So, I'm new here... and pretty new to the Mandolin

[Dave_KC]

Hi all:

Well, I think it's time for an introductory post (I've posted a few other places already). I play guitar and recently got a Mandolin. It's an Ibanez M510a basic Mandolin. I got it off eBay and so far, I'm really enjoying it.

So, I've been learning basic chording, and having also played Violin growing up, I'm familiar with basic scales and the like.

What are good resources for getting going? My primary playing venue will be playing at church, and I have already with some basic hymns and some of the chords I already know.

I would like to continue learning, and getting better, so I'd love to hear from you all on learning and good resources.

Thanks all.

Dave.

[HonketyHank]

Bradley Laird and Baron Collins-Hill are great teachers on-line, have extensive websites, and are members here. Pete Martin, too. There are more but those are the ones I thought of right off. I have used Baron's lessons extensively.

Baron's website is mandolessons.com.
Brad's website is bradleylaird.com.
Pete's website is petimar press

Explore them. There are also many free videos from highly respected folks on YouTube. Plus on-line paid lessons from folks like Mike Marshall, etc.

It's a big world. Have fun exploring.

Oh, and Welcome to Mandolin Cafe. Feel free to look us up at the Newbies social group (see link below).

[EdHanrahan]

While the term "Mandolin for Dummies" was once the punchline of countless jokes (and of some past April 1 Café header page, I think), the actual book, by Café member Don Julin, is a treasure. Even if you learn much from teachers, whether on-line or in person, the book is still an excellent "reference for the rest of us."

[CES]

David Benedict also offers lessons via Skype, and has told me in an email previously (while generously sending me a transcription of his Star Wars Medley from Mandolin Mondays) that he enjoys students of all skill levels. Seems like a great guy as well. No first hand experience with his lessons, but another (likely very good) option. I believe Wayne Benson teaches via Skype as well, but I haven't investigated the caliber of student he prefers.

As noted, lots of online resources. The tab sections here and at Mandozine.com are voluminous, and most of them, especially the fiddle tunes, are very accessible for a beginner.

Ted Eschliman's Jazzmando site, where you can find his FFCP (four finger closed position) exercises, is cool, as is his book, "Getting into Jazz Mandolin," which has many of those exercises as well. Even if you could care less about ever playing Jazz, the FFCP can be invaluable in helping you understand the fretboard. I'm the "adult supervision" for our church's youth praise band, and am kind of the utility guy, filling gaps when needed with bass, guitar, banjo (very rarely), Uke, OM, and, increasingly of late, mandolin. Old hymns can sound great on mando (Steve Kaufman's "Flatpicking the Gospel" is good), but it works well with a ton of contemporary music as well. In the past couple of months I've used it on "Build Your Kingdom Here," by Rend Collective, "Oceans," by Hillsong, and "All the People Said Amen," by Matt Maher. It allows me to help the 2 or 3 guitar players keep rhythm and stay together while adding some variety to the wall of sound. I also play some lead mando with my Mandobird IV occasionally.

Learning these songs, especially while transposing them to keys our female lead singers can handle, is expanding my mandolin chord vocabulary pretty nicely, so it's a fun way to learn while playing.

Blessings on your journey, it's a fun one!

[Dave_KC]

Wow, thanks for this info, it's super helpful already. I've seen a few of Brad Laird's videos and lessons (and learned basic chords from his site). I've got a lot of good stuff to check out... even Mandolin for dummies!

[Kevin Winn]

Welcome!

Search for pickloser's 'Guide To Double Stops And Repeating Patterns' here on the café. Really helped me get my head around the fret board. And the most important thing about picking up a mandolin after playing guitar is to not think of it as an upside down guitar...

[trabb]

I also play at church primarily. Best advice I'd have is not to lock on to one style. Unless your church is very different than most, you're likely not going to play bluegrass - but some bluegrass techniques wool be helpful some of the time. Unlike bluegrass or celtic where many (most?) songs have a very clear "this is what the mandolin should be doing," most worship songs have no mandolin part at all, so you've got to make it up. Having tools from multiple styles of music is helpful.

