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Thread: Beginner Practice topics

  1. #1
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    Default Beginner Practice topics

    In an attempt to learn the mandolin in a more structured way and to learn from my mistakes from learning guitar, so I'm looking for some input on my ideas.

    I will try and use Standard notation as this is a great time to learn whilst everything is nice and slow!

    One Key per week
    Major Scale in 1st position Alt Picking, (1,2,3,4 picks per note)
    Relative Minor in 1st position Alt Picking, (1,2,3,4 picks per note)
    Pentatonic Major and Relative Minor Alt Picking, (1,2,3,4 picks per note)
    Triad Arpeggios Alt picking and with Hammer on and pull offs

    Chords and chord changing drills

    Right hand Crosspicking Drills

    Learn a Song
    Learn Melody
    Learn Chords
    Play Arpeggios of chord changes
    Learn licks and/or solo
    Improvise

  2. #2

    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    If you want a really structured way to learn, before moving to your outline (which is a very good outline in my opinion) I think you would do better to work through an introductory book, back to the basics. Especially where you're saying you want to try to use standard notation -- it's best if you move very very slowly and give your brain time to process into long-term memory what you're learning. Something like the Mel Bay mandolin method or other complete beginner book would be a great place to start. As adults it's often easy for us to jump in and be able to do fairly well at something like your outline but in fact we don't allow our brains enough calendar time (i.e. days/weeks/months) to fully absorb what we're trying to do. We get impatient for any number of reasons, whereas a 10 year old learning mandolin is very happy to move as slowly as the method book and the teacher work and they're just happy making any sounds at all. And gradually as the weeks and months pass (assuming they keep working at it) those beginning steps become second nature and are fully absorbed.

    In other words, I think you're trying to run when you should be walking. Especially where you're trying to learn to read standard notation at the same time.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    I may be jumping ahead, but I am coming from 35 years of playing the guitar and whilst they are different instruments there are similar skills and the music theory is the same.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    The theory's the same on both guitar and mandolin, but the mapping from standard notation to fretboard is not.

    Yes, a complete course book for mandolin as suggested by dhbailey will teach you standard notation as it relates to the mandoln fretboard.

    Granted, learning to read and write music isn't necessarily needed if you use tab for most things (if you can find it), but you're the one who listed learning it. Assuming that one of the "mistakes" in learning guitar is never having learned to read.

    Think of the book purely as a way to learn reading. You can test yourself by playing through it a few pages at a time, playing slowly yet with no errors. Get each page up to speed, using a metronome for tempo, while retaining that perfection. Stop and repeat sections when your reading isn't both perfect and up to speed, dropping the metronome tempo back to where you weren't making errors.

    If you have nothing to gain from the method, at least you'll get practice in sight reading. If you can't immediately play through the book perfectly... then either decide that reading standard notation isn't really a priority, or dig in. It's your choice, even if you initially claimed to want to gain that skill.
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Part of the structure is how to organize your practice time. You have a lot of topics to attend to, apparently daily. Seems pretty ambitious, but good for you.

    I'd ignore the cross picking for now unless you have a specific need or reason for it. It's a bit of a sub speciality.
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    I will be using Bradley Laird's instruction material and Banjo Ben Clark's instruction as my basis. So if I gave the impression that I'm going it alone I'm not!

    As for the amount of topics, you could well be right, it's easy to write them down and a lot harder to actually do it in an effective way.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Well ... good luck. Many here started mandolin after decades with a guitar. Yes they are both plectrum instruments but that is about all they have in common. Mandolins, no "B" , tuned in fifths, double courses, tiny, ........ starting at the beginning is not a bad idea. And reading notation is a skill worth gaining. Keeping in mind strangely enough after a few years with a mandolin you may want to take up with a fiddle..... Keep in mind also that a quality instrument setup is essential with a mandolin. Check out Rob Meldrum's set up book here on the Café. Welcome and enjoy the journey. R/
    Last edited by UsuallyPickin; Jul-22-2017 at 8:48am. Reason: added thought
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    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Quote Originally Posted by Posterboy View Post
    I will be using Bradley Laird's instruction material and Banjo Ben Clark's instruction as my basis. So if I gave the impression that I'm going it alone I'm not!

    As for the amount of topics, you could well be right, it's easy to write them down and a lot harder to actually do it in an effective way.
    When I was taking jazz drumming lessons (after years of being a self taught punk drummer) the instructor had me working out of several books, plus each week I had a different warm up routine he wanted me to start with. I made a calendar for meself and worked out of certain books M-W-F and the other books T-Th-Sat. I found that it kept things from getting stale, kept practice time manageable while still allowing me time to just play, and kept me from feeling overwhelmed by all the material I was trying to go over.

