Pantagruel7 - Posted - 11/18/2013:  16:27:13

Can mandolin playing help your violin playing?  I learned my basic musicianship skills as a clarinet player in school band many years ago.  Later I took up classical guitar and still later violin.  I'm a pretty poor violin player, actually.  I'm considering adding mandolin to the list, hoping I can 1) rest my bow arm and 2) save my left pinky finger and 3) use mandolin as an aid in learning fiddle tunes.  I really enjoy the sound of double-strung instruments, too.  Any thoughts?

abinigia - Posted - 11/18/2013:  21:03:01

Sure, mandolin can help your fiddle playing. The differences between the two are obvious, but once you have a handle on them both you'll find they're helping each other. As you say, learning tunes on one instrument to play on both can be helpful. I'm a longtime mando player but when I started playing fiddle about 10 years ago I found I learned a lot tunes on it first, and now many of those tunes I can play better on it. But I still share tunes back and forth between them.

Fiddle takes a lot less muscle in the left hand. Mandolin takes more muscle but requires a lot less position accuracy in the left hand. It's harder to play rapid trills with your little finger on mandolin. The scale length is a little longer on the mando, but you'll get used to it. They're both rhythmical but different from each other in the right hand. Play them both because they're fun, and they'll cross-pollinate and you'll be happy.

Susan H - Posted - 11/19/2013:  02:01:55

I have played both. I love the sound of the fiddle, but I can't  fiddle to save my life! There I said it. But, I'm not a bad mandolin player, and I love the mandolin more than fiddle. You shouldn't have any trouble going from one to the other. Good luck.

Edited by - Susan H on 11/19/2013 02:02:30

mojohand40 - Posted - 11/19/2013:  03:55:47

quote:

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Originally posted by Pantagruel7

 

Can mandolin playing help your violin playing?  I learned my basic musicianship skills as a clarinet player in school band many years ago.  Later I took up classical guitar and still later violin.  I'm a pretty poor violin player, actually.  I'm considering adding mandolin to the list, hoping I can 1) rest my bow arm and 2) save my left pinky finger and 3) use mandolin as an aid in learning fiddle tunes.  I really enjoy the sound of double-strung instruments, too.  Any thoughts?

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Absolutely! I played mandolin a long time before playing fiddle. I'm no great fiddler, but mandolin really helped me get a "jump start" on learning fiddle. I play mostly fiddle these days, but still, if I'm having a tough time figuring out a fiddle tune, I try and pick it out on a mandolin first.

If you are leaning toward Bluegrass fiddle, mandolin skills will really help you with learning double stops and chord changes, etc.

Most tunes I've learned on the fiddle, I go back and learn a mandolin version of.  The two instruments compliment each other for learning processes. BUT...sometimes you got to decide what instrument to really focus on...you can't (or at least I can't!) give 100% to two or three different instruments, escpecially in the beginning stages of learning.

as for 2) on your list: "Save my pinky finger"..... Save it for what?  Seriously, playing mando WILL require your pinky and beleive me a LOT stronger pinky (and fingers) then fiddle.   So if you are looking to "Save your pinky"....not sure mandolin will help you. It will STRENGTHEN your pinky and fingers, though.

Pantagruel7 - Posted - 11/19/2013:  05:38:55

As for my pinky finger, I think it's becoming a bit arthritic, and I try to stay off it somewhat.  On guitar, slamming my pinky down on the low E string has become a thing to avoid.  So I use my pinky judiciously.  Django R. did plenty with just two fingers, and I have three I can depend on and one that is a little iffy.  I suppose you learn to compensate with position shifts when you must.  Thanks for the input.  I'm gonna go look at some mandolins today. 

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 11/19/2013:  05:51:41

The playing of two instruments that have so much in common and are so totally different can't but effect the way I play and learn on each one. Crosspollination is mentioned above, I can agree whole heartedly with that one. THe differences in operating bows and picks still cause me occasional grief when working out a tune. Having to "figure out" a bowing scheme for a certain string of notes, and remembering to use it, when you just pick them on a mandolin. DUDUDUDU is definately out the window in some cases. Playing mandolin for years before I took up with a fiddle left me with a good understanding of how chords and melody move through songs and tunes. So moving around on a fiddle, once I got used to the fact that there were no, zero ,zilch frets became a fairly natural pursuit. I try to pass tunes I learn back and forth between the two instruments just to see what different stuff comes out. Good fun..... what is kind of odd to me is how I will hold a fiddle like a mandolin when I am figuring out a rough patch and pluck it........ makes no sense whatsoever ... but there it is..... I want to see more combo cases "out there" ......R/

