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Thread: New to Mandolin

  1. #1

    Default New to Mandolin

    Hi All,
    New member here from Maesteg in the UK. My first venture into mandolin and have just ordered a custom e-mando (two twin blade humbuckers) from Nava guitars here in the UK. Not coming til around Sept, but to get started, would the general vote be for Mandolin for Dummies (me) or Complete Mandolin by Greg somebody ?
    Secondly, anyone have an e-mando and use it for metal - looking to play some Judas Priest etc. Did have a guitar, but didn’t like it. Hopefully I’ll get on with a mandolin better.
    Thanks
    Paul

  2. #2
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    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    emando? Judas Priest? forget books. watch every video by Jim Richter (his oldest stuff is very good) https://www.youtube.com/@JimRichter/videos
    no other ready references to mandolin metal, sorry. if you want metal fiddling, nothing beats this (hint, she was hired!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q87...=Shir-RanYinon

  3. #3
    Confused... or?
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    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul 1401 View Post
    ... first venture into mandolin ... Did have a guitar, but didn’t like it. ...
    Yeah but... Is it your first adventure into music at all?

    The answer could influence the responses from others. Personally, both choices are a good start, but I really liked how "Dummies" covered the basics nicely without talking down to beginners yet still reviewing nicely for the rest of us.

    IMHO "basics" in the context of a real beginner must involve two somewhat separate topics:
    1 - the pure mechanics of playing the instrument (coordinating the fingers, finding the fret, fretting cleanly, producing acceptable tone, repeat, etc.), while...
    2 - skirting the edges of the all-dreaded "Music Theory" (timing, scales, chords, keys, structure, ARRGHHH!!) which sends many running for the hills. Or at least, it did to me for 4+ decades.

    So I give the nod to Dummies as being maybe non-threatening to true beginners yet super informative to the more advanced, and/or your second reading.

    Hmm: Maybe it's the general structure across all "Dummies" books of highlighting which facts are critical, trivial, interesting, and/or something to worry about later.
    In any case, I really liked it.
    - Ed

    "Then one day we weren't as young as before
    Our mistakes weren't quite so easy to undo
    But by all those roads, my friend, we've travelled down
    I'm a better man for just the knowin' of you."
    - Ian Tyson

  4. #4
    small instrument, big fun Dan in NH's Avatar
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    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    I own nearly every mandolin method book known to Amazon, and several they haven’t heard of.

    Mandolin for Dummies is a good book, but IMO it’s more of a reference book than a method book.

    Complete Mandolin Method by Greg Horne is also decent. My mandolin instructor recommends it as his method book. But we haven’t used it.

    If I could only have one mandolin method book it would be Mandolin From Scratch by Bruce Emery. It’s a solid introduction to all the basics and styles with a decent amount of tunes for practice

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  6. #5

    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by EdHanrahan View Post
    Yeah but... Is it your first adventure into music at all?

    The answer could influence the responses from others. Personally, both choices are a good start, but I really liked how "Dummies" covered the basics nicely without talking down to beginners yet still reviewing nicely for the rest of us.
    I
    IMHO "basics" in the context of a real beginner must involve two somewhat separate topics:
    1 - the pure mechanics of playing the instrument (coordinating the fingers, finding the fret, fretting cleanly, producing acceptable tone, repeat, etc.), while...
    2 - skirting the edges of the all-dreaded "Music Theory" (timing, scales, chords, keys, structure, ARRGHHH!!) which sends many running for the hills. Or at least, it did to me for 4+ decades.

    So I give the nod to Dummies as being maybe non-threatening to true beginners yet super informative to the more advanced, and/or your second reading.

    Hmm: Maybe it's the general structure across all "Dummies" books of highlighting which facts are critical, trivial, interesting, and/or something to worry about later.
    In any case, I really liked it.
    Hi,
    I used to be quite good at the keyboard. Learned to read music while I had the electric violin. I really enjoyed the violin, but my shoulder didn’t and I ended up part exing the violin for a guitar, but couldn’t get to griots with the six strings. So gave up for a number of years while I went career focused. Then thought I’d get another guitar, but remembered the trouble I had, then I thought ah, violin….oh yeah shoulder. Came across the mandolin by accident - four strings, same tuning as violin (so familiar territory), smaller neck. Yeah, give it a go, so here I am.

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  8. #6
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    A hearty welcome Paul, with best wishes that you will heartily enjoy your mandolin journey
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  10. #7
    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    Welcome to a friendly and supportive community.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

  11. #8
    small instrument, big fun Dan in NH's Avatar
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    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    Didn’t realize you could read music.

    For players who can read music we usually recommend The Complete Mandolinist by Marilynn Mair. I can’t read music so I don’t own it, but it comes highly recommended.

    Also do a little googling for The Bickford Method. It’s an old school mandolin method that has fallen into the public domain. PDFs are all over the internet.

    It won’t be too long before everything you ever played in violin comes falling out of your mandolin.

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  13. #9

    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    Thanks for all the replies guys ��

  14. #10
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    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Dan in NH View Post
    Didn’t realize you could read music. ... won’t be too long before everything you ever played in violin comes falling out of your mandolin.
    Many violinists can just pick up a mandolin and make musical sounds by, ya know, ignoring those metal thingies. Too bad it'll never work the other way around!
    - Ed

    "Then one day we weren't as young as before
    Our mistakes weren't quite so easy to undo
    But by all those roads, my friend, we've travelled down
    I'm a better man for just the knowin' of you."
    - Ian Tyson

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  16. #11
    Registered User BillWilliams's Avatar
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    Default Re: New to Mandolin

    The Nava emandolins look really nice.
    http://nava-instruments.blogspot.com...mandolins.html

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