Hey everybody, I am just wanting to hear some advice on the best way I can go about mastering the mandolin. Every little bit helps!
Hey everybody, I am just wanting to hear some advice on the best way I can go about mastering the mandolin. Every little bit helps!
practice.
Dave H
Eastman 615 mandola
2011 Weber Bitteroot A5
2012 Weber Bitteroot F5
Eastman MD 915V
Gibson F9
2016 Capek ' Bob ' standard scale tenor banjo
Ibanez Artist 5 string
2001 Paul Shippey oval hole
The good folks here will be happy to help out, but you'll get more precise guidance if you can narrow your stated goal down from "mastering the mandolin" a little.
What style(s) are you interested in mastering?
mando scales
technical exercises for rock blues & fusion mandolinists
mp4 backing tracks & free downloadable pdfs
jimbevan.com
Dave has it right...consistently spending time practicing/playing will improve your skills. I always tell new students to commit at least 15-20 minutes per day at least 4-5 times per week and you will improve and likely want to commit more time to it.
"All of us contain Music & Truth, but most of us can't get it out." - Mark Twain
Eastman MD615SB
Martin D35
Gibson SG
Like Dave said, practice, practice, practice. Learn some basics first such as how to make chords. Try picking out a melody that is familiar to you, something simple like the Happy Birthday song.Try to pick out a scale. Depending on what kind of music you want to learn get some CD's and try to figure out what key a particular song is in and then try to find some of the notes on the mandolin.
If you know any mandolin players in your area see it they can show you some stuff; how to make chords, information about the fretboard positions and the like. Good luck and remember......you will have sore fingers, get frustrated and want to quit, but don't. The first time you can play along with a song, or join a local jam session, you'll realize all the work is worth it. Most important, this stuff is supposed to be fun but it does take some time to get there. Good luck.
What level are you at now, what tunes can you play backup/melody to?
_________________
Use the search box to search topics like:
Picking / Fretting/right/left hand technique
Theory: common chord changes, basic chord shapes
Instrument setup
Flat picks
How to allocate time for practice sessions
etc
Kentucky km900
Yamaha piano, clarinet, violin; generic cello;
a pedal steel (highly recommended); banjo, dobro don't get played much cause i'm considerate ;}
Shopping/monitoring prices: vibraphone/marimbas, rhodes, synths, Yamaha brass and double reeds
I returned to the mandolin after a lengthy absence (life got too busy, then Chemo slowed me down) and basically had to restart, learning chords, etc (I remembered open G, C, and D, lol). I spent a month re-learning the basic chords and the movable forms and got so I could play decent rhythm in any key. I then found a local bluegrass/country group that met weekly and began playing with them. Nothing like regular sessions to keep you motivated to learn new stuff!
In the absence of a convenient local group, I'd suggest something like iRealPro. Relatively inexpensive app, has thousands of songs (chords, no melody) readily available. You can choose backing style (including bluegrass), then select the key, tempo, and number of repeats. Easy to enter your own songs, too. With this app (or something similar), you can get the benefit of metronome-type practice to make sure you're able to keep up a consistent tempo, you can start a song slowly and build up your speed, and you can practice your rhythm, fills, and solos. (Well, this app is easy for things like fiddle tunes. More complicated songs might be a challenge. I've mainly used it for fiddle tunes.)
Doug Brock
2018 Kimble 2 point (#259), Eastman MD315, Eastman MDA315, some guitars, banjos, and fiddles
I can chop to most songs, still working on the minors. Also, I can pick out Angeline the baker and thats about it.
I would think that it depends on what your definition is of "mastering" it is ! I will never master it but enjoying the ride !
I don't know if the Newbies social group can provide a path to mastery but we all seem to be enjoying the search. Come join us!
New to mando? Click this link -->Newbies to join us at the Newbies Social Group.
Just send an email to rob.meldrum@gmail.com with "mandolin setup" in the subject line and he will email you a copy of his ebook for free (free to all mandolincafe members).
My website and blog: honketyhank.com
If there was one thing I could tell you, it would be invest in a good mandolin. Spending $1200 or so on a used A style Silverangel, Weber Gallatin, summit, etc. will do the following, first of all, you’ve committed yourself, second, you won’t have any excuses about the quality, and most important you will find yourself playing more. Significantly more. If this amounts to an extra ten to twenty percent more, over time the difference in proficiency will be dramatic. You did say you want to master the mandolin. So if it takes twenty years to do that, you will have cut your time down to 15 or 18 years. Pretty significant.
Silverangel A
Arches F style kit
1913 Gibson A-1
As has been mentioned PRACTICE!
I also would recommend lessons, you'll learn a lot, and having a teacher to bounce questions/ideas off of can help your playing dramatically.
When I first started plying 3 years ago I had already been playing guitar for 30 years, so scales and chords came relatively easy, what didn't was playing the mandolin like a mandolin and not a guitar. I did Skype lessons with Nate Lee, and learned a ton. (no financial interest)
I also recommend listening to and playing along with your favorite music. Even if it's just chopping along. It's a great way to practice.
Lastly, playing with other people. It really puts you on the spot and it'll help you learn how to make musical decisions on the fly.
I don't know how much beginner you might be, so apologies if I misjudged.
I would say that if your mandolin is playable, and you know how to tune it up, you are ready to attend a jam session. Of course you will not know how to play many/any of the tunes, but listen, as you sit things out, absorb the atmosphere, tell everyone you are a beginner (and watch them fall all over themselves wanting to help you), maybe record some tunes on your cell phone that seem interesting.
Then attend regularly. Between jams try stuff out, get some lessons,peruse the internet for instructional youtubes, have some of your new found friends show you stuff, whatever is your learning style. But all the time keep attending the jam regularly.
You will be amazed how quickly you will start making progress. Amazed, as in huh? wha? amazed.
It's not a little guitar - its strum is different, and its sound and role is different. Concentrate on the right hand.
Try and learn the intervals. And chords. And scales.
Don't set unrealistic goals. Want to play 'She'll be coming round the mountain' in three days? It might be possible, but it might take you a week.Want to play like Chris Thile? That might take some time.
Think about what you want to play. This ambition may change as you learn.
Have fun.
Have fun.
You are playing one of the most versatile instruments. Have fun.
JBovier ELS; Epiphone MM-50 VN; Epiphone MM-40L; Gretsch New Yorker G9310; Washburn M1SDLB;
Fender Nashville Deluxe Telecaster; Squier Modified Vintage Cabronita Telecaster; Gretsch 5420T; Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat: Washburn Banjo B9; Ibanez RB 5string; Ibanez RB 4 string bass
Pedalboard for ELS: Morley Cry baby Miniwah - Tuner - EHX Soul Food Overdrive - EHX Memory Toy analog Delay
Fender Blues Jr Tweed; Fender Greta;
Lessons from someone, and many someones, who are knowledgeable. Yourself as the teacher is choosing someone who don't know diddly about what you don't know!
Also try to gig in a band that plays a lot. I was in a band for over a decade before I started to really get it. It is a constant growth experience if you apply your self, and few will actually be "Masters".
2007 Weber Custom Elite "old wood"
2017 Ratliff R5 Custom #1148
Several nice old Fiddles
2007 Martin 000-15S 12 fret Auditorium-slot head
Deering Classic Open Back
Too many microphones
BridgerCreekBoys.com
Thanks for all the advice! I actually just attended a jam at a local coffee shop this monday. There were a ton of exremely skilled mandolin players. They even put me on the spot and made me sing a tune; I defintely had a lot of fun. My goal this week is to brush up on a couple of the songs they were playing so I can join in next week!
Bookmarks