Facing the cold hard truth

[stevedenver]

Respectfully, OP,
1 do you enjoy mandolin, its size, tone, range, etc.?
2 do you play and or sing with mando , solely for your own pleasure?
3 are you an A type, ie driven to meet goals?
4 is it important to you to have recognition for your musical abilities?

For myself, as another guitarist, i answer all above " yes".
In reading your post, id say you do too.

But, ive changed a bit, and simply play for my joy, and when in bands, doing the best i can, with moderate speed, to improve the song. (I think i suck, as mando players go, no thile or skaggs or stuart or dawg, but always get praise and audience applause for my breaks).

Is this the result of musical maturity in the ears, yet, the inherent physical aspects of playing a mandolin, or, simply the difference that 40 is to 6? There has to be, i think.

I find my progress over 8 years goes in leaps and plateaus. Never the less, i love mandolin, but also guitar and now banjo.

If you enjoy the instrument, be patient with yourself.

It took me about 4 years to stop transposing from guitar to mandolin, and then begin to think in mando. This was with daily practice, and being in a band. And, i went to berklee for a bit, so, with all these tools, it still took time to change point of view. I went from trying to think as a rock and blues guitarist, on mandolin, to being a mandolin player, thinking a bit more like one. Playing classical, gypsy, and irish, on top of dawg and bluegrass helped my brain shift.

I like mando. I think it is good to put it down for a week or a month, until you feel like playing it.

Fwiw, i went to law school. Didnt help my musical skills, for about twenty years, no time. But, it did help with gas, once i got established. I imagine you can play circles around me.

[Relio]

I didn't start being able to really play until I stopped using tabs and learned by ear. I recommend reading the flatpicking essential books. They're written for guitar, but the approach to learning the instrument translates to any instrument. What has been your approach to learning/practicing?

[Austin Bob]

I can relate to your problem. Although I've been playing the mandolin for a long time, I came from guitar and was self taught on both.

Whenever I find myself struggling on the mandolin, I always try to slow the tune or passage way down and practice it at half or less speed. Then as I pick up the tempo, I focus on where I mess up. It's almost always my right hand. The picking styles needed to be successful in mandolin and guitar are somewhat related, but still very different in the nuances of technique.

When I focus on that, I find that it's often what is holding me back.

[Chuck Leyda]

Just to keep things clear, Casals died in 1973 at the age of 96. Old movie?

[roysboy]

Again ....some great input and insight here , folks . Lots to consider and lots to console .

I love the instrument .....from the sound of someone else playing , the 'standard repertoire" as well as the limits its pushed to in so many genres , the size and feel when I play and ( as with guitar , fiddle or banjo ) its timeless -ness , if that's a word . I shall soldier on ....may the force be with us .

[catmandu2]

I tell people all the time that one of the most humbling things a person can do is take up an acoustic instrument. They are absolutely unforgiving.

I believe one of the best things someone struggling can do is stop listening to all the great players all the time. When I started on mandolin I binged on Thile et al, just listening for all the great mandolin parts. It did me more harm than good. These days I just listen to MUSIC, and when something grabs me, I might try and make it work on the mandolin. I play like me and that's good enough for me.

Lastly, not to be argumentative, but I don't believe we learn more easily when younger or less easily as we age. In fact I believe just the opposite is true. Much of the perceived learning loss is due to distraction, the cares of the world, and the weight of responsibility as we get older. That and a lack of time. I work long hours, have a large family, so playing even one hour a day just isn't going to happen. So naturally, I'm going to progress more slowly than I would have when I was a teen with all the time in the world.

I just believe we limit ourselves and give up before we begin sometimes, just because we are older. I've learned more in the 30s and 40s than I ever did as a kid, mostly because I WANT to and am DETERMINED to do so. YMMV.

Excellent post. There are so many approaches and engagements with music; your head can manage all manner of them - which is a major advantage in learning new things in later stages of life. There's that whole Confucian axiom. If you can manage allotting time enough to your pursuits, inspiration should abound. But ossification of a banal orientation is a risk in the rational life. Too much passive listening to supergroups may render one remote to their own fundamental musical impetus. There are many ways to overcome this. Start with reflecting on why it is you think that your brain isn't as adept at learning new skills as when you were younger.

[catmandu2]

I remember an interview with Dave Grohl wherein he played examples of his guitar riffs, showing how they were based on drum patterns ....

So many ways to manipulate, devise, express. I came to a feeling of dominant rhythmicity in my music last year - I was re-reading a post where I boiled it all down to just wanting to dance, anymore. Being an erstwhile drummer myself, I find great satisfaction in the rhythmic capacity of a machine like the accordian, where i can deploy all kinds of dance rhythms and assuage my feeling for sitting behind a kit - all in one convenient little box.

Concept

Cecil Taylor at one time said that he conceives the piano as merely a percussion instrument.

It's a lot of fun, gaining a perspective that increasingly affords integrating experience and the senses.