5-String Horn - Posted - 11/17/2014:  20:50:34

I'm new to playing the mandolin but I do play guitar and banjo.  Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo is considered THE authority on banjo playing.  Trumpet players refer to Arban's as the ultimate source for high brass.  Is there such a publication for the mandolin?  Perhaps even 2-3 method/style book titles that might be common among most/many mando players?

I'm quickly getting to know the fretboard and layout of the instrument but I'm still relatively rudimentary and even klutzy when it comes to the actual mechanics of playing.  Much more of a finesse instrument then I'd originally thought and dang those frets are close together . . . . little things like cradling REALLY affect resonance . . .it's a cool instrument though.   

mmuussiiccaall - Posted - 11/18/2014:  01:33:46

amazon.com/Bluegrass-Mandolin-...825601541

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 11/18/2014:  05:13:53

Mandolin for Dummies and it's companion book Mandolin Exercises for Dummies written by Don Julin are getting a lot of good reviews here and on Mandolin Café. The Jack Tottle book mentioned above is also a standard for early learners. Fiddle tunes are the studies that get most mandolin players off and running. I call them haytudes for Bluegrass mandolin players. Equally important is just to listen to as many mandolin players as you can to get a feel for different want of "looking at playing a mandolin. Enjoy .. R/

SteveZ - Posted - 11/18/2014:  05:52:02

Let's not forget Robster's free e-book on how to set up a mandolin.  (use the forum's search for "robster" to get it).

Rob's e-book gives folk who have never set up a mandolin the necessary info to do it themselves, or at least know what a tech should do to set up a mandolin properly.  To me, all the "how to play" books are fine, but play is influenced more by how well the instrument is set up than many realize.

Enjoy!

mandoteacher - Posted - 12/05/2014:  07:57:21

There's nothing really that comes to mind. As the mandolin is tuned the same as the violin, practically anything that works for the violin is good for the mandolin also. Most of my students use the Fiddler's Fakebook by D Brody for example.

In terms of right hand technique, scales, arpeggios, chords, I think a good teacher can get you going on those and provide you with positive feedback each week to keep you going on the right track. Sure there are books that will do this also, but not 1 "bible" that will do it all as good as a teacher.

By the way, a lot of us mandolin teachers offer "free" lessons on your youtube pages. You can google mine if you like. I'm on there under adamrsweet (hope it's ok to post that, I'm not selling anything). I've done a few recently on scales, chords, hand positions and posture.

Another idea is to join a Facebook mandolin group...I've noticed they are generally very helpful, for example facebook.com/groups/2501585737/ or start your own and invite your teacher and mando friends to join it to get focused on what you're learning specifically.

Havemandolinwilltravel - Posted - 01/19/2015:  21:41:41

When I instruct beginners, I use Frank Zucco's Mandolin Solos book, by Mel Bay. Should be used with an instructor to make sure the techniques are correct. Has a fine CD and covers a lot of stuff.

phiddlepicker - Posted - 01/20/2015:  16:39:53

sacred cows....om nom nom nom nom

mandoteacher - Posted - 03/15/2015:  06:04:54

It depends largely on what you intend to do with the instrument once you've learned it. 

If you want to keep it to yourself, or maybe just play bluegrass, then you would be well served with learning TAB.  It's the easiest short cut to learning mandolin and popular among the self-taught mandolinists out there.  I recommend "You can teach yourself mandolin" by Mel Bay for starting out and later "the Mandolin Fake Book" by Dan Brody once you're ready to learn some serious tunes!

If you want to be able to play with other people, play any other style of music than bluegrass: celtic, blues, klezmer, jazz, swing, western swing, classical, baroque, etc., you'll need to learn how to read, proper posture, some scales and exercises specific to your challenges, in other words, you'll need a good mandolin teacher.

Good luck!

MysTiK PiKn - Posted - 03/15/2015:  20:40:02

Well, I like it when the mandolin teaches me. It's kinda like a stream of consciousness thing. I just start and it goes somewhere, and that's interesting so I continue, and often end up discovering the greatest thing since the last time I did this. I do this with guitar also. It's like I love the sound, and I love how I feel, and it's all connected, and free from any demands such as "how to" and "you should" and sad needs to do what everybody else does, or doesn't. So, in this place, I am free. It's kinda like all those freedom of (fill in the blank) things that people talk about to the point where they are just talking, and doing talk, and trying to be something special according to whoever - and the only thing is to take pik, and make pik, and pik pik. Like who cares? Well, I care. I care about my joy in the experience of being a musician; and that's just so untamed and free to go wherever. This is how I prefer to play, when alone. It's even more interesting if I play with someone else following this huge wide path of creative here and now expression through this really cool instrument device. It just goes and the discoveries are endless - and I can stop and actually learn or practice what I want. Freedom of play. It's about play. Listen to it.

I listen to a unique radio station in Alberta, Canada called (online) ckua.com. They play the music you generally never hear, and likely don't even pursue - so it's often new and unique. They have very few commercials, and it's the oldest radio station in Canada, and it's amazingly "listener supported". And they don't yell at me. I love discovering the latest hit that's never been heard - as opposed to repetitive trash that's dumped on the lost and lonely masses by recordo corporatios. It's the same idea; we don't have to live like somebody says so. If you deliberately and knowingly choose that, that's different; that's about you free to be as you are. You are. Nothing new here, kinda sorta.

But perhaps more to the topic - on this ckua thing they have a bluegrass show called Fire On the Mountain - and I heard the most impossible high speed clean clean mando picking like a rocket. I decided to play along. And I couldn't. But I learned how to flail helplessly for about 3 or 4 minutes. I really suk. It was not only amazing; it was also hilarious. And it reminded me of a high speed picker, a long time ago, who said that I should just get my hand going and keep it going. With that in mind, I was able to follow closer, and actually hit about 2 notes out of 59 - I guess that's progress. But wow, talk about being left in the dust, phwewwooooshhh.

Peace.

helichuck - Posted - 05/12/2015:  19:23:19

Check out Banjo Ben Clark, banjoben.com
None finer!!

mandoist - Posted - 06/25/2015:  05:24:42

The now defunct "Mandolin World News" quarterly (David Grisman's awesome magazine/booklet from 1978 - 1984) are full of goodies. I believe many of them (most?) are available in reprint from then editor, Dix Bruce.



Dix is also a leading instructor and author of many books, etc. You can spend an afternoon checking out your instructional options at his web site:



musixnow.com/index.html



No affiliation. Just happen to know about this resource ...and how often it is overlooked in these conversations.