Thoughts on Mandolessons, Pegged Nation and other sites

[Hoogus]

I have been playing mandolin for about a month and a half. I dabbled in guitar and 5 string banjo in the past so I have a bit of finger dexterity to work with.

I have been playing with a friend occasionally who is much better who plays guitar, learning some a song or two each week and working on Mandolessons. I really only have about 30 to 45 minutes a day to dedicate to playing with small kids and work in play, so I am really trying to make sure I maximize that time. As far as musical interests (which may be relevant to this question) I am a big fan of Garcia and Grisman, as well as Mandolin Orange or John Prine or anything really in that ballpark. Also interested in learning some Celtic music.

I have read some good things about Peghead Nation as well as Mike Marshall's site. My question is is their a huge difference in the sites that are out there? With a limited amount of time to play and those interests, is there one that would be better than others?

Thanks so much.

[UsuallyPickin]

Well yes and no … Any of these sites will help you … The teacher has to be teaching something that resonates with you , style or variety of music and do so in a manner that catches your attention and holds it. Joe K. Walsh on Peghead Nation is an excellent player and a solid teacher. But if his material is not engaging to you then you have to move on. At thirty or forty dollars a month it is possible to sample several sites over a short period of time. Many offer a free first lesson. So... research! I will add there is nothing better than an actual exchange in person or via internet link with a live teacher. A one hour lesson monthly may help you more than recorded lessons. The big thing you are already doing by playing daily. Play On! R/

[soliver]

I've always been a big fan of Mandolessons. Living on a semi limited income, I look for the free stuff as much as possible and Barron's stuff is all excellent in my opinion. I would venture to say that 80% + of my learning happened through Mandolessons. Learning a boatload of fiddle tunes helped me not only learn songs that I could play with others, but it helped me learn to apply techniques (which he may have shared in other lessons). All in all, for the money (tongue in cheek), you get a great deal from Mandolessons.

[bigskygirl]

I think there is a huge difference in the sites you mentioned and there are so many others...Banjo Ben, Pickin’ Lessons, Magnus Zetterlund, Matt Flinner and tons of others that offer all kinds of advice, lessons, teaching methods.

You can try most if not all of these out for a trial basis and I would recommend you do that, everyone learns differently.

I agree with UsuallyPickin that a monthly live lesson would be more helpful as it would help you focus on a specific item. Most of these sites offer many, many videos and one can end up going down a rabbit hole spending time watching videos that could be spent on actually practicing instead.

Many pros offer Skype, FaceTime, etc lessons for about the price of a monthly membership.

[Mark Wilson]

I've always been a big fan of Mandolessons. Living on a semi limited income, I look for the free stuff as much as possible and Barron's stuff is all excellent in my opinion.

It is free if you decide it's not worth a contribution.

[Mark Wilson]

I really only have about 30 to 45 minutes a day to dedicate to playing

You can self learn in short sessions, but if you really want to improve you need to be smart about the time you have to spend. If you set down without any thought but to play some, 30 minutes doesn't go far. Have a small goal each time you practice. make one small thing better etc. Keep practice and 'playing' separate if possible

You can learn basic chord and theory away from mandolin. I learned 90% of the theory I know on my lunch hour at work

[dadsaster]

Mandolessons is great. Peghead nation has excellent instruction for things you can't easily find elsewhere (Monroe style, melodic style etc.). Personally, with no instructor I would recommend Mike Marshall at artistworks. I think being able to submit periodic videos and get technique feedback is invaluable as a beginner. I also learn a ton by watching other student submitted videos on tunes I'm working on. I let others make the mistakes for me.

[Liadan]

I can only speak to Mike Marshall at Artistworks, as I haven't tried the other sites. I have limited time (and budget), and have found Mike's lessons to be very helpful. He is kind, patient, and offers good feedback on video responses. He's also pretty quick to answer questions in the forums or chat module. I also like watching other people's video exchanges - there's a lot to be learned from seeing the feedback other people get.

[Hoogus]

You can self learn in short sessions, but if you really want to improve you need to be smart about the time you have to spend. If you set down without any thought but to play some, 30 minutes doesn't go far. Have a small goal each time you practice. make one small thing better etc. Keep practice and 'playing' separate if possible

You can learn basic chord and theory away from mandolin. I learned 90% of the theory I know on my lunch hour at work

Thanks everyone for feedback on this.

Just wanted to clarify on this, when you say keep "practice" and "playing" separate, can you be more specific? Basically, you just know ahead of time what exactly you will be working on when you sit down to play?

Also, I too have been wanting to maximize any "down time" at work by getting better in some way, how did you get better at theory without the mandolin in hand? What exactly did you beef up on? Thanks!

