Learning Resources Advice

[Mehitabel]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post. I'm new to mandolin playing, but not to music. I've played guitar for 47 years or so, and used to play sax. Mostly I play bluegrass and swing, but I've played some classical too.

I'm looking for advice on recommended learning resources for a beginning player (if not a beginning musician). I'm considering some of the Homespun downloads (any in particular) and also courses at ArtistWorks and Peghead Nation. For the time being I will have to learn at home, so I won't have an opportunity to study with anyone one-on-one.

Eventually I'll most likely concentrate on bluegrass/Dawg stuff, but right now I'm looking to build a solid technique and learn chords. I would be grateful for any suggestions.

[Isaac Revard]

Welcome and congratulations!

Looks like you're off to a great start in your thoughts on in-home lessons.

One invaluable resource, brought up countless time here, is Don Julin's Mandolin for Dummies. It's highly recommended for beginners. Don't be scared of the name. It's a quality resource for mandolin, it has some great chords/instruction to get you rolling quick.

You're on the right track for online lessons. I have done artistworks and recently got a free month on peghead nation to Joe Walsh's lessons (didn't continue, as I didn't think their was enough content/value to pay monthly). I might sway towards Mike Marshall's lessons on artist works if I had to choose, the video exchange would be valuable and help with technique-like things. Either one of those options will keep you busy for a couple of months, then you'll likely move on.

Lots of professional players are teaching via skype too (e.g. Mike Compton). Which I've done with Don Julin and Mike Compton. Right now, when life allows, I'd like to do some lessons in person. However, skype would be a good idea since you'll be at home. Some instructors are more expensive than others...you might benefit from an less expensive one right out of the gates I suspect.

Get ready, lots of great info is heading your way here on the cafe. Good luck and have fun!!

[Pete Martin]

You can see my basic ergonimics videos here:

The first is on tuning, but 2 - 5 deal with ergonomic arm, hand and holding positions. I also have several other videos on both of my web sites, listed below.

[Mehitabel]

Thanks Mando_Zeek! I looked at Julin's book, and his exercises too, and they do look very good.

[Mehitabel]

Pete,

Wow! Your sites seem like amazing resources. Thanks so much.

[bigskygirl]

Any of those are good options, Homespun has some nice materials, Steve Kaufman and David Grisman among the offerings.

I would make the time to find a mandolin instructor locally if you can (not a guitar player who plays mandolin but someone who plays primarily mandolin) and they can help you with things like how to sit and hold the instrument and pick, etc. it will get you going on the right foot rather than develop bad habits from the git go.

If no one is available locally then I would take a few Skype lessons, you'll get some one on one time and again you will learn the correct way to do thngs. I think Skype works great and have been taking lessons for about 2 years now. I like the one on one time rather than a group setting. After that you can check out group online or ArtistWorks/Peghead offerings, it kinda depends on you yourself, I do not care for the group or ArtistWorks formats but that's me, lots of people here really like it.

Check out YouTube, Don Julin, Banjo Ben, and Mandolessons are just a few good ones to check out.

Have fun and welcome to the Cafe, I switched from guitar to mando on a whim a few years ago and haven't looked back.

[Mehitabel]

Thanks all for the great suggestions. Now, a different kind of question: string recommendations?

[bigskygirl]

Thanks all for the great suggestions. Now, a different kind of question: string recommendations?

Ha, you sure are new here...

Answer 1 - do a forum search and read the tons of threads about strings, you play guitar so you certainly have gone thru this with your guitar.

Answer 2 - buy a bunch and try them yourself, I myself don't really care what others think of strings, I only care what I think of strings.

You may as well do this with picks and straps too...most of all have fun learning about the mandolin. Which one did you get BTW?

[Mehitabel]

Ha, you sure are new here...

Answer 1 - do a forum search and read the tons of threads about strings, you play guitar so you certainly have gone thru this with your guitar.

Answer 2 - buy a bunch and try them yourself, I myself don't really care what others think of strings, I only care what I think of strings.

You may as well do this with picks and straps too...most of all have fun learning about the mandolin. Which one did you get BTW?

Yes, you're right, I should have searched the threads first... I do plan on buying a number of different types, but unlike guitar, I have no idea what the benchmark strings are (i.e. D'Addario for guitar), but okay, point taken!

As to picks, I already have a number of BlueChip, Wegen, Golden Gate, Dunlop, etc. I'm unintentionally a pick enthusiast, so my default for mandolin will be to use the rounded corners of one of the BC picks and then do a round robin with the others. I just bought a planet waves strap because...I saw it listed (none to thoughtful on my part...).

I'm borrowing a "The Loar 600 F" from a friend for a while and then I'll go shopping. Before I actually buy an instrument I'd like to know something about playing it, and also to start to understand what the sonic possibilities are: what I like, etc.

