Why/how did you start playing mandolin?

[AndyV]

Another thread brought this to mind.

I was gifted a MIJ "Flamenco" mandolin when I was five to nine years old, passed down to me from an elderly neighbour in the early 70's. I never heard him play.

I didn't try to learn until I was thirteen, maybe fourteen. I was taking guitar class in high school (a friend convinced me by telling me a girl I liked was taking the course) and thought from there to get a mandolin book and try to learn. It's been a slow go.

Some time in my mid twenties I stopped playing guitar, mandolin had always been secondary. About five years later a coworker was moving away and gave me his cheap guitar which he'd never learned to play saying I at least knew a few cords and could play for my then infant son. I took up guitar again.

A few years later my wife suggested I take a night school mandolin course through Parks and Rec.

The sentence in bold answers the subject question, but yesterday as I thought of how the mandolin came into my life and the following instrument related chain of events that has me playing now, I feel I've had no choice. Did the universe dictate this, or is it just telling me I have no free will?

[AndyV]

The instructor at the Parks and Rec course said he picked up mandolin because he'd had a motorcycle and it was easier to ride with a mando than with a guitar.

[Christine Robins]

I first played fiddle, and I wanted an instrument I also could sing with. Played guitar for a number of years, but gave it up when I saw how much easier mandolin is.

[Mark Gunter]

Picked up my dad's guitar at about 11 or 12, picked up mandolin at about age 60. I was trolling eBay for guitars when I saw a MarkStern bowl-back mandolin for cheap, and I bought it, fixed it up a bit, and figured out a couple tunes as a lark. Then, after a few months, maybe about a year later, I got hooked and started trying to learn mandolin stuff (as opposed to figuring out "guitar stuff") -- and now, at 63-1/2 and four mandolins later, I'm still hooked on mandolin.

[QCS]

I was picking banjo in a string band. The guy playing mandolin stuck around just long enough to make sure we all knew we needed mandolin on certain tunes. One day he informed us he was going to be moving. It just wasn’t the same, so I figured I better get one and start the wood shedding process. Didn’t take long to get hooked.

[Br1ck]

My three year old grandson saw a mandolin in a farmer's market band. He told my wife I needed to buy one so he could play it.

[Roger Moss]

I wish I had a magical fairy story, but I just fell over a mandolin while casting about on eBay for something interesting to do about 10 years ago. I found an inexpensive solid wood all blonde model for sale on demo for $79. I sure wish now that I could get that one back. Anyway, after a few on and off attempts, I started getting more and more interested over the years. The rest, as they say, is history.

[Eric Platt]

Was playing guitar exclusively when my band broke up. Went through some personal struggles after that. Fell in with another group of folks that was passing on the tradition of Finnish folk music. The leader is a very underrated mandolin player. Soon decided that it would be better for me to work on learning mandolin and to try to help keep the tradition going.

Worked out even better as our fiddle player has a husband who plays guitar in our group now.

I still play guitar, but it's generally taken a back seat for the past year and half. That said, during a trip this month to Michigan to play some shows, will probably be playing more guitar than mandolin.

[B381]

Tried to play guitar, never really got anywhere with it. I could play chords but not melody. Funny thing, on the mandolin I am better at melody than chords. But I tab read very quickly when learning new songs, almost like it's natural. I have a LONG way to go on this journey but it seems to be getting better daily. Almost never a day goes by without me spending at least a few minutes with my mandolin. The size for one makes it easy to take with me, thus allowing for more practice time. I always wanted to learn, have loved bluegrass since my dad used to listen to the "Pine Cone Bluegrass" show on the radio here in NC.

[EdHanrahan]

... Did the universe dictate this, or is it just telling me I have no free will?

Hey, you're free to just say "No" to each & every opportunity that life presents. Either grab it and go, or sit and watch TV - your choice.

I suspect that many of us had a circuitous route to mandolin. In short, a shattered humerus (upper right arm) 11 years ago put me out of work for 6 months and prevented me from playing guitar for well over a year, but I could hold a mandolin after only a few weeks. I had previously bought a cheapo 'cause it was, ya know, cheap, and had learned a bunch of chords, but time at home gave me the chance to pursue the music theory that I had assiduously avoided for decades.