[Dave_KC]

I also play at church primarily. Best advice I'd have is not to lock on to one style. Unless your church is very different than most, you're likely not going to play bluegrass - but some bluegrass techniques wool be helpful some of the time. Unlike bluegrass or celtic where many (most?) songs have a very clear "this is what the mandolin should be doing," most worship songs have no mandolin part at all, so you've got to make it up. Having tools from multiple styles of music is helpful.

No Bluegrass at church, just basic hymns and contemporary worship... sometimes dated worship songs. I'm also the guitarist, so I'm not at the point I can do all Mandolin, but I like throwing it in occasionally. I've done a little, but I'm hoping to add to the repertoire.

[Billy Packard]

Firstly, a tip of the hat to all of the comments above...

I will add that the mandolin is not a guitar. I started mandolin thinking as a guitar player and it wasn't long before I saw I was going down the wrong road.

To be a mandolin player please leave the guitar behind. I don't mean stop playing the guitar I mean start anew with the mandolin. They only have frets and picks in common and not really even those. The mandolin is a study in "voice leading" not necessarily chords. I decided to leave the concept of chords behind with the guitar and go forward with voice leading on the mandolin. Classical guitar players don't play chords, for example.

Right hand technique is very different also. PM me and I will send you a lecture I gave on the RH. This video of Chris Thile shows what perfect right hand looks like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FB2oZdNlwM


Beyond that, enjoy your new passion, it will take over your whole life and it will be a love forever! Soon you will have lots of mandolins laying around!!

Billy

billypackardmandolin.com

[Dave_KC]

Thanks Billy. I sent you a PM regarding the RH technique video.

[trabb]

Beyond that, enjoy your new passion, it will take over your whole life and it will be a love forever! Soon you will have lots of mandolins laying around!!

Billy

billypackardmandolin.com

And the best part is that because you're playing primarily at church, God needs you to have another mandolin! At least that's what I tell my wife, who doesn't buy it for a minute.

[mee]

I also play at church primarily. Best advice I'd have is not to lock on to one style. Unless your church is very different than most, you're likely not going to play bluegrass - but some bluegrass techniques wool be helpful some of the time. Unlike bluegrass or celtic where many (most?) songs have a very clear "this is what the mandolin should be doing," most worship songs have no mandolin part at all, so you've got to make it up. Having tools from multiple styles of music is helpful.

I travel extensively to churches within a couple hours travel time and some even a half day travel and all we play is bluegrass style. I don't consider these churches different than most. At least not where I am from. Old time worship and bluegrass music is still going strong here.

[Dave_KC]

And the best part is that because you're playing primarily at church, God needs you to have another mandolin! At least that's what I tell my wife, who doesn't buy it for a minute.

I like that thinking... even though my seminary training might say otherwise!

[sbhikes]

I haven't been to church since the 1980s and I was a Lutheran. Much of Lutheran hymnal music was not that far off from old-time music. You might consider joining an old-time jam if you can find one. Not that you would be playing exactly the same way, but having more opportunities to play, and more opportunity to play with other people will only help you. If you can't find old-time, other genera will do. It's good to play with others no matter what kind of music.

On another subject, I played a cheap mandolin for 10 years before finally getting a better one. Don't feel too much pressure to get a better mandolin. My new mandolin is a LOT better than my old one, but I don't think I would have appreciated it early on as much as I do now.

[mee]

On another subject, I played a cheap mandolin for 10 years before finally getting a better one. Don't feel too much pressure to get a better mandolin. My new mandolin is a LOT better than my old one, but I don't think I would have appreciated it early on as much as I do now.

this is true for me too, I couldn't hear much difference in the beginning from a cheap mandolin than what I have now but definitely have the ear now. I say "cheaper" because my 1st was a fender teardrop only a couple hundred but it played very well and stayed in tune so really good starter. Just more of a tinny sound.

[JEStanek]

Welcome to the Cafe.

Learning your Hymnal and playing with others will really help you. It's a ready made tune book of things you will use and already know how they go.

Jamie

[Dave_KC]

Learning your Hymnal and playing with others will really help you. It's a ready made tune book of things you will use and already know how they go.

And we've got probably a dozen various hymnals around the house!

[Charlie Bernstein]

The ways I learn best:

- Playing with other people.

- Figuring out mando parts for the things I play on guitar.

- Watching and listening to other people play mando.