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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Quote Originally Posted by Posterboy View Post
    I will be using Bradley Laird's instruction material and Banjo Ben Clark's instruction as my basis. So if I gave the impression that I'm going it alone I'm not!

    As for the amount of topics, you could well be right, it's easy to write them down and a lot harder to actually do it in an effective way.
    I recommend you supplement those videos with "Mandolin for Dummies" by Don Julin (ISBN: 978-1-119-94276-4). It is written for beginning mandolin players. The book has been mentioned previously in this forum.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    I use a similar idea as the key each week, but I do a key per month and that way they actually line up correctly with the months. After B major I go to G flat and continue around the circle. January is C for me. The full month gives me a chance to really internalize each key, scales and chords, it's major and minor pentatonics, arpeggios, any tunes in that key. Time to run scales in lots of different patterns at lots of different metronome markings.

    It works well for me. Good luck.

  11. #11

    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Coming from a guitar background you're definitely going to want to get in to the fretboard theory layout for each scale and chord. It can be a bit like standing on your head for guitar players but it is really a rather different instrument. That said, the fifths tuning as opposed to the guitars fourths means that your hands will have to stretch more to play the closed position scales even though the frets are closer together.

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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Hi Pup, after listening to Bradley Laird's podcast about practice vs playing and starting to read his books, I was coming around to the idea that a key a month was probably more realistic.

    I will also look at Mandolin for dummies, it could well have been written with me in mind

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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Mandolin for dummies and Mandolin Exercises for dummies on the way as well as Bach Cello Suites for Mandolin (I'm not expecting to master these but I'm sure I can take blocks of 4 bars or so for exercises as well).

  14. #14

    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    That is a good outline and should take you far. You may already know this, but one thing to think about is the priority of each item. I would put "improvise" at the top to make sure I am engaging that creative muscle every day. A lot of people work on the structured stuff and then peter out when it comes time to improvise (because it is hard!), when really that is the main thing. Use whatever tools you have to create--every day.

    If each part of your practice gets equal time, you will only be spending about 1/10 of your time creatively. I think when people say "I practice a lot, but I still can't improvise" this imbalance is the main problem. But many improvising musicians (jazz, bluegrass, blues) suggest spending a more substantial amount of time on improvising. You can divide your improvising up into various tasks like you do with your other main headings.

    • Slowly tinker with phrases and work on improving them note by note.
    • Improvise at performance speed and accept whatever comes out. Learn to keep the groove, even when you screw up notes.
    • Learn phrases from other musicians and use them in new ways.
    • Whatever else you can think of.


    Of course, it all depends on your own goals.
    Last edited by JonZ; Jul-26-2017 at 9:53am.
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Practice the stuff you are not good at.
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    My books arrived yesterday, I'm very glad the Mandolin For Dummies and Exercises for Dummies was recommended, I've always overlooked that series of books but these are a goldmine of good stuff. I'm going to follow many people's route and see if I can get them spiral bound locally.

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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Yes. The two most important items IMO -

    get your exercise books spiral bound

    keep everything on your music stand in order and ready to sit and practice
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  19. #18
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    I think the OP's outline is pretty comprehensive, and certainly everything on it is something important to know.

    I used to have a structured practice regime, so much time on this, so much time on that. On paper it looked great. But I found myself clock watching and not looking forward to it. So my idea is instead of that 100% practice regime that you find yourself phoning in, better to have an 80% routine that you can really stick to and look forward to and enjoy.

    Chris Thile said something to the effect that you need to decide how you want to sound, and work towards that sound.


    For most players it is magical enough if you can get behind the mandolin every day. What ever one can do, its better to be doing something.
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  20. #19
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    Since I started working on classical mandolin a few years back, I upped my game a bit. And discovered the wonderful world of etudes. They are like these medical prescriptions for what ails your playing. They focus your practice on specific skills. So a teacher might prescribe this etude for string crossing, that one for glide strokes, that one for coming in and out of tremolo, that one for breaking a particular bad picking habit, this one for shifts up the neck.

    I do Skype lessons now, just for this kind of prescribed practice, tailored to what I am struggling with at the moment.
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  21. #20
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    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    That's a good plan, other people say write lists of tunes you know/have memorized, struggle with and aspire to; also, use metronome, become fluent with looper and DAW to record yourself on backup and lead, commit to play out, play at jams or duets/small groups with other instruments, write a logbook that says what you did etc.

    old threads, search on those: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...uld-i-practice

    and https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...dolin-Practice

    There's books about how to practice: Gerald Klickstein, Tom Heany, https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Boos.../dp/145640797X
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  22. #21

    Default Re: Beginner Practice topics

    The OP's list is very similar to the one I made for myself. As an adult beginner with any instrument, I'm going through the keys in the circle as well. I have found the FFcP exercises to be very helpful too. And listening to lots of new-to-me mando music.

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