[posternutbag]

I have played mandolin in bands, in several bluegrass bands and in a rock band. There are two main problems you will encounter. The biggest one is volume. Finger style is objectively softer than plectrum playing, and you will need to think about amplification, either a mic or a pickup, to have any chance of being heard.

A mic sounds more like a mandolin, but it’s a pain to EQ, and you either have to have a clip on mic (which is a pain to attach and keep attached) or get very good at playing very close to a mic stand (which is also a pain).

A pickup solves the volume problem, but then your mandolin doesn’t really sound like a mandolin anymore. At that point, you might as well play guitar.

This is related to the second problem. The mandolin only has 4 notes of polyphony, so it doesn’t really sub well for rhythm guitar or keys, and it isn’t as expressive as say, a guitar. You can slide and tremolo, but it’s hard to bend notes or add vibrato. Again, I say hard, not impossible.

I know this isn’t exactly the question you asked, but I think it is why you don’t see a lot of finger style mandolin. The lack of volume, polyphony and expressiveness makes it a challenging style on an already limited instrument.

Each of these problems can be addressed, but you really need to be committed to playing the mandolin in order not to just go, “The heck with this, I am just going to play guitar.” I played mandolin as my main instrument for a couple of years in bluegrass bands, but after trying and largely failing to make a mandolin fit in a rock context, I just gave up and played a Strat.

But again, the problems can be overcome if you are really committed to the sound, I just think most people are not that committed to playing mandolin, and find that playing another instrument is just flat out easier.