site of course for fueling our interest!

[mandobrando]

For me, it began watching Chris Thile. I saw how much fun he seemed to have, but now I know its not just him, all mando players that i have encountered seem to be more light hearted and just enjoy life. Almost as if the mando is representative of the players that choose them, they just have fun. Besides that i began playing drums and the precussive (sp) chop gives me the ability to groove with it.

[Lee Callicutt]

The solitary quality of the voice.

[Walter Newton]

I think polls (like they have on some websites) would be an interesting addition to the Cafe...I'd be curious to see what instrument(s), if any, people here played before taking up the mandolin. I don't know for sure, but if I had to wager I'd guess a good proportion of people on here started out on guitar before picking up the mandolin (as I did)?

[John Flynn]

I agree with all that has been said, except for the Chris Thile thing. I had never heard of him, or any other "star" mandolin players for that matter, before taking up mandolin. I had been playing guitar for 20 years, always liked the sound of it and wound up in a church music group with four six-string guitars. We needed some variety! I used a bonus from work to go out and buy a mando. I was hooked from the first chord, for most of the reasons already listed above.

[sbarnes]

to quote jimmy buffett

'there's something so feminine
about a mandolin'

[Perry]

to paraphrase Ry Cooder the mandolin was such a FRANTIC sounding thing he had to have one or something like that...taken out of the Ry interview in the Mandolin World News....

Personally I really like the way a mandolin blends with a guitar.

I think if you were never a guitar player and after loving the mando for a while you now have begun to lust for for lower range you should look at the guitar. It's a fine instrument http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[fwoompf]

It was hearing Chris Thile for the first time for me as well, and then my thought process was "Tuned in fifths you say? And if I don't know the chords I can just mute it and hit the strings?! Sign me up!"

Now it's changed though, I LOVE the modern sounding stuff with Thile and Flinner and Marshall and I also LOVE the classic stuff with Monroe and Compton and McCoury.

One minute you can sound like you're in the classiest jazz club ever, or doing a piece of classical music that can induce tears, and then the next you're just digging down and you sound like an old black and white photograph...it's a beautiful thing.

[mandomaybe]

I've been a guitar player (not very well) and a songwriter for many years. I'll still go the guitar for writing and as a solo instrument. But I've always loved the sound of a mando as an accent to the guitar. I'm not a fan of frenetic bluegrass, or newgrass, or jazzgrass, but I love the sound of a mando trickling in to embellish a guitar. My first love was hearing Grisman on Tone Poems.

Also, I've played guitar for years without ever learning scales, but just playing chords, some basic fingerpicking, bass runs, hammer-ons, etc. But with the mando, scales came effortlessly. So now when my friends trot out their guitars and start plodding through the same chords to whatever we're singing, I can happily do instrumental breaks with the mando, something I'd never do a guitar.

[Fliss]

Personally I really like the way a mandolin blends with a guitar.
Well said. I love the mandolin, but I like it best when it's in the mix with other instruments, such as guitars - it adds an extra dimension to the music.

I like the aesthetic, too, and particularly the size, which makes it easier than a guitar for someone who's a little "vertically challenged". I also enjoy the versatility.

Fliss

[Ivan Kelsall]

In spite of the fact that i only heard Mandolin on Bluegrass LP's years ago when i was learning to play Banjo,it was ''love at 1st hearing''. I've said on a number of posts that it was the Mandolin intro.to the song "I cried again" on the LP "The Greenbriar Boys",played by Ralph Rinzler that started things off. Pure Monroesque playing that's still a favourite after 40 years.
Over the years i've bought & listened to more Mandolin orientated CD's than any others & i quickly came to see what a wonderful instrument it really is. Not only is the Mandolin a lovely instrument to listen to,they are visually stunning instruments
also. The craftsmanship & skill shown by the various Luthiers involved in their building,leaves me almost speechless in admiration,
Saska

[carlnut]

I chose mandolin because my hearing is failing and the low notes give me trouble. Also, there are too many guitars aroung where I live and a shortage of good mandolin players. Also, the mando is so versatile.

