How do you get better at the mandolin?

[CarlM]

In keeping with the thread theme, I think one needs a formal plan with specific goals and a general time line to get there. Going back to my failed engineering training, a PIRT chart with a critical path would also be useful (tongue firmly in cheek here).

My main picking partner takes Skype lessons from Emory Lester. He told her one day "You think I have a plan for this" with a laugh.

General goals are good. A firm timeline is not. It takes what time it takes, usually more than you plan.

You need to be prepared to strike when the iron is hot. I had a song come together completely in about 15 minutes one day after I woke up with it in a dream. It was not one I had planned on working on. Similarly I ran across a recent You Tube of Time the Revelator and immediately realized what the odd chord was despite having struggled with it several times. I dug in and worked out the chord progression fairly quickly despite past failures. If I was following a PIRT chart and critical path I would never have gotten either of those because I would not have allowed myself to sidetrack.

Mandolin was a place where I allowed myself to be sidetracked from The Plan. My wife got a mandolin and was working on it. I picked it up one day and started picking out tunes and decided this is fun and kept after it. It has been a good choice.

It is an exploration not an engineering project. Some of the territory has been well covered but the best parts are the ones no one has seen before. You cannot plan those.

[Mike Floorstand]

I think maybe treat it as an engineering project, but not to expect engineering results.

So some bits you work on every day never seem to get finished, and other bits you work on hardly ever suddenly seem to appear out of nowhere.

[T.D.Nydn]

"How do you get better than the next guy? You put in more time than he does.." ..Bruce Lee

[Simon DS]

Five things that really helped me improve:
1 vibrato (took four days)
2 FFcP
3 ‘knowing’ that you can be good by just working steadily at it, break it down, no mistakes
4 the metronome/play-along with other MandolinCafers on slowed-down Youtube
5 Mandolintab.net
6 Mandolessons.com
7

[mandolinruletheearth]

and practice with a metronome as much as possible

[David Lewis]

Try working out other instrument parts. Obviously fiddle tunes, and guita solos but why not try saxophone or trumpet parts? Or piano? Obviously you need to adjust parts, but it opens the fretboard in interesting and new ways.

[Mandoplumb]

"How do you get better than the next guy? You put in more time than he does.." ..Bruce Lee

I know this is an old thread, and I haven't read all post but this statement just begged for my 2cent worth. DON'T worry about getting better than the other guy. Most of us could practice 24/7 and not reach the level of Thilie even if we used the same strings and pick that he uses. Different people have different abilities. Our goal should be to get better today than we were yesterday and yes that does take practice, and lots of it.

[Br1ck]

Three years ago, I decided to take a more disciplined approach to mandolin than I did with guitar. I started playing scales in every key using a metronome as a third of my practice regimin. I still do that today, but I've added scale exercises, minor scales, and arpeggios into the mix. For a good two years, I wondered why. But then I noticed I could learn a fiddle tune in a day or two. I'd already played most of the note patterns and intervals. I started noticing my fingers automatically going to the note I needed. My brain had heard it before. I'm now playing harmonized scales and things are making sence. Don't neglect the right hand. Play triplets while playing scales. And don't increase metronome speed until you can play mistake free.

[Bill McCall]

Have some daily structure, ie, warmup, technique, old tunes, new tunes. Challenge yourself in each area. Learning how to maximize each of those is a separate topic.

Have fun and be patient with yourself.

[Eric "Trapper" G]

I'm only two months into this playing bluegrass on the mandolin, but must say it the friends you play with. The joy of makeing music with people you enjoy being with. They push you and you them. They make you want to get better, and they want to be better. I guess you can say I'm into it for friendship more then trying to be a pro mandolin player.

[Bob Visentin]

Try transcribing solos especially from other instruments. I remember the first Miles Davis solo I transcribed. Freddie the Freeloader. Just a basic Bb blues but I would never have played it like that. It made me a better player and a better listener.

[gtani7]

Commit to play out, practice/jam w/others, record yourself ona variety of tunes.

