Can't find the Mandoholics Anonymous thread...

[Bigskyken]

I guess I'm the new kid on the block here, this being my first post. And my newly-acquired mandolin playing habit seems to be consuming me. In my case, the gateway drug was a tenor banjo that I started playing in March of this year. Having zero prior music experience, I decided to take a swing at learning to play a unique instrument while in my mid-50's. a couple Mel Bay books and a YouTube video or two were early enablers. I figured out a arthritic handful of chords, but in a moment of unguarded weakness I got hooked picking melody TAB.

Late at night I'd be wandering the internet bayou, collecting second- and third-hand TAB from perfect strangers. Soon, I started paying for TAB with my gas money and finally blew the entire wad on the TablEdit software so that I could get my fix from the TAB-Lab in my basement. But I couldn't stop spending late nights on the dark, dusty streets on the internet. Like a starved coyote, I'd lurk in the shadows at the Mandolin Cafe, stealing four-stringed morsels to feed my tenor banjo.

At some lucid point in time I came to the realization that a teno banjo addict is lonely, because, well, simply put, there aren't too many of us around. But there are a bunch of mandolin addicts, and they are a bit more socially acceptable because they leave a much nicer sound in their wake. So in early April I found a 35 year old Gold Tone A-Style - and then the real obsession began. The poor mandolin looked lonely, so I found a friend for it in a Breedlove Crossover F-Style.

While I realize there are better quality instruments out there, it doesn't matter to me at this point. I'm having a blast playing and learning. And through your posts here, many of you have been helpful to me on this journey. With my lurking days behind me, you may actually see me show in your threads - I'll be that guy asking the stupid questions!

Cheers!

[fatt-dad]

Perfect!

Enjoy the journey. I learned and grew a lot when I got with a local old-time jam. This site and mandozine.com have tabedit files, which I guess you've found. I'd go to old-time jams and often find the called tunes in the tabedit library or the mandolin fakebook (real paper). Then I'd prepare for the next jam. Tempo is quite the initial challenge when playing with a group. Both getting steady and getting fast!

Last year, I coined the mantra, "On the journey to excellence, enjoy mediocrity!"

Oh, yeah, and welcome too!

f-d

p.s., I've owned a ton of mandolins, but learned that it's easier to buy, but more fun to play!

[CES]

Welcome to the obsession, brotha! Remember, there are no stupid questions. We all have ignorance that can be remedied, often most effectively by asking questions or making mistakes from which we learn. I've been playing about ten years, and learn something new most days I'm on here

[HonketyHank]

Thank you, Biggie - welcome. My name is Honkety and I am a mandoholic. We may not be able to cure the craving, but as a group, we can at least share our experiences and our coping mechanisms.

Right now I feed my habit with Irish Traditional tunes with some old timey Appalachian stuff mixed in. Pretty powerful stuff. Go easy on it till you have good calluses. See my signature down below here.

[Bigskyken]

Thanks f-d! I am getting that mediocrity thing down pretty good I tried playing melody with a guitar player doing chords for a hymn we were going to do at church. Just trying to synch with one guy it tough enough, I can't imagine playing with a group anytime soon - if ever!

[Bigskyken]

Thanks CES! I can put the stupid in questions at times, but am not afraid to do so The learning is always the fun part for me, so this is a real kick.

[Bigskyken]

Hey Honkety - the tenor banjo gave me callouses, but now 6 weeks of mandolin has put callouses on my callouses! I made the mistake of taking a two-week trip at the end of March without playing and had to re-callous after that - lesson learned! Thanks for the welcome.

[MediumMando5722]

Avoid the threads about high end picks. It's another obsession in itself.

[darrylicshon]

Welcome and I'm definitely in the category as I have way too many mandolins, bit nothing expensive, well my J Bovier cost a fair amount for me. I have gone through many phases, first once I discovered the mandolin it was it , then I found the octave mandolin wow I was even more taken over, then I got an electric octave mandolin, and I ended back playing my old original songs I used to play on the guitar. The last few years I have been all regular mandolin, just lately I've been going back to octave, thru all the time I have acquired almost 50 mandolin family instruments. I wish you luck funny thing is I've always wanted a tenor just haven't gotten around to it yet.

[KGreene]

Welcome...

The "Mandoholic Anonymous" threads are cleverly disguised (hence, 'anonymous'), typically hidden within any threads concerning MAS (which it appears you've experienced a small episode.... It gets worse)... Theres no cure, so most of us have come to embrace the addiction/affliction. But I would encourage you to browse the MC classifieds (err...' not' to browse). PAS can be somewhat aggravating to some extent until you find the BC'S (umm.....I mean the pick that suits you best). But, the good news is you've found the place that is a plethora of information to support your new found habit.

Have fun.