Pantagruel7 - Posted - 11/19/2013:  12:09:48

Here's a little update: after doing a little research on A style mandolins under or around $500, I dropped by Elderly (which is conveniently nearby) today and picked out a Kentucky KM161. Never having had a mandolin in my hands before today, here are some first impressions: It's tricky to balance it on my lap. My fingers feel really fat. The bass end of the bridge wants to dig into the base of my right thumb. On guitar I usually use a thumb-pick & I feel more accurate using one. I don't know if there are any mandolin players who use a thumb-pick. The woman at Elderly who helped me recommended a flat pick with very round corners. I hope I can transfer violin chord shapes to mandolin. I found myself fretting the mandolin as I would a guitar, with one finger per half step. That throws everything off when compared to fiddle. Fretting it as you would a guitar, the pinky gives you a major third instead of a fifth. I hope that's clear. Anyhow, the KM161 seems like a pretty modest investment & we'll just see how it works out.

abinigia - Posted - 11/19/2013:  12:30:28

quote:

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Originally posted by Pantagruel7

 

Here's a little update: after doing a little research on A style mandolins under or around $500, I dropped by Elderly (which is conveniently nearby) today and picked out a Kentucky KM161. Never having had a mandolin in my hands before today, here are some first impressions: It's tricky to balance it on my lap. My fingers feel really fat. The bass end of the bridge wants to dig into the base of my right thumb. On guitar I usually use a thumb-pick & I feel more accurate using one. I don't know if there are any mandolin players who use a thumb-pick. The woman at Elderly who helped me recommended a flat pick with very round corners. I hope I can transfer violin chord shapes to mandolin. I found myself fretting the mandolin as I would a guitar, with one finger per half step. That throws everything off when compared to fiddle. Fretting it as you would a guitar, the pinky gives you a major third instead of a fifth. I hope that's clear. Anyhow, the KM161 seems like a pretty modest investment & we'll just see how it works out.

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Great! You got one. I don't think there's anyone who plays a mondolin with a thumbpick. It's very untypical anyway. I like the stiff picks with the round corners, but picks are an individual preference. One important thing you noticed already is you wanted to use your left hand chromatically like on a guitar. On a mandolin you definitally want to finger diatonically just like fiddle. That's one finger for each note of the scale, do-re-mi, etc.

You can round off the corner of your bridge so it's not so pointy. Take it to a luthier if you're not comfortable with that yourself.

Good luck!

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 11/19/2013:  14:43:28

Yeah you'll go through a number of picks and shapes and thicknesses until you find what suits you. Put a strap button on the heel of that A model Kentucky. It will hang fine off the shoulder of across one shoulder and around the back of your neck. Otherwise sit with your right foot up on your case or something about four inches thick. THat will give you the relaxed angle you need......... Luck... R/

fiddlebutcher - Posted - 11/19/2013:  17:53:22

I think the story goes that Paganini began on a mandolin. Quite believable, him being of Italian nationality.

I can't actually remember which instrument I learnt first. But I do recall playing the fiddle in the mando position many times.

TeachinMandolin444 - Posted - 12/07/2013:  13:43:50

I know my mandolin playing has helped my fiddling,and I'm sure the effect has been vice versa. I usually memorize a tune on mandolin & then move it over to the fiddle. Don't think you'll be saving that pinky tho-I use my left pinky a lot from the 5th fret on. Keep sawin-you'll get better! 

ronwalker49 - Posted - 12/08/2013:  18:54:58

I have played the violin/fiddle since I was a small boy, and am currently deeply involved in my 5th attempt at the Mandolin...Always before I have gotten discouraged and given up on the mandolin because of my in-ability to attain enough speed to play bluegrass breakdowns....I have never been able to use a flat pick very well at fast speeds...I can play the Banjo very fast and never do I find a tune so fast that I cannot play it on the fiddle..I have found that playing the fiddle for so long is a great benefit to my left hand on the mandolin, but that is not where my problem lies...It is my right hand that is my nemesis..Now that I am retired I am able to devote more time to my Mandolin than I ever had before and I am starting to see some results..