New Here - Where to begin?

[mandolinfan83]

Hi All,

I recently have become really interested in mandolins and learning to play. But I don't know where to start. I grew up with some piano lessons and played trumpet in elementary, middle, and high school. So, I can read music and have a background there.

I however know nothing about mandolins, gutiars, or other stringed instruments. So here are some questions that will help me to get started.

1. What kind of mandolin should I buy? I don't want anything cheapy and beginnerish that won't last me more than a couple of years. I want a decent mandolin with a good sound that even an advanced player would enjoy. It doesn't have to be a top of the line sort of insturment, but a well-made middle of the road one.

2. What should I expect to pay for this sort of mandolin?

3. I saw a mandolin at a local music store for 230 dollars. It was a Fender, but I don't remember the exact model. Is that a good price or too expensive? It looked like it had a hole for an electric plug, so I'm thinking it might be acostic that can be amped or half electric or something. Again, I know nothing about gutairs, amps, acostic or electric stuff.

4. Would the above mandolin be a good buy? Is a half-electric or maybe it just had the ability to play acoustic sound through an amp a good idea?

5. What is a good teach yourself mandolin book to start with?

6. How long will it be before I can start playing basic songs? ;)

Thanks

Nick

[Jim]

Hi & welcome to the cafe:
1. The one that sounds the best to you. 2. $250 to $3000 3. Can't say without seeing/hearing it but Fender is not very highly thought of as a mandolin maker ( Great electric guitars though) Acoustic electric is useful if you are playing bars or at jams with other electric instruments otherwise Acoustic is the way to go. 4. See 3. 5.Mel-bay 6. Depends on you.
Many people recomend the Kentucky 505 , I really like my Rover RM-75. Both in the $500 dollar area. A student of mine recently got an Epiphone MM30 which was quite nice for under $200 ( used) The Loar and Eastman have a few models under $1000 that are quite nice. Purchasing from a dealer that does a setup is very important in making sure Your new mandolin is Playable ( intonated and with the action set to a height that allows easy fretting.

[Ron McMillan]

Spend a few hours here reading threads about starter mandolins.

Search for threads about 'set up' and 'set-up' - perhaps the most important thing about a beginner's mandolin, as a poorly set up instrument is surely the reason most people never get past the first week (because of bad intonation and painfully high string action cutting into fingertips).

Search for threads that discuss The Loar LM400 and The Loar LM300 and the Eastman 300 series and the Kentucky 505 - all instruments that are under $500 new, and on the forum come widely recommended by people who know a lot about these things.

Click on links to mandolin dealers on Mandolin Cafe pages, where reputable dealers known for doing good set ups advertise their stocks.

You're in the right place!

ron

[Jim Ferguson]

Welcome Nick.......I agree with Jim's comments:
1 & 2. Get a mandolin that sounds good to you. Having said that look for one that is of decent quality. If there is a good music store in your area....go & play some of the mandolins they have on the wall. That should give you a feel for some of the different name brands. If there are several music stores around......go & check them all out as different stores carry different mandolins. There have been a # of threads on this forum addressing this very Q.....go check out some of the posts. Some of the more affordable names that seem to get good reviews by many on this forum are Kentucky, Morgan Monroe, Eastman, Loar, Epiphone among others. My 1st mandolin xost me $450.00 for the mando & a gig bag & chord book. It was decent for starters but I moved up to a better madnolin within 2 years. If you want a decent mandolin that you can feel good about for years to come my suggestion is tp plan on spending $500-$1,000. I think you should be able to get a very nice mandolin in that price range.....one that you will be happy with for a good while.
5. Some good teach yourself materials include: 1. Mandolin Primer by Bert Casey, 2. Parkinglot Pickers for Mandolin, 3. Fretboard Roadmaps for Mandolin. AND.......get on to YouTube and type in "mandolin lessons" and check out all those great lessons by Marshall, Hannigan, & many others......FANTASTIC!!!! Also......get out often to "jam" with others especially those better than you......i.e. jump into the deep end of the "jam pool" early on.......it will only make you better & quicker. Also......fall in love with the instrument......practice daily.....play along with songs you want to learn & HAVE FUN.
6. It will take you ust a few weeks most likely to pick up some basics on chords........remember......a lot of bluegrass songs (if indeed that is the style of music you will play) only have 3 chords in them anyways so if you can learn & become proficient at A, C, D, E you are well on your way...:-) (I know that is simplistic but I play with a couple of friends and so many of our songs are in A, D, E.......geesh.......we play a ton of sngs in just those 3 chord combos!!!!!)
Sooooo.........good luck finding your dream mando and have fun. Again.....check out the vast topic vault in the threads on this forum......amazing knowledge here to tap into.
Peace,
Jim

