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Thread: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

  1. #1
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    Default Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    I had my first introduction to finding the notes on the neck from my teacher. I am so confused that I have found a cheat sheet of the notes on line. Should I stay with the cheat sheet or disregard it and listen to what my teacher is trying teach me?
    I can't read music but I am a good with the TABS as long as know how the song is played.
    Can someone help me with their advise ?

  2. #2

    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    Without knowing what method she’s suggesting, I’m guessing but seems like you should try both ways until you’re proficient at it and use whatever method works best for you. Everyone learns a little differently but certain methods are proven to work for a majority of people so they are worth trying.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    Please don't take this as being sarcastic because it by no means is meant to be taken that way, but there are only a total of 12 notes to learn. You already know your tuning is GDAE. If you already know or can learn your sharps and flats and start with each open string and start your pattern, i.e. G, G#, A, and so on up to the 7th fret you will start all over again. I started by learning the notes of the first four frets and once I had those down pat, I went on to the last three. If you can't do four, do two, two, two, and one or whatever you feel comfortable with. You can also use an app called Fret Trainer that is awesome for remembering each note.

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    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    I would imagine that you can do both although, as stated above, you haven't said what your teacher's method is. Finding the notes on the fretboard is pretty straightforward once you get used to the system. It just takes time and repetition to be able to do it fairly quickly.
    Mitch Russell

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    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    Simple scale exercises will help. Say each note out loud as you play. After a while, you'll begin to see the pattern of a fretboard tuned in 5ths. Also, there is the FFcP learning tool. It will help learning the patterns on your mandolin, too. Listen to your teacher, practice often and regularly, and keep at it. The work now will pay off with a lifetime of enjoyment playing your mandolin. Happy pickings!
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    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    A teach yourself to play mandolin book such as ALFREDS will give you easy to do notation exercises for the notes on each string. In a very short time you will acquire muscle memory in your fingers for each dot. Requires so much less patience then trying to do tablature. With notation, you see the dot and your finger moves to the correct place on the fret board. It may seem intimidating until you do it, but you will find it much easier than you anticipate and be glad you did.
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    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    Learning to read standard notation proves to be valuable in the long run. My first instrument was trombone, so I had to learn bass clef. When starting mandolin I fell into tablature as a shortcut to learning the fretboard. Now, I find that lack of notation fluency is a distinct disadvantage. Use whatever method helps you get there.
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    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    Hi Gus and Sophie,

    I would recommend sticking with your teacher’s method for now, that is what you are paying for. There have been some very good suggestions above.

    If your goal is to learn how to read standard notation there are some very good basic mandolin method books. I remember one published by Mel Bay with pictures and exercises that I used to learn the basics, it was presented a few notes at a time.

    If you just want to learn the names and positions of the 12 notes without regards to reading notation, here is an excellent video from Magnus Zetterlund of Mandolin Secrets Academy.

    Magnus points out how powerful knowing where the notes on the fretboard are AND that once you learn them they NEVER move!

    https://youtu.be/BFDEeiEwDBY

    Mark
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    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    In post #6 I suggested getting a mandolin method book such as ALFREDS to learn not only where the notes are but to also simultaneously learn to apply reading notation to your playing. I think this would be both a value and enhance your playing experience.
    I would not recommend giving up on a music instructor or perhaps recommend getting a new instructor if not satisfied with your present teacher. I, myself, have never had a music teacher and in hindsight know that not having a teacher comes with a price. Many a time I have had to spend numerous hours, weeks, and even months relearning technique or trying to eliminate a bad habit that I did not know was a bad habit until it was fully ingrained in my playing.
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  12. #10

    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    Quote Originally Posted by Gus & Sophie View Post
    I had my first introduction to finding the notes on the neck from my teacher. I am so confused that I have found a cheat sheet of the notes on line. Should I stay with the cheat sheet or disregard it and listen to what my teacher is trying teach me?
    I can't read music but I am a good with the TABS as long as know how the song is played.
    Can someone help me with their advise ?
    I have a suggestion.

    Put your tuner on and watch it while you pick the notes of the song.
    It will tell you the notes in real time. --> D G B G B A G E D
    From that you will learn the names and locations of the notes on the
    fingerboard. Repeat to yourself the notes of the song as you see them.

    When you are comfortable with the notes then you can learn to read
    them from the staff.
    Thanks,
    sounds_good

  13. #11
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    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    I learned to play by ear, because my teacher ( my Dad) best musician I’ve known, taught me that way. In school I learned to read music playing trumpet in the band, but never applied written music to my mandolin. Ten or twelve years ago I started trying to think more in theory on mandolin, wish I would have earlier. My advice to anyone is work both ways, by ear teaches you patterns that make on the fly playing possible, while music theory and the written note makes variations much easier. A good, well rounded musician excels in both

  14. #12
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    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    Scales and arpeggios, they both move up and down the neck using repeated fingering patterns in every key, so it doesn't really matter which key you pick.
    C, G, D, A are probably the most common in folk/bluegrass. I agree though if you have an instructor, follow their guidance, and be patient with your self.
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  15. #13
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    Default Re: Learning to find the notes on the mandolin neck

    Two thoughts, seemingly almost trivial, but they helped me thru your current stage of confusion:

    1- When I was at your point on guitar (uhm, six decades ago?), learning "up the neck" first involved learning the notes at the fret markers on the high and low strings. On guitar, that's almost cheating because both are Es, but learning only, at first, mandolin's G & E-string fret marker notes makes for a relatively easy, but very solid, foundation.

    (1a- Then he avoided "music theory" for the next half-century...)

    2- When it came to learning mandolin, I found that singing the name of each note as I played it was a great reinforcement. Even helped get my singing talent all the way up to "approaching tolerable"!

    Those two things should be fairly easy to add onto your instructor's approach, whichever that may be.

    A slightly more advanced "future viewpoint":

    In reality, I find that knowing every single note is not a critical skill, but knowing where to find the root note of the key or chord you're on is critical, and is far less to recall in the heat of battle. Once you have that "anchor point", the rest of the chord/melody/whatever will fall into place relative to the root note, rather than every possible note being ID'd as the "the X-note at the N-fret of the Y-string", which is intended to say that this stuff will seem WAY easier a year from now!
    Last edited by EdHanrahan; Feb-18-2021 at 12:53pm.
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