Listen, transcribe, be able to replay then alter other's solos /rhythm, even their chopping. Choose a lot of different tunes, simple ones to make your own harmonic, melodic, rhythmic variations, complex ones just to be able to reproduce the CD. Visually recognize chord shapes on guitar and banjo for jam situations.

Don't get hung up on theory, a lot of its fancy terms for simple concepts, reharmonize, chromatic passing tones etc

there's whole books and websites about practicing: https://www.jazzadvice.com/jazz-advi...ular-articles/. Books by tom Heany, jon Harnum, David Dumais, Gerald Klickstein, look in your public library.

[slinds]

One thing I suggest when practicing is to not get upset with yourself when you make mistakes (which happens all the time for me). As a younger man, I was a stage actor for about 12 years and I would get mad at myself when I blew up my lines, only to find out that the anger/frustration now coursing through my body was causing me to make more mistakes. I had to learn to go the other way - to relax more after I made a mistake. And, I immediately got better in my performance. Lawrence Olivier, the great English actor (but a stranger to the mandolin, I'm pretty sure) said he had to learn to relax his feet on stage - that made him a better performer. I've learned the same concept is true for me when playing the mandolin - the more I relax, the better I play. So I try to relax the hands and body, especially after making a mistake. Take a breath, relax and begin again. For what its worth.

[Br1ck]

As others have stated, playing with people will tell you what to work on. I've found other players willing to show you thing you'd not figure out on your own, in fact, there is a fabulous musician who I play with at an open mic who came up to me last night saying he was sorry he'd not invited me over to his house for a lesson given that I'd given him a guitar or two. So going over tonight. I know enough to know what direction I need to play with others, and what ruts I need to get out of, so it will be very productive.

[mbruno]

First - you get there the same way you get to Carney Hall - practice. (sorry, had to throw the old joke out)

That said, there are two rules I live by:

1) Whatever you practice, you will improve on.
2) Specific improvements becoming smaller as playing improves overall.

If you practice things you are already good at, you will improvement albeit at a slower rate. If you practice things you aren't that great at, you'll see larger improvements but it's more painful to get there.

One of my great friends in San Diego who is an amazing musician overall moved up to Bishop. We jammed together a lot since he lived a few blocks from me and we'd both continuously stole riffs from each other - a great win win. There's not as many players that live that close and I've gotten busy with gigs (where I'm the only mandolin player) - so I found I was improving less because I got comfortable.

I started taking lessons from Scott Gates as he's got the chops I want. Aside from the 2.5 hour one way drive, I'm finding the push he provides being a much better mandolin player than I is a great way to stay sharp. He pointed out things I didn't realize I needed to work on, which has helped find the material I need to practice more. The most important point, I know he's a lot better than me - which means I cannot be comfortable in my playing. Lessons aren't cheap and they take the better part of a day due to driving (I'm also taking 1.5 hours in a lesson). So, I put myself in a position where I have to improve or I'm wasting a lot of time and money. For me, that perspective helps me when I'm questioning "should I practice now or later". I've found that I'm now practicing a minimum of 3 hours a day and weekends are getting closer to 5 hours a day (not including rehearsals or gigs).

One big key I forgot to mention - RECORD YOURSELF PLAYING. Take video ideally so you can see your fingering and technique. I've found this is really important - both to help you immediately correct errors and, what I'm finding more now, can show you how much you've improved (sort of like a before / after picture) which is a great motivator.

Good luck!

[Timbofood]

This is really silly, 90 posts and it’s “use a #######’ metronome”??? Get a grip!
Play better... play MORE! It’s that simple! Play with as many people as you can, this is not a solo instrument when you begin, are intermediate or, “pretty good”. When the sun shines whe you play in a snowstorm then you’ve gotten there.
Until then, enjoy the learning curve.
Forty odd years at it and I’m still “getting better”
Sheesh!