[Mark Gunter]

One not mentioned yet is Pete Martin. He offers beginner mandolin lessons, as well as bluegrass, jazz or western swing lessons - he teaches via skype, and offers several full-length free books as well.

Here is a page at Pete's site with a few of his videos for beginners: http://petimarpress.com/mandolin%20basics%20videos.html

[Mark Gunter]

Another good teacher is Bradley Laird. His website has numerous free and paid video lessons, and currently there is a limited offer to purchase a complete set of mandolin video courses and e-books for a hundred bucks: http://www.bradleylaird.com/treasure/index.html

[soliver]

+1 for Brad Laird, he has some great content too, as well as some great ebooks availableon his site.

[Mark Wilson]

Just wanted to clarify on this, when you say keep "practice" and "playing" separate, can you be more specific? Basically, you just know ahead of time what exactly you will be working on when you sit down to play?

Playing to me is playing what I already know. It's the reason we do this.

Practice is taking something you don't know or don't do well and learning to do it better without error. One bit at a time. Practice makes you a better player faster than just playing. In my opinion of course.

Also, I too have been wanting to maximize any "down time" at work by getting better in some way, how did you get better at theory without the mandolin in hand? What exactly did you beef up on? Thanks!

Make a short list of what you don't know.

I started with chord theory. How chords are constructed. Study the mandolin fretboard using print outs of online images on paper. Scales - major, minor, pentatonic. There are some great youtube tutorial videos on the topic. There are more than a few sites that break down basic theory so you have a basic understanding of how and why. Keep it simple until you want to know more. I learned a fair amount in my first year. All online in my spare time, away from the mandolin.

[MissingString]

+1 for MandoLessons. NFI whatsoever. I don’t have experience with the others mentioned. I do take private Skype lessons which is my primary means of growth on this journey. If anyone cares to inquire please PM me and I’d be happy to introduce you to a phenomenal player/teacher, I couldn’t be happier but don’t want to highjack this thread on a diff topic.

What I would like to say is that if you’ve gotten something out of Baron’s lessons or transcriptions, please send him a few bucks for his efforts. He keeps his site ad free and provides great content. An average private lesson can cost $50 or more for an hour, so a few bucks to Baron (or others with similar musical value) helps keep them going and motivated. Just my two cents and I feel better grabbing some tabs or watching a lesson because of a small donation here and there.

[JeffD]

Just wanted to clarify on this, when you say keep "practice" and "playing" separate, can you be more specific? Basically, you just know ahead of time what exactly you will be working on when you sit down to play?

Speaking for myself, my teacher assigns me exercises from different violin and mandolin etude books. Exercises to build my confidence in playing in certain keys, exercises to get me into third position, exercises to work on glide strokes, fourth finger strengthening, switching positions, just everything. There seems to be an exercise or two or three for every ailment I have. Like prescribed medications.

So when I practice, and I have no specific music I should be working on, I go through the exercises, and just try and get that stuff down.

[DougC]

There is another aspect to this topic, at least this is how I see the issue, and that is that you use the instrument to learn music. So, in other words, I see 'learning mandolin' is a separate issue.

It is similar to children learning to talk and then learning how to read and write.

• Learn the 'technique' of holding and using the mandolin.
• Learn to use the mandolin for tunes and chords.
• Learn how to read and write, "learn music theory' so that you can understand why things work and can communicate.

[Mike Rodbell]

I can only speak to Mike Marshall at Artistworks, as I haven't tried the other sites. I have limited time (and budget), and have found Mike's lessons to be very helpful. He is kind, patient, and offers good feedback on video responses. He's also pretty quick to answer questions in the forums or chat module. I also like watching other people's video exchanges - there's a lot to be learned from seeing the feedback other people get.

I'd second this recommendation. I took a few lessons from Mike Marshall on ArtistWorks and had a similar experience. He was very gracious and helpful when critiquing my playing and gave several valuable suggestions & exercises that helped quite a bit. Well worth the time.

[bradlaird]

Thanks for the mentions... and don't forget the free podcast here: Grass Talk Radio

[sbhikes]

Also, I too have been wanting to maximize any "down time" at work by getting better in some way, how did you get better at theory without the mandolin in hand? What exactly did you beef up on? Thanks!

One way to learn is to listen. Listen closely and carefully. Get the music into your earbones. Try to imagine playing it. You'd be surprise how much you can learn outside your actual time with the instrument.

[Mike Rodbell]

One way to learn is to listen. Listen closely and carefully. Get the music into your earbones. Try to imagine playing it. You'd be surprise how much you can learn outside your actual time with the instrument.

Agree 100%. So much is in the music! Figuring out what you want things to sound like is really valuable!

[yankees1]

Check out lessons from Pete Martin at petimarpress.com ! Skype lessons on internet !