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I have just bought my first mandolin, and this is my very first post on Mandolin Cafe. I’m 67.

I started learning the mandolin at 62. Never played any instrument before and could not read music. I love it!

Hello folks. It's been a while since I posted on Mandolin Cafe but I thought some of you would enjoy some of the free resources that I am sharing over on YouTube and my Patreon.

First video in my...

Hello all, as it can, life got hectic and I drifted away from all things musical but I finally found my way out of the weeds and ended up at Waynesboro Music yesterday and walked out with an Eastman...

Combining this post into the end of the other thread shortly. This discussion ran its course and turned into a mud slinging affair filled with politics and grandiose claims of all types. Fair warning...

Regarding my post in the thread about Chris Thile's Camp, I would like to apologize to those who thought my info about our Mando & Banjo Week was self-aggrandizement.

I thought that my signature...

I just sent them an email. Seems like a place where i would be in a different stratosphere than any of the people mentioned, but a unique experience the same. Checking with my wife, and we may go....

https://notsba.org/contacts/

Check this link out, Nashville Old-Time String Band Association. They have regular jams. They also sponsor/ host "Breaking Up Winter", coming up this March 2, Thursday...

Three mandolin courses to choose from (Mike, Sierra, and Caterina). With the 50% discount 12 months of lessons works out to < 40 cents per day, so even if you don't use it to full advantage it's a...

Remember folks, this is a First Draft / initial test of concept. I'm just getting started!

Stay tuned ...

Steve

Hi Alan,
I had one of the carbon fiber mandolins that Peter Mix built. Very cool but I did not think it sounded much
like a traditional mandolin - also, it would not cut a banjo. Here's hoping the...

Dunno about carbon mandos, but I bought a good quality carbon fiddle some years ago. Either it 'played' in, and the sound did develop like a decent wooden one, or it played me in so I got a better...

All,

Thank you for the kind words and questions. Here are answers for a few --

Bill McCall -- asking about "cross grain" stiffness: One of the interesting traits of Kevlar is that is strong...

You can "play" an instrument for hours at a time without really improving - which includes just jamming on songs, playing with friend etc. You may get better, but without focus, it may take a lot...

Don't compare yourself to the pros. They do this full time and have spent thousands of hours at it.

It takes more time to get good than anyone expects. But what else have you got to do with your...

Yes.
1. Don’t make work out of this. It’s supposed to be fun, not drudgery, so don’t push yourself too hard. I did that 25 years ago and burned myself out. It took that long and a pandemic to get me...

The dollars I have spend on mandolins are nothing compared to the life I have spent on mandolins. Gotta spend it on something.

I was going to let this conversation move forward, but what happened not 10 minutes ago must be shared. I was warming up for my Thursday night gig and realized I had no extra strings so jumped in my...

Thanks, Alan!! The reason I asked about the fiddle is that in the background of the "Outlaw" video that was posted, there was a guy with a fiddle who (at a very quick glance) could have been Vassar...

If this has already been posted then I’m sorry. If not, then I am not sorry.
This is mando goodness...

https://youtu.be/OC2Cr1d6Y60

If you decide to come to Tennessee, I have 30 years of teaching experience, and a background in many styles of music.

Modes of the Major Scale


https://youtu.be/oWKjr73z3LI

PDF file
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Me, too. I was expecting an interesting and somewhat lengthy thread during the first few weeks after the class opened, but I've noticed nothing.

Looking at the curriculum list, I think that there...

Darnit. meant to post this picture.

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What a treat; I got to visit with Sharon Gilchrist at Ucross, Wyoming last weekend. She, Darol Anger, and Laurie Lewis were there as artists in residence, and gave a really nice show before they...