Just thought I'd like to share my experiences with anyone that is thinking of trying to learn to play a Mandolin or i guess any musical instrument really.
Social media isn't something I use but wanted to contribute to a mandolin website so that it may benefit others the way I have by searching for mandolin and general music related stuff via social media sites and related web content. This may be my first and last post but thought i'd try it anyway. So here goes:
About 7 months ago the in-laws thought it would be a good joke to hand me a surprise birthday present, it was something which they found clearing out my wife's grandparents house. Once opened none of us really knew what it was but looked like a banjo, none of us in either family play any instruments. The banjo only had 2 strings and was quite small, the father in-laws said it belonged to a friend of the family and has been in a cupboard for at least 40 years.
Not knowing what to do with it i took up the joke and decided to find out more about it, clean it, try and re-string it and possibly get a couple of simple tunes for a laugh ba ba black sheep or twinkle little star. If anything my kids could have a good giggle at they're dad mucking about.
It turns out this instrument was a banjo mandolin or banjolin. I was able to clean it up and put a new set of strings on it. 8 strings no less. Learning to tune this wee beauty was something else, i first started using an app which had a mandolin setting but i had nothing to compare it with or where the notes should be. Eventually I found a fingerboard diagram showing where notes and frets are, ok now we're off. The only tunes i could find were some simple cards my kids have for their toys and the first tune I tried was called 'ode to joy' and 'this old man'. The banjo mandolin sounded quite loud for such a wee thing but I liked it and it gave the family some amusement.
Soon I couldn't put the thing down and enjoyed picking away at a couple of kids tunes but I now really wanted to find a couple of well known scottish tunes that weren't too difficult.
Skye Boat Song was my first real Scottish song to learn. This was learnt by using Tabs which I didn't even know such a thing existed i always thought you needed to know all the proper notes and musical language.
Fingers we're getting a bit sore though and found out the neck of the banjo mandolin was slightly bent resulting in a high string action which apparently is a common thing than can happen to mandolin type instruments. A fiddle player i spoke to briefly, suggested i try a beginners mandolin and i could always come back to the banjolin once i've learnt some basics. So the hunt was on for a mandolin that was 2nd hand and wouldn't cost much and save my little fingers. Unknown to me 2nd hand mandolin are a plenty so was able to pick one up really quick for £50 complete with gig bag, strap and chord book.
For the past 6 months I've been learning to play on a stagg mandolin m20s.
I learnt to restring and clean it up also but it wasn't long before the plastic nut broke off. Arrgh how do you fix that ? Again websites and you tube give some good info on replacing it and as the mandolin didn't cost much i gave it a shot. I replaced it with a tusq nut, however I had to shim up the nut slightly with some cut credit card and soon found the nut was just a wee bit wider than the old one this pushed the G and E strings nearer the edge of the neck, but was still playable. I managed to replace the nut believe it or not without having to take off the strings just by putting in temporary spacers (old wooden pegs stolen from the washing line) to raise the strings up out the way. All done and tuned up it sounded quite good and i felt the notes sounded better.
Since then I've spent a lot of time adjusting the bridge higher to stop buzzing which seemed to be coming from the frets resulting in a higher string action.
The neck on this mandolin i reckon is also slightly bent so I decided that id give the frets a file down and reduce the ones that were buzzing. On closer inspection i could see that a fret had been reduced by previous owner. But this time it was different ones causing the problem at fret 6, 7 & 8. Again I just raised the strings temporarily with spacers (folded beer mats this time) and gently filed the buzzing frets. All tuned up and cleaned and back in the game and i think sounded better than ever.
I have now plucked away at a few brand new mandolins in shops and there is a big differenece between mine and a new one, mainly the increased pressure needed to press down on the strings to acheive the same note. Can't really play my mandolin for too long before big valleys appear on the fingers and bone not too far below - just grin and bear it he says - however when i went back to play a couple of tunes on the banjolin lately it felt a lot easier to play.
I've been mainly learning Scottish/Gaelic tunes on my own but plans are to get along to some classes after the summer see what that's like and get a brand new mandolin (soon) which i will definitely not be chopping up to bits, that will be given to the experts to do any modifications - hopefully none.
Getting better at reading some music by notes and just recently abc format as sometimes when you search for a tune all you get are a title and a load of letters and numbers but i found as long as you know the tune in your head you could quite quickly work out what the letters and numbers meant, however i have found using Tabs to get through and learn the tune much easier especially if there is an associated sound file and you don't really know what it supposed to sound like. Haven't learnt any tunes from you tube yet as i prefer to have the sound and a piece of paper in fron of me, you tube is great to watch how other people play the tune and their style of how they tend to the tune.
As for plectrums i've tried loads. The one i like to practice with at night when kids are gone to bed is a thick felted plectrum it seems to mute the sound and i really like using this to play silent night or some slower tunes. Thicker plastic plectrums i don't seem to get as much of a tick tick plastic sound when i play but that could just be down to techinque. Thinner plectrums are great for playing faster tunes when your off to a flier.
Learning the mandolin has also introduced me to loads more traditional and folk music which i don't think i would ever have listened too. And listening to my own record collection i'm hearing mandolin and banjo parts which i have never paid attention to before, quite amazing really.
Sources of learning have been - Mandolin Cafe, Nigel Gatherer, Simon Mayor
Fixing the Mandolin - You Tube
New Music found - Greg Russell, Michael Chapman
Old Music Collection Rediscovered - Martyn Bennett, Michael Marra, The Waterboys
Still can't put the thing down
Bookmarks