Your beginner experience?

  1. iaindr
    iaindr
    Hi everyone, I'm new to the group and a bona fide newbie having picked up a mandolin for the first time just a few weeks ago. I'd been thinking about it for some time and went down a lot of rabbit holes looking online for lessons and mandolin music of all styles. I'm in Scotland and interested in Scottish folk tunes, but open to anything really.

    After a bit of research I picked up an Eastman MD305 - a great choice for me. Currently practicing some scales, a few chords, and attempting a few tunes by ear and using tabs. Feel I've 'improved' a lot in a few weeks, but not quite knocking out a respectable tune yet. Finding the correct notes with my left hand and keeping time with my right is today's big challenge - at some point they'll start playing the same tune I guess.

    This is my first attempt at playing an instrument so really glad to have found this group. Enjoyed reading some of the threads and already picked up a few tips. I'd be keen to hear from others about their initial experience with the mandolin - what do you know now that you wished you'd known then? And any recommendations on group threads to look at would be helpful.

    Slàinte,
    Iain
  2. Sherry Cadenhead
    Sherry Cadenhead
    Welcome to the Newbies, Lain! Guess you've noticed what a friendly group this is. My suggestion is you try to find a local teacher before developing bad habits. John Kelly is also in Scotland and possibly others who may have a recommendation. You might post the question in the Forum.

    You also might check out the Song of the Week social group for Scottish folk tunes. Specifically, look at the official tune and other tune indexes.

    As a last resort, consider posting a video of your playing in this group for suggestions for improvement.
  3. iaindr
    iaindr
    Thanks Sherry! Just started beginner classes with the Glasgow Folk-music Workshop (GFW) - online at the moment due to covid, but hopefully that will change soon. Also following a few Youtube channels for extra lessons. Will definitely check out Song of the Week. Might be a few weeks before I subject anyone to a video of my playing lol.

    iain
  4. Sue Rieter
    Sue Rieter
    Welcome, Iain! Sounds like you're off to a great start!
  5. NDO
    NDO
    Welcome Iain! Great choice on the Eastman. And it sounds like you’re off to a great start with resources and lessons! Enjoy.
  6. Stacey Morris
    Stacey Morris
    Welcome to the Newbies group, Iain! It sounds to me like you are off to a good start!
  7. Ellsdemon
    Ellsdemon
    Welcome, Iain. To answer your question in regards to knowing now what I didn't before is simple. This is not a drag race. You will not be Bill Monroe in one short year. Find music that you enjoy playing and hearing. You said Scottish folk tunes, then keep that up, but once you feel more comfortable playing start exploring more genres and styles. Be patient, be determined and practice. I started with a commitment of at least 10 minutes a day, that has slowly turned into 2 hours a day. That doesn't mean sitting down all at once, that might mean 2 minutes here, 3 minutes later and so on. That helped me slowly turn my desire into a passion.
    I've been playing something like 4+ years, and I still consider myself a beginner. So don't give up, keep it up and things will work it's self out.
  8. HonketyHank
    HonketyHank
    Welcome aboard, Iain.

    I some websites for free lessons, Scottish, and Celtic tunes:
    www.mandolessons.com
    www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes.html
    www.thesession.org

    There are plenty more, but those are a good start.

    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). I think every new mandolinner should read it, even if they don't expect to do their own setup work.
  9. NDO
    NDO
    Ditto Hank’s suggestion for Rob’s excellent free e-book.
    And ditto the recommendation to practice every day. Your calluses will thank you. Some days it’s fifteen minutes, most days it’s an hour or two…but the progress is amazing when you put in the time, and the fun factor gets better and better. It’s been a year and a couple of weeks now and I can’t believe how far it’s progressed…and how much more I need to learn.
  10. iaindr
    iaindr
    Thanks everyone, appreciate the warm welcome and great suggestions. @HonketyHank - getting familiar with the beginner series at mandolessons.com and hope to progress to Nigel Gatherer's improver class at the GFW sometime in the future. I'll check out thesession.org and contact Rob Meldrum for the mandolin setup. Also, thanks Ellsdemon and NDO for sharing your experience - it will definitely help manage my expectations.
  11. Louise NM
    Louise NM
    Hi, Iain. I came to mandolin from violin, so my major learning curve has been about the right hand.

    As everyone else has said, daily practice (or as close as possible since we're all adults with complicated lives) is the best thing you can do for yourself. It's always a good idea to book at least a few face-to-face lessons, and it sounds like you've done what you can there in these strange times. GFW may be a way to meet people to play with, which is always important.

    With an Eastman and the school you're off to a great start!
  12. iaindr
    iaindr
    Thanks Louise, appreciate the advice. Looking forward to face-to-face classes, hopefully before the end of the year.
  13. Swimbob
    Swimbob
    Hi iain, welcome to the group. Everyone here is friendly and will do all they can to further you on your mandolin journey. I would make a simple suggestion as well and that is keep a list of the songs you've learned as you go. It won't seem like much at first but after a few years you'll look back and see how far you've come. I also video myself after I've sort of learned a song so that I can go back to it if I need to remember a part. Luckily for you guys I don't post those. They're never very good.

    And just remember to have fun. Everyone starts off slowly but one day you'll look back and be amazed at what you've accomplished.

    Jim
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