Hey everybody, I am just wanting to hear some advice on the best way I can go about mastering the mandolin. Every little bit helps!
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Hey everybody, I am just wanting to hear some advice on the best way I can go about mastering the mandolin. Every little bit helps!
practice.
Dave H
The good folks here will be happy to help out, but you'll get more precise guidance if you can narrow your stated goal down from "mastering the mandolin" a little. :)
What style(s) are you interested in mastering?
Dave has it right...consistently spending time practicing/playing will improve your skills. I always tell new students to commit at least 15-20 minutes per day at least 4-5 times per week and you will improve and likely want to commit more time to it.
Like Dave said, practice, practice, practice. Learn some basics first such as how to make chords. Try picking out a melody that is familiar to you, something simple like the Happy Birthday song.Try to pick out a scale. Depending on what kind of music you want to learn get some CD's and try to figure out what key a particular song is in and then try to find some of the notes on the mandolin.
If you know any mandolin players in your area see it they can show you some stuff; how to make chords, information about the fretboard positions and the like. Good luck and remember......you will have sore fingers, get frustrated and want to quit, but don't. The first time you can play along with a song, or join a local jam session, you'll realize all the work is worth it. Most important, this stuff is supposed to be fun but it does take some time to get there. Good luck.
What level are you at now, what tunes can you play backup/melody to?
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I returned to the mandolin after a lengthy absence (life got too busy, then Chemo slowed me down) and basically had to restart, learning chords, etc (I remembered open G, C, and D, lol). I spent a month re-learning the basic chords and the movable forms and got so I could play decent rhythm in any key. I then found a local bluegrass/country group that met weekly and began playing with them. Nothing like regular sessions to keep you motivated to learn new stuff!
In the absence of a convenient local group, I'd suggest something like iRealPro. Relatively inexpensive app, has thousands of songs (chords, no melody) readily available. You can choose backing style (including bluegrass), then select the key, tempo, and number of repeats. Easy to enter your own songs, too. With this app (or something similar), you can get the benefit of metronome-type practice to make sure you're able to keep up a consistent tempo, you can start a song slowly and build up your speed, and you can practice your rhythm, fills, and solos. (Well, this app is easy for things like fiddle tunes. More complicated songs might be a challenge. I've mainly used it for fiddle tunes.)
I can chop to most songs, still working on the minors. Also, I can pick out Angeline the baker and thats about it.
I would think that it depends on what your definition is of "mastering" it is ! I will never master it but enjoying the ride !
I don't know if the Newbies social group can provide a path to mastery but we all seem to be enjoying the search. Come join us!
If there was one thing I could tell you, it would be invest in a good mandolin. Spending $1200 or so on a used A style Silverangel, Weber Gallatin, summit, etc. will do the following, first of all, you’ve committed yourself, second, you won’t have any excuses about the quality, and most important you will find yourself playing more. Significantly more. If this amounts to an extra ten to twenty percent more, over time the difference in proficiency will be dramatic. You did say you want to master the mandolin. So if it takes twenty years to do that, you will have cut your time down to 15 or 18 years. Pretty significant.
As has been mentioned PRACTICE!
I also would recommend lessons, you'll learn a lot, and having a teacher to bounce questions/ideas off of can help your playing dramatically.
When I first started plying 3 years ago I had already been playing guitar for 30 years, so scales and chords came relatively easy, what didn't was playing the mandolin like a mandolin and not a guitar. I did Skype lessons with Nate Lee, and learned a ton. (no financial interest)
I also recommend listening to and playing along with your favorite music. Even if it's just chopping along. It's a great way to practice.
Lastly, playing with other people. It really puts you on the spot and it'll help you learn how to make musical decisions on the fly.
I don't know how much beginner you might be, so apologies if I misjudged.
I would say that if your mandolin is playable, and you know how to tune it up, you are ready to attend a jam session. Of course you will not know how to play many/any of the tunes, but listen, as you sit things out, absorb the atmosphere, tell everyone you are a beginner (and watch them fall all over themselves wanting to help you), maybe record some tunes on your cell phone that seem interesting.
Then attend regularly. Between jams try stuff out, get some lessons,peruse the internet for instructional youtubes, have some of your new found friends show you stuff, whatever is your learning style. But all the time keep attending the jam regularly.
You will be amazed how quickly you will start making progress. Amazed, as in huh? wha? amazed.
It's not a little guitar - its strum is different, and its sound and role is different. Concentrate on the right hand.
Try and learn the intervals. And chords. And scales.
Don't set unrealistic goals. Want to play 'She'll be coming round the mountain' in three days? It might be possible, but it might take you a week.Want to play like Chris Thile? That might take some time.
Think about what you want to play. This ambition may change as you learn.
Have fun.
Have fun.
You are playing one of the most versatile instruments. Have fun.
Lessons from someone, and many someones, who are knowledgeable. Yourself as the teacher is choosing someone who don't know diddly about what you don't know!
Also try to gig in a band that plays a lot. I was in a band for over a decade before I started to really get it. It is a constant growth experience if you apply your self, and few will actually be "Masters".
Thanks for all the advice! I actually just attended a jam at a local coffee shop this monday. There were a ton of exremely skilled mandolin players. They even put me on the spot and made me sing a tune; I defintely had a lot of fun. My goal this week is to brush up on a couple of the songs they were playing so I can join in next week!