[JeffD]

I would not spend a nickle. I would find a friend who played mandolin and borrow one to play around with for a while. Have your friend show you a few things and see how you like it.

If that doesn't work, I would try renting a mandolin from a music store. Try it for a week. See what you think.

If it turns out that your not as interested as you thought, well you haven't lost much. And if it turns out (as I suspect) that this just fans the flames of mandopassion, you will have a head start on what to look for when you purchase..

[mandolinfan83]

Thanks for all the help so far! I'll search for those other threads you guys mentioned and poke around some more.

Jim F. reminded me of another question to ask! I like bluegrass music but I don't know if that's primarily the type I want to play. I've searched on youtube and seen a ton of mandolin songs that are covers of modern songs and love them. I'd also be interested in playing classical mandolin stuff like Vivaldi.

Also, this question applies to all string instruments including mandolin. What do you prefer? The stummy chord sound (I doubt that's what it's called), the classical note by note playing (again I doubt that's what it's called) or a mix of the two. I know it's a preference thing, but I really like hearing guitars where the player doesn't strum so much as pick out the notes. I don't know what's thats called though.

Here are some links to Youtube videos to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Again, I know you guys know WAY more than me and this all elementary so I appreciate your time and effort.

Two kids playing Redemtion Song by Bob Marley. I like the Mandolin playing in this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klRMA3o1qzU

Don't Stop Believing Cover on Mandolin. Done really well. I like this style. But I think it's two mandolins or recorded once with one part and recorded again over it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0dSP2CW2ck

And a Vivaldi style I like (VERY VERY ADVANCED) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-utT-BD0obk

I know these are all very advanced so it would be a few years before one could sound that good. But that's where'd I like to be eventually. But learning a few chords and being able to play a few songs at first is cool.

[mandolinfan83]

I would not spend a nickle. I would find a friend who played mandolin and borrow one to play around with for a while. Have your friend show you a few things and see how you like it.

If that doesn't work, I would try renting a mandolin from a music store. Try it for a week. See what you think.

If it turns out that your not as interested as you thought, well you haven't lost much. And if it turns out (as I suspect) that this just fans the flames of mandopassion, you will have a head start on what to look for when you purchase..

Great idea! We have one music store in our town (Green Bay, WI) and I inquired about renting or rent to own and they unfortunately don't do this.

[Lou Giordano]

Welcome mandolin fan. First off I want to thank you for posting that link to Vivaldi. After I listened to it I went on to listen to this other one. I feel like I feel in love with mandolin all over again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa8L2C9WK40&feature=related

As far as a mandolin choice, I would tell you to seek out a mandolin that is as easy to play as possible. For me it is one with a wider nut 1 1/8” or wider and large banjo style frets. Get it set up or buy it from a dealer that does the set up before shipping. That is more important that anything else right now, even the tone. It will not help you get started if you buy something that people like, but you have to struggle to play it.

If you are young and have long, slender, flexible fingers, then you have more options and I hate you. :))

Don’t obsess over picking one out, because you will probably wind up buying two or three or more anyway.

If you can afford, it get lessons from a mandolin playing teacher

[Randi Gormley]

Mandolin has the option of playing chords and single notes, so you can choose any kind of music you want to focus on. Some genres focus more on one or the other, and solo playing is different from playing in a group. I'd recommend choosing a style you want to concentrate on narrow it down to a single song, say, and start there. Classical? Check out the cafe section devoted to classical music -- there are great suggestions and posted music in standard notation for you to download, and discussions of the instruments many classical players prefer (including the bowlback, which is a different sound and different looking instrument from the bluegrass scroll model). Rock and roll? same thing under the rock-and-roll topics section; choro? jazz? Irish/Scotch? same thing. There's a whole world of instruments, sounds and music for you to choose from, and it can be confusing if you want it all immediately. A lot of us here are self-taught, so it's possible -- but it also helps to get a teacher in the beginning who can make sure you're holding the instrument correctly, can discuss things like picks and straps, and give you some exercises. It's infinitely better if the teacher plays mandolin him/herself and in the style you're interested in. And yeah, you can buy a $49 plywood instrument (I own one I use for traveling) if you want and it will actually do the job with a proper set-up; you can also lust after a Lloyd Loar with an asking price of $250,000. Most of my instruments cost between $350 and $500 and I'm happy with 'em.