[Bigskyken]

Thanks for the warning, Chris! Actually, as I was reading one of the fancy pick threads the other day, it really made me chuckle. Not because I don't think picks are important, but I am pretty sure I would have never been admitted to this group if the pick-divas knew the things I've experimented with to pick and yield unique sounds! Several would not be recognizable as picks, but things like a slightly stripped end of #14 stranded electrical wire brushed across the strings makes a cool sound!

[Bigskyken]

Welcome...

The "Mandoholic Anonymous" threads are cleverly disguised (hence, 'anonymous'), typically hidden within any threads concerning MAS (which it appears you've experienced a small episode.... It gets worse)...

I am trying to restrain it from totally consuming me! As a photographer, I've long suffered from GAS (G=gear), so I know the symptoms. Part of me is saying, "don't let it happen again" while another part is saying, "mandolins are cheap compared to many of the cameras and lenses I've bought!" I may require an intervention, now that you've mentioned the MC Classifieds!

[Bigskyken]

Thanks Darryl! I haven't dumped too much cash into this....yet! But I've got an on-going Craigslist search for anything "mandolin" everywhere I go in my travels My wife didn't even say a word when I brought home my second mandolin....so after a banjo and two mandolins in about six months, she sees where this is heading!

I've always wanted a tenor just haven't gotten around to it yet.

I might be able to make you a deal on my Aria, because I may not want to keep it around if I'm not going to play it anymore (and can sell it to generate cash to buy my next mandolin )

[EdHanrahan]

... Just trying to synch with one guy it tough enough, I can't imagine playing with a group ...

Yeah but... They've already gone thru the whole synching-feeling learning curve. Once you're in synch with one of them, or, more correctly, with the music, then you're in synch with everyone.

[Bertram Henze]

Just trying to synch with one guy it tough enough...

If you want to give the poor guy a rest, get a metronome and sync with that - it's not very sociable, but absolutely honest and it won't beat you with a guitar after a few hours of practising
Once you can make it with the metronome, you can make it with any band.

Nice introductory story - you should be writing books.

[Bigskyken]

and it won't beat you with a guitar after a few hours of practising

Valid point, Bertram - I will keep that in mind! Thank you

[EdHanrahan]

... get a metronome and sync with that ...

Just be aware that EVERY new metronome is broken. Or, at least, most of us tend to believe they are. Metronomes tend to, uhmm, "open up" and work more smoothly after you've played 'em a while ...

[MikeZito]

Very strange thing - I have never been anything more than a barely passable musician, but I have always had an irreproachable sense of timing. Some folks can play like lightning, some have singly-unique style, others have impeccable technique and mastery of the instrument . . . . me, I'm a human metronome.

Lucky me, huh?

[Bigskyken]

Very strange thing - I have never been anything more than a barely passable musician, but I have always had an irreproachable sense of timing. Some folks can play like lightning, some have singly-unique style, others have impeccable technique and mastery of the instrument . . . . me, I'm a human metronome.

Lucky me, huh?

I want to be like Mike!

[Bigskyken]

Just be aware that EVERY new metronome is broken. Or, at least, most of us tend to believe they are. Metronomes tend to, uhmm, "open up" and work more smoothly after you've played 'em a while ...

The one time I tried a metronome, I came to that very same conclusion!

[JeffD]

The thing is, you gotta make more than a living, you gotta make a life. And a life in music is a great choice. Infinite depth, infinite history, infinite variety, never enough knowledge, never enough practice, never enough playing, never enough gear, all kinds of transcendent moments.

Collecting beer steins was never like this. Well there was that one time...

[montana]

Ken,

Look into the Yellowstone Bluegrass Assc. Here in Billings. Lots of members from eastern Montana.

[Bigskyken]

Ken,

Look into the Yellowstone Bluegrass Assc. Here in Billings. Lots of members from eastern Montana.

Hey neighbor, I'll check it out!

[LadysSolo]

I am a mandoholic, and I freely admit it. I also have PAS and MuAS (Music Acquisition Syndrome, a corollary to Mandolin Acquisition Syndrome and Pick Acquisition Syndrome.) I have been told by my significant other that I have no hobbies, I have obsessions. This could be true. You have come to the correct place, just don't expect us to help you stop, we will only encourage the affliction.

[MediumMando5722]

...but I am pretty sure I would have never been admitted to this group if the pick-divas knew the things I've experimented with to pick and yield unique sounds! Several would not be recognizable as picks, but things like a slightly stripped end of #14 stranded electrical wire brushed across the strings makes a cool sound!

One of my favorite electric bass tones came from picking with a folded up magazine subscription card. During a particularly avant garde phase, I used to leave the excess string on one of my electric guitar strings intact so I could use it as a bow. I also may have shot at a heavily distorted electric guitar with a Nerf gun at one point.

In short, this pick-diva judges not.