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I'm typically not one to engage in open letters to the community, but something has been gnawing at my brain for a very long time. A few days ago I was contacted by a buyer with a question regarding...

Absolutely. Ear training is important. Reading is important. Have to do both. Combine them if you can.

I'm with f-d. As someone who spent decades reading music, but only recently began ear training, I wish I'd learned to play by ear when I was a kid. Maybe the grass is always greener on the other...

Irrespective of the answer, work on ear training. I mean we learn to talk (apish talk, perhaps), well in advance of reading, theory, parsing, etc. Reading music, in the end, is a form of singing,...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNVuzhaxH2Y

d

All good advice here.

Another way to go about it is to take a melody you already know. Learn the melody well, and the chord progression separately. Think about it almost like learning the left and...

"De-tack" is what you use to pin 'tings on de bulletin board...too much time on my hands.<g>

Don't blame Gorilla Glue Inc. as they surely don't make that epoxy, only market it under their name. I have seen identical syringe-type epoxy packaging with other names. My feeling is any epoxy...

If someone is selling an instrument its their responsibility to prepare it for sale. I treat the trial period the same as finding a mando in a music shop or going to see one on craigslist. No store...

It took me a while to get used to that myself. At first, songs and chord progressions that I knew on guitar seemed to lose something converted to mandolin. Chords don't 'sound' the same on 3 or 4...

My personal thoughts are it doesn't matter one bit what your personal or family background is. If you like Bluegrass music,then you like it - period !. I think that it's far more important to 'feel'...

Speaking of John Hartford, and I am not trying to take anything away from his greatness by saying this: His background is not as roots-y as it seems. He was born in New York City, but grew up in...

I'm currently finishing a mando-cello with a 15-3/4" lower bout and 25" scale.

114944

Sure would be fun to go a little smaller than this big hammer . . .

Steve

Geez, it's Phrygian in here! (first joke)

Great post. It moves the discussion along from "There's no difference, why spend the money", to "I can't appreciate the difference (yet), so why spend the money", and ultimately to "Yea, I can...

Chris64: Hang in there. It will come. I have been playing for a few years and only beginning to grasp the range of the mandolin. Teaching yourself is great, but having said that, there in one...

Re work a closet with a good locking system is another option.
I had a friend who lived in a less savory part of town who did that, worked great!

Tell the instructor you'll teach the student and he can build the mandolin, then at least one part of the equation will be properly taken care of.

There are certainly luthiers who have used a less massive-looking headstock design in conjunction wth an F-style (or similar) body. That certainly modifies the look, though it doesn't necessarily...

What's in the Case?

A Giraffe, he's very uncomfortable, so I should go......

Yes. Especially since you like the sound of the RM-1, and want to use it to play the kind of music that interests you.

I'm drawing the inference that you bought solid-body electric mandolins so...

1. Turn off the TV.
2. Put down the mando.
3. Make love to your wife.

Basically, if it is unsightly and you are not happy with it, back it goes pronto. Don't waste any more time with it. See if you can get a replacement under warranty or get it fixed where it will...

I felt the same until I heard bagpipes.

Hi Brandon

Must say I do not find chords boring. It is my lead playing that I find a bit more work. <big smile>

Firstly, I try and learn a new chord once a week. I start by really making...