[Coachz]

Get the $39 rogue and if you like it either keep it or buy i higher end one

[Pete Summers]

The Rover's are great starter instruments, the A model RM50 for around $150 or the F model RM75 for about $400 are probably the lowest priced, solid carved wood mandolins available. The Kentucky line is also highly thought of and offers a number of models in various price ranges.

As noted many times on this site, you get more value for your dollar with an A model. Those F style scrolls don't influence sound and cost a lot to construct. And also, you'll probably pay less buying on-line from stores like Folkmusician.com or the Mandolinstore.com (both sponsors of this site) than by going into your local music store where retail mark up is probably higher and sales folks less likely to know about mandolins (which are usually a kind of sideline for most guitar oriented music stores). Plus, you'll get a good set-up from the above mentioned on-line stores, which is crucial. Of course, it's always fun to shop around in stores where you can lay hands on some instruments to try, but remember, they are probably not well set up. But it can help give you an idea of what mandolins are about.

It's always good to start with a teacher if possible. But since you already read music, you can self teach. A good, general mandolin course like the Bickford or Wm. Place methods are a good starting point. And there are literally hundreds of mandolin tutor materials online and in music stores. Oak Publications and Mel Bay books have many titles in different styles.

For Bluegrass, I prefer the Mel Bay's "Deluxe Bluegrass Mandolin Method" by Ray Valla, or the Jack Tottle "Bluegrass Mandolin" book from Oak. Both can be found new or used on Ebay, Amazon or the publisher's web sites.

Good luck and have fun.:cool:

[catmandu2]

Hi Nick. Get that $39 Rogue--call around to the music stores in your area or any guitar-playing friends you may have who understand what "action" means, and can help you lower yours to where it is more comfortable than the way it is shipped (or, there are probably lots of articles on set-up -- and tuning -- here on the cafe).


6. How long will it be before I can start playing basic songs? ;)


A basic song like what? The melody to a Stephen Foster tune? Five minutes.

[Marcus CA]

1. What kind of mandolin should I buy? I don't want anything cheapy and beginnerish that won't last me more than a couple of years. I want a decent mandolin with a good sound that even an advanced player would enjoy. It doesn't have to be a top of the line sort of insturment, but a well-made middle of the road one.

3. I saw a mandolin at a local music store for 230 dollars. It was a Fender, but I don't remember the exact model. Is that a good price or too expensive? It looked like it had a hole for an electric plug, so I'm thinking it might be acostic that can be amped or half electric or something. Again, I know nothing about gutairs, amps, acostic or electric stuff.

4. Would the above mandolin be a good buy? Is a half-electric or maybe it just had the ability to play acoustic sound through an amp a good idea?

I have one of those Fender acoustic/electrics. It's really fun to run through an amp with a bit of distortion or reverb, and it's great as a road mando if I'm staying somewhere where I need to play quietly. However, I would not recommend getting one as your main mando. Acoustically, mine has a pretty thin tone, even though it is hollow-bodied. Also, the fingerboard is flat, which is murder on my left elbow if I play much more than 1/2-hour.

In the mandolin world, it seems like the middle of the price road (leaving out the Gilchrists, Dudenbostels, etc.) is in the $1-2.5K range. That would get you the higher end of the Kentucky and Eastman lines, many of the Breedlove models, as well as a few of the Webers, the Collings MT.

Since you are interested in playing a number of different styles, I'd recommend that you get an oval-hole mando instead of an f-hole one. You'll usually get a little more sustain and a slightly mellower tone out of them.

For materials, Homespun Tapes offers a wide variety of audio and video instructional courses. If it sounds good, it will be good.

Enjoy the ride!