[Steve Roberts]

I have been very pleased with Matt Flinner's on line lessons. He has another group starting in January. For me, having a weekly lesson and Saturday practice session works very well. I can't always participate live, but the videos are posted promptly and I can watch within a day or two. I tried Mike Marshall's lessons, which are excellent, but the format did not have the discipline of weekly lessons. So that did not work as well for me. Matt has excellent written materials to accompany the lessons which I appreciate. He is also an excellent teacher.

Good luck!

[gtani7]

There's a lot. The Julin and Horne/Fugate instructional books are great, as is Rich del Grossos' (has no tab, you gotta actually read). Others have recommended books by Nils Hokkanen, Simon Mayor, Marilynn Mair, Jack Tottle, Dan Fox, Bruce Emery, Bert Casey and others, you can probably buy any of them from the motherlode: http://www.elderly.com/books/fiddle-...mandolin-books

But the first 3 (2 by Julin, and the 3 volumes in 1 Horne/Fugate from Alfred) will keep you busy for many months


Also: Videos by Sam Bush, Chris Thile, Ronnie mcCoury and the "Mando of Bill Monroe, vol 1 and 2"

[Peewee]

Mostly echoing what others have said.

Mike Marshall's Artistworks school is great. Probably the most comprehensive video lessons you'll find. The content on Peghead Nation is also great, but there's not a lot of it.

Mike Marshall's two Mandolin Fundamentals DVDs from Homespun are excellent (but if you join Artistworks, they're mostly redundant). The 6 cd David Grisman set from Homespun is good if you want to learn a bunch of Dawg tunes, but it's probably not for beginners.

I like Greg Horne and Wayne Fugate's 3 volume Mandolin Method (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced) from Alfred Publishing. It's quite comprehensive and a good deal if you buy the Complete Edition (all three books compiled into one).

Niles Hokkanen's Guide to Mandolin Chords and Mike Marshall's Chord Book are both great because they show how chord forms are related and fit together instead of just showing hundreds of random chord shapes. Most of the material in Mike Marshall's book is covered in his Homespun video on chords and on Artistworks.

I guess D'addario J-74's are the closest thing to "standard" mandolin strings. But it depends a lot on the mandolin, pick, personal preference, etc. At least it's cheap (usually) to experiment with different strings.

[bigskygirl]

Yes, you're right, I should have searched the threads first... I do plan on buying a number of different types, but unlike guitar, I have no idea what the benchmark strings are (i.e. D'Addario for guitar), but okay, point taken!

As to picks, I already have a number of BlueChip, Wegen, Golden Gate, Dunlop, etc. I'm unintentionally a pick enthusiast, so my default for mandolin will be to use the rounded corners of one of the BC picks and then do a round robin with the others. I just bought a planet waves strap because...I saw it listed (none to thoughtful on my part...).

I'm borrowing a "The Loar 600 F" from a friend for a while and then I'll go shopping. Before I actually buy an instrument I'd like to know something about playing it, and also to start to understand what the sonic possibilities are: what I like, etc.

Ha, lots of great info here and a few smart alecks too...

When you are ready to get a mando again it's a good idea to check the threads in the info section and start skimming the classifieds now, lots of good deals there.

Can't remember if you listed where you are but hopefully you will have access to and be able to play a lot of mandos before you decide. I played any mando I could get my hands on when I was deciding to upgrade my Eastman last year.

Oh yeah...

Strings - D'Addarios J74s or DRs
Picks - BC or Wegan, I too have pick acqusition syndrome lately
Straps - Lakota Leathers is having a Black Friday sale and check out Strapworks of Montana, they both are very different and very nice (I have strap acquisition syndrome as well...ha)

[gtani7]

here's a pic of my library, 12 books (and 2 laminated charts). All good books, except you don't have to buy 3 chord books and charts, Marshall's is plenty of chords for one lifetime, and a lot of them are pretty tricky fingerings

http://imgur.com/qlh2ZQj

Also have to say i find mando to be a relatively difficult instrument, the combination of string tension, 2 frets per finger and needing to fret precisely. But lots of fun, worth playing all the scales/arpeggios with your eyes closed for muscle memory

[meisenstadt]

There are some great resources out there... coincidentally, in another forum thread I have just posted some very detailed comments about the video tutorials of both Banjo Ben Clark and Brad Laird, talking about their respective strengths for me as a relative newcomer to Mandolin. Click here to jump to that post.

Cheers,
-Marc

[Pete Smith]

I'm a relatively newbie myself and I've been taking lessons from Wayne Fugate and I think he's an excellent teacher he's really helped me reach a new level