A Couple of Hours

[R. Kane]

I've just scheduled a considerable drive tomorrow to spend three or four hours with an outstanding player and teacher. I may have an opportunity to get together with him a few times a year. I have a good idea where I want to start, but I'm curious where anyone else would start.

[mandolirius]

I've just scheduled a considerable drive tomorrow to spend three or four hours with an outstanding player and teacher. I may have an opportunity to get together with him a few times a year. I have a good idea where I want to start, but I'm curious where anyone else would start.

It's hard to respond without a bit of background information. What level are you at now? What type of music do you play etc, etc.

[R. Kane]

I thought about providing that information in my post, but decided that I would get a wider range of answers if I just asked everyone's subjective, personal answer. I could have been clearer about that.

[Lachlan]

I'd start by leaving the driveway and heading to the gas station to fill up. Check your tire pressure, too- now that cooler weather is here you may need to inflate them a little. You should probably bring your mandolin. You just never know when a player and teacher might want to do a little of either, or both. Make it easy on them by having that mandolin all tuned up and ready for them to play it if they want. Consider bringing them lunch, too. Mandolin players and teachers get hungry from time to time. Since you're going to be spending three or four hours together don't try to fill in the awkward silences with unnecessary banter. Mandolin players and teachers don't think you're witty or clever, and they don't appreciate having someone prattling on while they're trying to catch a quick nap. Just let them be, and when your precious few hours are up get back in your car and go home. Leave the mandolin with the player and teacher. That's exactly how I would do it.

[Jon Hall]

Tremolo, both single notes and double stops, comes to mind.

[Fretbear]

Tune up to pitch and record whatever he plays or shows to you so you can work on it later. I save so much time and trouble now by recording rehearsals on my mobile phone, so I can show up for the next one and play my parts perfectly because I have already had a chance to experiment with different positions over the chord changes and work on my parts.

[AlanN]

Wanna share who?

I once drove 4 hours to spend the day with Frank Wakefield. As lessons go, all we did was pick tunes and talk. He may have showed me some niggles about how his tunes go, maybe correct a wrong note, etc. It was more of a jam than anything else. Surely worthwhile.

I would suggest to key on the basics of how ? gets his tone, what note selections he prefers, what chord shapes he uses.

[farmerjones]

Some people i meet, their repitorie overlaps my own quite a bit, other's not so much. This has to be fleshed out. In this process you can gage considerable amount of the other person's style and maybe ability.
Mandolin is great in the fact you can both have a mandolin in hand and trade the lead/melody back and forth. Just meeting different folks and picking with them is great.

Where there's money exchanged for knowledge, situations can vary so much. Just make sure expectations are discussed/considered ahead of time, to avoid dissapointment on either side. It really helps if you know specifically what you want to learn, so you can approach a solution sooner. If you don't really know where your lacking, then your playing has to be evaluated. Then you get an opinion, and go from there. Either way, the meter's running.

[Mandobar]

Depends on who the teacher is and what style he/she is known for.