My Greatest Regret

[Al Trujillo]

Two actually....not sticking with the music lessons my mom insisted on and not picking up a mandolin when I was a teen.

[Sue Rieter]

I feel ya, Al. I had an electric bass for about 6 months during my senior year of high school. What if I'd kept at it ?

[FredK]

I can so relate to this - for both the music lessons and the mandolin.

[Eric Platt]

Definitely wish had stuck with mando after first trying it in 2009. Then again, if I had my musical direction would probably have been different. Not necessarily better or worse. Just different. And am more content with the music I try to play now. So there's that.

[Al Trujillo]

And am more content with the music I try to play now. So there's that.

Therein lies my problem. I'm 66 and picked up the mandolin for the first time when I was 58. My arthritic hands limit what I can do so whatever high point I aspired to is in my rearview mirror.

[maxr]

You got there now Al, so it's all good

[Sue Rieter]

Therein lies my problem. I'm 66 and picked up the mandolin for the first time when I was 58. My arthritic hands limit what I can do so whatever high point I aspired to is in my rearview mirror.

Hey Al, my mom had bad arthritis in her hands. I bought her a paraffin bath which was quite therapeutic. Maybe a possible way to warm up the hands before playing.

[Mandobart]

Don't beat yourselves up too much - this piece by Fender says 90% of aspiring guitar players quit before their first year at it.

[Pittsburgh Bill]

Two actually....not sticking with the music lessons my mom insisted on and not picking up a mandolin when I was a teen.

Ditto! When I was in middle school I bought an electric guitar and took three lessons. When I discovered that I wasn't going to instantly play well enough to join a RockN Roll band and fulfill all of my natural dreams of women and fame, I gave up. Oh so delusional!

[Mark Gunter]

If that’s your greatest regret, don’t sweat it, you’ve had a wonderful life.

[HonketyHank]

not picking up a mandolin when I was a teen.

Well, I picked up a banjo when I was a teen. By my twenties, life got in my way and I didn't keep it up. In my sixties I tried to pick it up again and got super frustrated. So in my seventies I started over completely ... with mandolin.

So, just think ... If I had picked up a mandolin in my teens I'd probably be playing banjo now.

[allenhopkins]

My greatest regret is not being Chris Thile.

I'd settle for Doc Watson (alive), Mike Seeger (alive), or Warren Buffet.

[Dave Hicks]

Wish I'd practiced more back when my nervous system was working right.

D.H.

[jaycat]

My greatest regret is not being Chris Thile.

I'd settle for Doc Watson (alive), Mike Seeger (alive), or Warren Buffet.

I'm also not Jimi Hendrix, Django Reinhardt or Billie Holiday, but waddaya gonna do?

[lenf12]

As long as you're still playing, what's to regret? My fingers still move but my brain still moves slower. It never was as fast as I wanted but that's another story.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Zach Wilson]

*Took piano lessons as a child
*moved to guitar as a youngster (12yo)
*picked up the mandolin as a teen
*played Bass semi-professionally in my 20s (rock/punk)
*did the singer-songwriter thing
*played in and lead small and large Church bands all throughout.

And here we both are, playing Mandolin in our living rooms on a Sunday night.

Happy picking and good luck on this journey 😊

[Charlie Bernstein]

Mine: Not being a better musician!

[dustyamps]

Selling a 1933 Gibson C1 sunburst.

[dhergert]

Regarding mandolin, I regret not moving to GCEG tuning back in 1976 when I first started playing it. I seriously considered it, but decided to use standard tuning instead. Judging from how much fun I'm having with GECG, I probably would have stuck with mandolin instead of taking a 30 year vacation from it.

[EdHanrahan]

NMC:
Selling my '62 Fender Jazzmaster. Bought in '66 for $160, sold in '72 for $100 (duh, 'cause I really needed that Epiphone 12-string). At the time, it was "just another old guitar"!

[Dan in NH]

Holy Christ, you only have two regrets in life? :O

[Randi Gormley]

What was that description? Oh, if only time ran backward and as we learn more, we get younger when we can appreciate it?!?

[allenhopkins]

...Oh, if only time ran backward and as we learn more, we get younger when we can appreciate it?!?

As Jimmy Martin expressed it:

[Sue Rieter]

I *wouldn't* want to be 16 again, but 35 would be a good age, IMHO

[Petrus]

Regarding mandolin, I regret not moving to GCEG tuning back in 1976 when I first started playing it. I seriously considered it, but decided to use standard tuning instead. Judging from how much fun I'm having with GECG, I probably would have stuck with mandolin instead of taking a 30 year vacation from it.

Interesting, I hadn't heard of this particular tuning before. What are its benefits / disadvantages? I have commonly tuned down my mandos in the past (CGDA usually) to reduce tension and get a lower tone out of them with mixed results, but they can be played the same as GDAE and use the same tabs.