[mandoglobal]

After almost 30 years of doing this, and finally figuring out how it most often seems to work for player development, here’s the best advice I can give:
- learn instrumental tunes you like (tab or whatever). Instrumentals are important because they teach you both consciously AND unconsciously how to express sound on the mandolin. Find what tunes you like, and learn them.
- slow down and work on those tunes until you can play them fairly clean, but don’t get stuck on one thing. Keep moving forward, explore, get out there and talk to folks. Keep finding new excitement.
- for improv (with vocal tunes for example), start out by just plaing the melody. Even if you feel like it sounds super basic, find those key notes of the melody, strip it down to its most basic parts, and build from there. Once you have those key notes, you can start trying to add tricks and ideas you learn from tunes. Always go back to the melody. Learn to find or feel the melody almost automatically.
- Find a mentor or group of mentors. Be willing to talk it over with someone who is a veteran (or whoever has the results you want). If you’re learning is leveling off, you need someone to guide your to the next level. You’re a student. Find a teacher.
- Make sure you’re having FUN!!! Don’t let the complexity overwhelm you. Enjoy learning, because if you’re doing it right, you’ll be discovering stuff forever.

[mandoglobal]

Have some daily structure, ie, warmup, technique, old tunes, new tunes. Challenge yourself in each area. Learning how to maximize each of those is a separate topic.

Have fun and be patient with yourself.

This is SO important. David Grisman told me exactly the same thing on two occasions about being structured with your practice time.

[Al Trujillo]

Here are a few things I've learned from members since I joined:
1. Play an instrument that inspires you to play it. This is the first thing I remember most when I joined and asked, "what should I buy?"
2. Keep your mandolin close, even if stored in its case, you'll be inclined to pick it up often.
3. Learn to use a metronome. I'm still working on this one.
4. Here is an important one: Don't stop playing after striking a wrong note. Keep moving.

[V70416]

as soon as possible,buy several outrageously expensive mandolins(Nugget,Gilchrist,Heiden). may not make you a better player but
is very good inspiration.(while you are eating top-ramen and baloney sandwiches).

[RustyMadd]

It cracks me up when you tell people that there are no other people to play with and they tell you about visiting some of the local jams when they DON'T EXIST for some of us.

Now of course that does not mean that no one plays anything locally, it just means that anyone that might be good enough to interact with musically and maybe be pushed by DOESN'T EXIST.

And if they do, they are hiding-out or unwilling to share their time and/or talents with me.

[Timbofood]

Here are a few things I've learned from members since I joined:
1. Play an instrument that inspires you to play it. This is the first thing I remember most when I joined and asked, "what should I buy?"
2. Keep your mandolin close, even if stored in its case, you'll be inclined to pick it up often.
3. Learn to use a metronome. I'm still working on this one.
4. Here is an important one: Don't stop playing after striking a wrong note. Keep moving.

Al,
Point number four is one that a very early musical friend made me realize when I had only been playing a few months!
“If you miss a note, keep going no one else will stop for you to go back and find it!” Easily said, harder to make yourself do!

[Br1ck]

I'll add a recent experience. I know one musician that gigs regularly. He's in four bands, on four different instruments. He offered to show me a path toward improvising. In one hour my mind exploded with possibilities, so I'll add find someone who knows music and can explain it.

Playing with people will show you where your deficiencies are, and quickly, like finding out where more chords are and how to play in many keys.

[kurth83]

I have had the burst and fizzle effect on a few instruments, I thought through what made me good on my one decent instrument, and it was a combination of years in a band, playing every day, playing a lot of material that was a little below my ability (so I could perfect my playing easily), and a constant influx of new material to play so things never got boring. I also stuck with it for 7 years - this may be the most important part.

I have also had experiences where the instrument itself was holding me back. For mandolin I explored strings, picks, setups, fret height, course spacing, all of those things made a difference.

My fizzle experiences were usually I got stuck in a rut, or wasn't making satisfactory progress. I think the rut thing hurt more than anything else, so now I am signed up for two online teachers (the kind with pre-recorded material), and never lack for new stuff to play.

I focus on material of two types, stuff I can play well, to add to my play for friends and family repertoire, and the stuff that stretches me a bit, I find it helps to have a constant influx of both types, and I have a bunch of technical drills where I am working on something or other. At the moment (3.5 years into this) I am focussing on up the fretboard, have some pentatonics I am working on, and a few songs I am learning. The rut of doom must be avoided at all costs. :-)

[GTison]

Almost 10 years since the original post! Someone PM the original poster to comment. Did he get better?