Long story short: Now retired, I play in a mandolin orchestra, a very active 5-piece Italian music group (2 mandos, flute, guitar, bass guitar), a Thursday-afternoon mando group at the local library that plays mostly for nursing-home folks, a monthly acoustic folk-rock jam, and occasional reunions of my college rock band. Except for the last, it was mandolin that got me into all of these groups, even if -HA!- I end up playing guitar and bass. It's the monthly rock jam where I play mandolin the most!

[Michael Neverisky]

... Did the universe dictate this..

I started playing mandolin two years ago when an injury kept me flat on my back such that I could not hold the guitar. That Kentucky mandolin rested easily on my chest. I recovered in a few months, put my guitar in the closet and bought a Collings mandolin.

I don't know if the Universe dictates so much as it presents opportunities.

[mmuller]

We started playing "Chicken Train" by the Ozark Mt Daredevils. There was a mandolin in it. One of the guys had one and I borrowed. 1975 Union Battle of the Bands. Just visited the guy where he lives in DC and there it was, hanging on his wall. Got to play it again after over 40 years.

[DavidKOS]

My Sicilian grandmother bought me a mandolin when I was about 13. I've been playing ever since.

[Mark Gunter]

We started playing "Chicken Train" by the Ozark Mt Daredevils. There was a mandolin in it. One of the guys had one and I borrowed. 1975 Union Battle of the Bands. Just visited the guy where he lives in DC and there it was, hanging on his wall. Got to play it again after over 40 years.

That's a great story - and most impressive, you played it at such an angle, 90* from plumb!

[mmuller]

That's a great story - and most impressive, you played it at such an angle, 90* from plumb!

We were on a boat....

Still working on my mandolin skills as well as my nautical skills....

[AndyV]

Strad-O-Lin?

[AndyV]

We were on a boat....

Still working on my mandolin skills as well as my nautical skills....

Do you play "Paddlin' Madelin' Home"?

[Todd Bowman]

gifted a cheap bowl-back in the early 80's. Tuned it like the bottom four strings of a guitar until I found a Mel-bay mandolin book and learned the proper tuning. About 6 months later, found the Jack Tottle Bluegrass Mandolin book. After that, the mandolin consumed a good portion of my waking (and dreaming) life.

[Dogrich]

After years of guitar playing, I wanted to try something different, and mandolin spoke to me. However, when I finally got to try a few, I found the fretboard way too cramped. I ended up going with banjo and tenor banjo. After a year or so of tenor banjo, I revisited the mandolin and found I could manage the shorter scale. Mandolin is the sound I have been looking for... I have been messing with a Redline Traveler pancake for a couple of months and just recently acquired a Breedlove American KO. I am hooked!

[jefflester]

I had played guitar and drums for about 20 years. In the summer of 1998, two things inspired me to take up the mandolin - hearing the Garcia/Grisman album "So What" and seeing Nickel Creek in concert and being blown away by a 17 year old kid named Chris Thile.

[mandroid]

Nobody liked my Whistling solos.

[Willem]

My wife bought me a mandolin for Christmas. I had played music for 25yrs prior, but never even thought to pick up a mandolin. Clearly she knows me well as I haven't really played any of my other instruments since.

[MikeZito]

The LONG story is in my one blog post . . . .

[mr ken]

I knew my body & limbs were going give up . I would't be able to play golf on the level i had for about 46 years, 3-5 rounds per week were telling me the truth.
Always around music & though for years about the mandolin. So 10 years ago in my mid 60's in took the jump. A good move i'm still close golf & last course that i work for many years. Now at 75 the hips, arms, back, neck & etc are a pain on going . Have enjoyed the mandolin helps with my mind an time filling, even picked a guitar. I take P.T. about 3mos per yr. The mandolin has been a help in this time of life.

[Grimm]

I played drums growing up and always felt I wanted to play something more melodic. I listened to Nickel Creek in high school and knew I wanted to play mandolin after seeing Chris Thile live in concert. Took me another 8 years to finally buy one though. Wish I pulled the trigger earlier.