[DryBones]

smaller neck and tuning in 5th made it easier for me than the guitar. That got me started but there is something else that keeps me addicted...not sure what it is but I like it! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[emitfo]

My first--and only (until my Gypsy Renegade arrives in week or so)--mandolin came to me when I helped a work mate move and when we were almost done loading I discovered a "Seville" mandolin laying around. Being a strings kind of guy (I have acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass guitar) I picked it up and starting plunking away at it and it was love at first hear! I went through a period years ago where I, not really knowing much about it, collected albums--yes ALBUMS--of lute music because I love baroque music and I'd read about the Bach/Mozart improving your brain thing so it seemed like a 2 for 1 deal! Listen to great music and grow your brain! And the mandolin sounds quite like a lute as well as a bit like a sitar. The fact that I have small hands and it fits easier is a bonus as well as it's portability.

[El Greco]

Originally a Greek bouzouki picker, I can identify with guitar players and other folks here who've picked up the mandolin.

A lot has also to do with maturity. And I mean aural maturity, not age. For me, the more I listened to any kind of music, the more I picked out favorite music genres, tunes, sounds, pitches etc., the more I found myself being enchanted by the sound properties and aesthetics of the mandolin. #The mandolin (and specifically the U.S.-styled and sounding mandolin for some reason more than bowlbacks) is and will be my instrument of choice.

[Rufus]

Reasons I like the mandolin:
1) The sound. If I didn't like the way it sounded, nothing else would matter too much. I love all sorts of instruments, but I've always had a soft spot for strings.
2) The novelty. It seems like everyone and their sister plays at least a little guitar (including me, if you can call it playing). The mandolin is something different. At the same time, it's a similar enough instrument to the guitar that I don't have to start at ground zero with technique.
3) The neck makes sense. The tuning is intuitive, at least to me, which makes it fun to start playing. I also feel like it makes it a good instrument to learn music theory on.
4) It's portable. It's easy to throw my mandolin in the back seat of the car when I'm going somewhere. And if I'm plucking it quietly while sitting around with friends, it's small enough that I don't feel like I'm hiding behind it.
5) I'm looking for the instrument that speaks to me, and the mandolin seems like a worthy contender. I'm too new in the mando world to know if this will be my primary instrument for the rest of my life, but I've certainly practiced it a lot more than I've played my guitar in a long time. And I'll be able to take any music theory I learn on to any instrument I play.

I think that pretty much sums up why I like the mandolin, though I may have to add some me toos after other people answer!




That pretty much sums it up for me, too. I initially got into mandolin because I heard Chris Thile tearing it up and thought, "Wow, you can really shred on the mandolin and, unlike guitar (which I have played for many years), not get criticized for 'playing with no soul.' Of course, I have since found out that part was wrong http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif but I still really like the instrument and love the fact that I can carry it onto a plane with no problems.[I]

[Mattg]

Ya, it's the neck for me. I love the voice too but it just tends to fit my fingers better. It also seems easier to apply theory to the fret board. No B string

[powercat]

Why did I choose to play mandolin?

1) A number of rock songs in my youth had this interesting sounding instrument in it (mandolin)
2) Seems like everyone plays a guitar, not so many play mando
3) Looks. Regardless of type, there is something about warmth of the wood used that draws you in. When I saw my Mid-Mo for the first time it was love at first site. The Mahogany just drew me in. Not such a big fan of the sunburst design on a mando, but a well crafted blond (or brunette http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif)...wow!
4) Sound. Once I really began listening to bluegrass, I was hooked!

[Grassin' Gal]

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif


The reason I love them so much it for the sounds that come out of a mandolin of quality. I can hear the chop and think WOW! Then when you hear the break and it just touches me that much deeper. Not to mention the beauty of the instrument itself. It really amazes me that you can take something that size and create such tone and volume out of it.

