Thank you all very much, Today I received my first Mandolin

[Sainty]

I have always loved the sound of the Mandolin, any genre classical, gypsy, folk, bluegrass I just love the sound of the instrument and have listened to it for decades.
Not coming from a musical family we were never encouraged to take up any instrument but I have had a yearning to play the Mandolin that has just got stronger of the years.
Having read lot's of posts on Mandolin Cafe over the last couple of years I have come to realise at 55 years and with no musical knowledge that I am not too old to learn.
I purchased some Simon Mayor Tutor books a few months ago and have read them over and over, watched countless You Tube videos etc and started studying theory approx 4 months ago.
Today I received my First Mandolin after reading countless posts over the last two years on beginners instruments I settled on the Kentucky KM 505 which arrived this morning, by mid afternoon a local Luthier had set it up and gave me my first lesson, wow I am hooked. My wife says that when I opened the box this morning I looked like all my Birthdays and Christmases had come all at once with a smile on my face that you could not knock off with a baseball bat.
I just wanted to say a big Thank You to you all, thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge in the posts on Mandolin Cafe and for sharing your enthusiasm for the instrument and positive encouragement for those who raise the question "am I to old to learn" & "what advice would you give a beginner" etc. it is the friendly attitude that you all showed towards the beginners that actually persuaded me to go for it and to stop just listening to the Mandolin and start playing one.

There is only one way, that is all the way.

Kentucky KM 505

[OldSausage]

Good for you, Sainty, that's the spirit!

[bmac]

You have the enthusiasm, you bought a good one, now for the hard part.

Unasked for advice:

1. Start slow and easy. 20 minute sessions (at most), twice a day maybe. Building up your calouses on your left fingertips will be the hard and painful part. And I do mean painful. and it takes time. at least three months, if I recollect. But practice every day even if just for a few minutes. You need to build up a habit. A little pain is good but a too much can be discouraging.

2. Keep life simple at first with simple melodic tunes such as were popular in the folk music era of the 1960s and 1970s. Simple is the key word. Even childrens tunes can be good for learning purposes.

3. Do the recomended exercises but play tunes as well. Exercises alone can be deadly boring.

4. Lessons can be valuable if only the occasional lesson to catch any mistakes you may be making or bad habits you may be developing.

5. Mandolin for Dummies seems to be a popular book for beginners written by a Mando Cafe member.

6. Buy a couple extra sets of strings. If you haven't already and learn to change them. frets.com has excellent instructions. Mediums are perhaps best for beginners as thins may cut your dainty fingertips (seriously).

7. lf you can get through the first six or seven months you are on your way.

[Astro]

Now for the accessories:

Facial hair; suspenders; straw hat.

[Mike Arakelian]

Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of music. Take your new KM and enjoy it for every thing that it's worth. :mandosmiley:

Mike

[Nester]

Congrats! You will love Kentucky mandolins. They are great!

[Carolina Rookie]

I wanna echo what Sainty posted. I just took my second lesson and I am loving every second of my journey. A HUGE part of me getting started on the right foot is due to all the advice I got from here. Alot of folks went out of there way to answer my newbie questions. Good luck on your journey Sainty. I know where you are comning from on that birthday/christmas look. Hope to see more of you around the Cafe.

[joemcg]

Now you gotta get your fingertips callused so they feel like balsa wood!
Congratulations and enjoy.

[Tommy Berry]

You have the enthusiasm, you bought a good one, now for the hard part.

Unasked for advice:

1. Start slow and easy. 20 minute sessions (at most), twice a day maybe. Building up your calouses on your left fingertips will be the hard and painful part. And I do mean painful. and it takes time. at least three months, if I recollect. But practice every day even if just for a few minutes. You need to build up a habit. A little pain is good but a too much can be discouraging.

2. Keep life simple at first with simple melodic tunes such as were popular in the folk music era of the 1960s and 1970s. Simple is the key word. Even childrens tunes can be good for learning purposes.

3. Do the recomended exercises but play tunes as well. Exercises alone can be deadly boring.

4. Lessons can be valuable if only the occasional lesson to catch any mistakes you may be making or bad habits you may be developing.

5. Mandolin for Dummies seems to be a popular book for beginners written by a Mando Cafe member.

6. Buy a couple extra sets of strings. If you haven't already and learn to change them. frets.com has excellent instructions. Mediums are perhaps best for beginners as thins may cut your dainty fingertips (seriously).

7. lf you can get through the first six or seven months you are on your way.

Thank YOU...for these tips...as I hope to begin practicing VERY soon! -TB

[Sainty]

Thanks for the tips Bart, already purchased a few sets of D'Addario JS74 Medium strings as these were mentioned in other posts.

[Bartleby Jr.]

Interesting. I'm a few years older than Sainty, and I'm about to take delivery of my first mandolin tomorrow (08/15/13), also a KM-505. I've been plinking on the guitar since LBJ was in office, and I can play a little but I don't consider myself much of a musician; I got no head for the numbers. But I have a pretty decent ear, so I can kind of mimic what real musicians do up to the point where chord substitutions and voicings come into play, and then it all goes to hell in a hatbox. Musicians have been trying to explain the circle of fifths to me for an awfully long time, and I just don't get it. I also have trouble making change. Anyway, I too have the double-course itch, so here we go.

[Tiderider]

Congrats Sainty, it's hard to beat a Kentucky mandolin for the money. Now get to work.

[Jim Ferguson]

Way to go Sainty.....way to use the Cafe knowledge to guide your decisions re: buying your first mando.......you chose wisely!!!! I've owned several brands of mandos & just gt my Kentucky KM1000 over a week ago from Dennis & the crew at The Mandolin Store & I LOVE it. I'm sure you will have years of enjoyment from your KM 505.
Peace,

[rb3868]

As a perpetual beginner to a beginner beginner rule number one is have fun.

Mando for dummies is nice, but unwieldy to learn from, there are a number of nice books out there. get one that is spiral-bound and get a cheap music stand. there are books that have tunes for beginners too. Some beginner's books have CDs to play along with.

If you have a cat, don't leave your case open where he or she can decide it would be a nice bed. If you don't, make sure you have a camera and post the pic in the appropriate thread.

Don't look at the post a picture of your mandolin thread without a handy hankie or towel or something to wipe up the drool.

Have fun, and enjoy this forum, it is truly a friendly place

[Randi Gormley]

I got chills reading sainty's post and that great description of that "new mandolin" grin. Beginners' enthusiasm always gives me a need to go play something, so thanks for that!

[Cecily_Mandoliner]

Congrats and enjoy the new adventure!
Have fun with it!