learn to play mandolin

It’s not easy. And I probably could be pretty good by now if my relationship with the mandolin wasn’t so on-again, off-again. But I am getting better! My fingers move in ways I never would have thought they could when I first started playing. I’m no virtuoso, but I can play a pretty strong tremolo, switch quickly(ish) between all of the bluegrass “chop” chords, do pretty much any strumming pattern comfortably (a huge challenge for me!), and I’m getting better at crosspicking. All in all, I’m happy with what I can do so far. I’m going to keep at it.

I just don’t know how much longer I can take not playing an instrument. The mandolin seems right for me.

Just a random question…does having small hand impact your ease of mandolin playing in any way? Negatively or positively. To bad playing guitar hero won’t help.

I’ve been taking half-hour lessons once a week through my college and, while it’s been helpful to keep me motivated to improve a little from week to week, most of my intense learning is done on my own by just playing around. I think that lessons can be a big help to some, but they’re definitely not essential if you’re a fairly self-disciplined (or obsessed) person willing to devote a few hours a week to practicing.

I’m so glad I’ve finally buckled down and committed to learning a new instrument! All throughout high school I attached this weird sort of mystery to being able to play the guitar; people that could actually do it seemed blessed with some rare gift. The reality is, if you work hard enough, you can learn. It’s just a matter of getting over the initial intimidation.

Over the weekend, I practiced for one solid hour, then “solo’ed” along with my boyfriend as he played songs on the guitar. I’m finally getting more comfortable with scales and reading music is coming back to me; it’s been a long time since I last played violin, but it’s amazing what you retain! Strumming and using a pick is still a challenge, and I can’t quite stretch my fingers to reach that G chord yet, but I’m working on it. I’ve got to just keep at it.

Years of playing violin have finally come in handy when learning the mandolin. Same fingering, nearly the same fingerboard size makes this the perfect fretted instrument for me. It’s great for my tiny fingers and I love the sound. I now know quite a few tunes for it and am ready to head out into the big world of folk sessions.

Well I am actually taking lessons from a friend to learn mandolin and have been doing this for about a month now. It’s a lot of fun and since I have been playing more it isn’t as painful as it used to be. So far so good….will let you know how it progresses. My friend wants me to go with him to a bluegrass jam to try out my new skills…we’ll see. :)