I bought a mandolin!

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: GUEST,Dave T
Date: 04 May 02 - 06:38 AM

Hi Peg,

How 'bout that...I just got a mandolin a couple of weeks ago too. I'm a guitar player but took up fiddle a few years back, so mandolin was a natural (tuning's the same as violin). I find playing mandolin helps both my fiddle playing (the longer scale helps stretch my hand and finger position) and guitar playing (have to be more precise with picking and left hand finger position).

Enjoy and good luck,
Dave T

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: Peg
Date: 04 May 02 - 03:24 AM

all excellent suggestions! thanks!

I was more of a "picker" when I played guitar because with my small hands and short fingers chords were very tricky for me...so I am hoping to be able to learn both melody playing and chords on the mando...

peg

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 04 May 02 - 02:50 AM

Thinking of mandolin as upside guitar (assuming you use eadgbe tuning of course) will ultimately end up causing more confusion ...

In Irish music in particular, the mandolin is used almost exclusively as a melody instrument. We don't use chop chords in the way, for example, that bluegrass players do. And so we need to think of it as an instrument in its own right and develop the "finger memory" required to get around the two or three scales used in Irish music (essentially D, G, A and the minor relatives thereof).

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: van lingle
Date: 03 May 02 - 10:04 PM

Congratulations Peg, it'a a different way to look at the world. If you're looking for tunes to play check out the Mandolin Fake Book. It's got about 250 tunes of various stripe and the arrangements go from easy to hard. vl

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: 53
Date: 03 May 02 - 01:22 PM

I don't see how people can play one cause the fingerboard to me is too small. I wish you well in your conquest of the Mandolin. Bob

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: GUEST,Busyboy
Date: 03 May 02 - 07:34 AM

Think of your mandolin as an upside down guitar. A guitar (in standard tuning) is EADGBE. A mandolin is GDAE. If you visualize the last four strings of your guitar (but upside down and inverted in pitch) you can translate chords such as G and C easily. D is another matter-but it's easy. Its the second fret of the first and last strings. Now you're all set to accompany almost any tune in G!

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: GUEST,Knave
Date: 03 May 02 - 05:18 AM

Gypsy: Last time I checked, mandolins had MORE stings than a guitar!

Peg: keeponpickin'
Knave

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 03 May 02 - 04:24 AM

inebriation ... something that has inspired a good deal of my writing, strumming, diddling, singing

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: GUEST,Davetnova
Date: 02 May 02 - 05:28 PM

I'm sorry for that, I'm rather inebriated.

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: GUEST,Davetnova
Date: 02 May 02 - 05:17 PM

LIsten to Aidan He's the man for tunes and he tells a good ghost story.

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: Aidan Crossey
Date: 02 May 02 - 05:05 PM

Peg ...

If Irish music's your thing, then you could do worse than check out my website for a rake of original tunes in mando tab format. And volume one of my mandolin tunebook which has trad as well as original tunes in mando tab format. Go to Pay The Reckoning and follow the appropriate links.

On the other hand you could do as others have suggested and book yourself a table at the mandolin cafe ... I've contributed a quare hape o' mando tab to its archives! (And for those with an iron constitution, you can hear me play two tunes I wrote in memory of my da - "Gerry Crossey's Tune/Gerry Crossey's Hornpipe" - at The Mandolin Cafe MP3 Page.

G'luck wi' the mando.

Slán go foill.

Aidan Crossey (aka derrymacash ... aka Pay The Reckoning)

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: Sam Pirt
Date: 02 May 02 - 02:30 PM

You bought a mandlin here are some good players to watchout for -

Chris Thile (from Nickelcreek) Simon Mayor jane vikstern (Finland)

all good players, get some fgood tips of listening to them.

Cheers, sam

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: Big Mick
Date: 02 May 02 - 11:15 AM

Peg, make use of mandolin cafe, it is a wonderful site. Also, check Elderly Instruments website. When I am in that store, I often go through their mando section looking for anything on the Irish Bouzouki which is part of the family of instruments. There are great tutorials available for many different styles of playing from bluegrass to country blues to Irish style. It is a great instrument.

Mick

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: Peg
Date: 02 May 02 - 10:52 AM

thanks for all the suggestions! I have very short fingers so I am hoping I will find this easier than guitar...

peg

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: Gypsy
Date: 01 May 02 - 11:31 AM

Much easier than guitar...fewer strings, shorter neck, and the neck is narrow, too! Any Mel-Bay book will have you going soonest.

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: michaelr
Date: 01 May 02 - 02:08 AM

BTW, if ya wanna see somebody REALLY BOUGHT A MANDOLIN, see Anahootz's photos on (fittingly) the Guitars, guitars etc. thread.

Not that I'm jealous or anything...
Michael

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: michaelr
Date: 01 May 02 - 01:40 AM

Congrats, Peg! You'll have to forget most of your guitar fingerings, but the upside is, the mando fretboard requires much less of a stretch.

Happy plinking!
Michael

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: hesperis
Date: 01 May 02 - 01:21 AM

www.mandolincafe.com

Awesome, Peg! Mandolin rules. I miss mine, but at least I have a flute now.

Subject: RE: I bought a mandolin!
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 01 May 02 - 12:35 AM

Try this www.mandolincafe.com sorry I forgot how to do links, & I'm just about to go to sleep (I'ts 5AM here)!

Subject: I bought a mandolin!
From: Peg
Date: 01 May 02 - 12:30 AM

Just a cheap one...but a mandolin nevertheless. From a cool old music shop in the town I went to collegein, during a college reunion I attended this weekend...

So any tips on how I learn to play this thing? (I know a bit of guitar).

Pe