I noticed someone said it adapts to many types of music...I will have to say that I was at a baseball game and one of the clips of a song that started playing had a mandolin in the very beginning...funny b/c it was a top 40 pop song. You would never think of a mandolin in Hollywood...

[Rick Schmidlin]

#You would never think of a mandolin in Hollywood...
I did and that's when I picked it up and started to learn to play. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Steve Ostrander]

I started out playing guitar, but all the guys I jammed with also played guitar, so I switched to bass. I played bass for about twenty years but I always loved the the sound and the looks of a mandolin (let's face it, even an ugly mandolin is prettier than a guitar). A year ago I bought a mando because I realized that the only thing holding me back from learning was not owning one. So I bought one--and another, and another....

I'm totally into the mando now, and I haven't played bass for a year or guitar for 6 months. I love how the mando sounds playing duets with my guitar buddies, and they like it too!

[JEStanek]

I don't feel it is innate or genetic to love the mandolin. I don't think there is a mando gene. at least we never talked about it in genetics lectures. I do think there is something innate in people to let music in and out of them, whether clapping, dancing, playing or writing or even listening.

For me, the mando is so convenient. Small, logical... this bit of propaganda adorns my cube at work. Perhaps, this cheekily sums it up.
http://www.mandolincafe.com/images/wallpaper/640x480f.gif

Jamie

PS. this is in the Café Wallpaper section for those not in the know.

[allenhopkins]

[A] Got hooked on folk music as a teenager (Kingston Trio, etc.). Bought a banjo.
[B] Went to clubs and coffeehouses, heard bluegrass, thought, "I'd like to play that stuff!"
[C] Got out of the army, got married, wanted to start a band. Brother played guitar, friend Bob played banjo -- both better than I. There was an old Gibson A-1 found in my grandfather's attic, top crack mended with adhesive tape. Guess I'm the mandolin player.
[D] This is fun! Not that I play well, but I can do that "chop" thing, and take a break now and then...
[E] Thirty-five years and 15 mandolins later, it's still fun. Great for back-up, suitable for several musical styles, in demand for recording and ensemble playing. And so many different sizes and voices!
[F] It's easier to carry than a bass fiddle. Trust me -- I've tried both.

[Andrew Faltesek]

I had played harmonicas since about age 12, and also started playing acoustic guitar around 1972...and worked in a little flute also during that time; but I always had a fascination with the sound of mandolins. Since most of my peers wanted my harmonica skills during jams and performances with our band, I never did pluck a mandolin except for a cheap bowlback a friend wanted me to repair. I always wanted and wanted one though! Finally, this February at age 50 I purchased my mandolin, and I am totally hooked.
I think the main reasons are the ringing sound and a good fit to my taste in acoustic music. The mandolin seems to be a better instrument for me to express myself; in that it is more like an extension of my voice (like the harmonica) than the guitar ever was. Now that I have my Weber STE I really don't know why I waited so long, it gives me such joy. While I've been a bit shy over the years as far as performing with guitar and voice, I never worried about my harmonica playing...it is the same with the mandolin...it just comes out better.
I also like the portability aspect of the mandolin's size, and also the shape. My 12-string guitar was stolen many years ago...maybe lack of double strings in my life added to the attraction!

[Mike Crater]

On April 17, 2005, I went to my local music store to buy a ukulele. I had never played an instrument, and I figured the ukulele couldn't be too hard, 'prolly lots of 2 finger chords. I just wanted to plunk around with the radio, and such. But hanging on the wall next to the ukes were the mandolins. My god, what a sexy instruments, I thought. The mandolins chose me, I like to think. After learning a few 2 finger chords at the music shop, i was home jamming in no time. After 6 months, I was on my 4th mandolin. By now, I consider myself an intermediate player, and I'm well on my way to being a mediocre journeyman. I just love it. I can't stop playing, and have no plans to slow down. For me, it's a wonderful hobby. The only problem I have now is the dreaded MAS. I have the resources and pathology to get something really nice. Ole Brutus is looking pretty good, if he's still up for sale.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif