Looking for some help

I'm brand new to the mandolin. I can pick up music using guitars but am having a tough go of it with the mandolin.

If anyone can point me in the right path to locating the music or can throw some bit instructions my way to at least getting me going, I would be greatly appreciative.

I saw a band nine or so years ago at the Smithfield Little Theatre at the Smithfield Plant in Smithfield, Virginia and am trying to start off getting acquainted with the instrument with this one song.

It's not a main stream headlining band, but with the members in the band at the time I saw them, they were as good and professional as any band could get.

What I need help locating or getting the music to is from:

The Mike Aiken Band officially titled just as Mike Aiken
The 'album' is Hula Girl Highway
The track and song is number 6 titled This Here Mandolin

I'll accept even guitar chords, but my main goal is to get started on the mandolin section. I will be able to play it if I can just get started but am having issues with that using a mandolin and don't want to transfer it over from guitar.

Again, any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

I came to mandolin after many years as a classically trained violinist and self taught guitar picker. The fifths tuning on orchestral stringed instruments and mandolin family instruments makes for a much more intuitive and symmetrical fingerboard/fretboard layout.

You have to learn where the notes are, IMO, before becoming adept at picking out melodies by ear. One way to get there is learn and practice scales, chords and arpeggios.

Can you pick out the chords to a song on guitar? If so learn this song you want on guitar to get down the chords. Next learn where those chords are on your mandolin. There are numerous chord charts available right here on the cafe. Many times the song's melody is built on arpeggios from the chords.

That's how I pick up virtually every song I learn by ear today. Most of what I want to learn doesn't have easily retrievable accurate sheet music, so I learn by ear.

Your song is on YouTube.
What you may not know is that if you click the little settings gear in the lower right corner of the video, you can change the playback speed.

If no sheet music is available, I just loop through the sections at 50% speed until I can play them at 75%. Pick at the most difficult runs at 25%.

There is a pedal you can buy from Vidami that will slow, pause, loop, etc YT and other sites for practice.

Your best bet is to try and work on it by ear, listen until you can hum it then try it out on the mando, yes it will be hard, yes you will be frustrated but then you will be glad you put in the time.

Also, start out with simple tunes like nursery rhymes, twinkle twinkle little star is a great one to pick out by ear.