How easy would it be to learn mandolin if you play the guitar?

age · #1 10-20-2006, 08:08 AM

How easy do you think it would it be to learn mandolin if you play the acoustic guitar to a relatively high standard (in particular fingerstyle).

Cheers

Bern · #2 10-20-2006, 08:18 AM

I can noodle on a mandolin. Chords are easy to play, whereas soloing, I guess, would take a while.

CitizenAudio · #3 10-20-2006, 08:20 AM

Mandolins are cute.

Joe F · #4 10-20-2006, 08:26 AM

For soloing, the mandolin is tuned the same as a violin. G D A E. As a former violinist, I can pick one up and solo on the fly, I have yet to memorize any chords though.

djeffcoat · #5 10-20-2006, 09:20 AM

The mandolin is tuned like a violin. It is also strings 3, 4, 5, and 6 on the guitar but strung in reverse order. So if you were to pick up a lefty-strung guitar and made chords on it, they would be the same as mandolin chords. Confusing? Maybe but when you get the hang of it, mandolin chords are easy to find.

DJ

OM-DADGAD · #6 10-20-2006, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djeffcoat

The mandolin is tuned like a violin. It is also strings 3, 4, 5, and 6 on the guitar but strung in reverse order. So if you were to pick up a lefty-strung guitar and made chords on it, they would be the same as mandolin chords. Confusing? Maybe but when you get the hang of it, mandolin chords are easy to find.

DJ

Yikes... that is confusing! Don't forget that the mandolin is tuned in 5ths (like the violin) and the guitar is tuned in 4ths (mostly) so looking at it backwards or upside down doesn't really work. I've played guitar for going on four decades, and played violin before that. I took up the mandolin a few years ago and it's a blast. It takes a little while to get used to a scale length that just over 1/2 that of a guitar. I recommend picking up a book of fiddle tunes. Also there are some great instruction tapes and DVDs out there. I have one from HomeSpun with Norman Blake doing the old timey thing... nice stuff and pretty easy to learn.

p.s. If your main guitar thing is finger-style you may have a bit of a learning curve with mandolin flat picking technique, but it's worth the effort. Go for it.

vac4873 · #7 10-20-2006, 09:55 AM

I bought my wife (who is a good guitarist) a mandolin two years ago Christmas. She now can solo fairly well on it, and can chord comp just about anything. It's a great addition to our sound. As for me, I can "noodle around" a bit, but she's far more accomplished.

P.S. If you're already using DADGAD extensively, you've already mastered using differently tuned strings (unless of course you learned to play in DADGAD and have never played in standard tuning.) My wife said the biggest surprise to her was the fact that tuning in 5ths instead of 4ths stretches the fretboard vertically quite a bit.

I encourage you to go for it.
Matt

cpmusic · #8 10-20-2006, 10:18 AM

I found the mando pretty easy to pick up, but I took violin lessons a long time ago, and that probably helped to some degree. I'm no whiz, but I don't work at it that hard.

I have to say, though, that clues such as "tuned like a guitar but backward" make my brain hurt. I think it's best to just get the tuning straight enough to remember what notes the open strings are (GDAE, low to high) and go from there. I don't like fifth tuning too much for chords, but it makes melodies easy to pick out, since scales follow a fairly consistent pattern. That, combined with the incredibly short fretboard, makes picking out melodies fairly easy.

Here's my mando, rode hard and put away wet in a previous life, but still standing:

Freeman · #9 10-20-2006, 11:22 AM

I built a mando this summer and have picked up a half a dozen chords and a few leads pretty easily. Since I only fingerpick my gits the hard part is learning to control that little piece of plastic <g>

I've been noodling with lessons here and using their 2 finger chord charts

http://www.mandolincafe.com/download.html

mishmannah · #10 10-20-2006, 11:28 AM

I picked up the mando around 2 years ago; I play it occasionally, but play it a lot less than my guitar.

I found easy to play, and have a couple of tunes under my belt, one I recorded, the other I am working on.

As someone said earlier; re-learning some chords is a bit of a pain.

I'm hoping to learn the cittern soon too.

Folkstrum · #11 10-20-2006, 11:34 AM

Got me an older Washburn A-style Mando about 14 years ago. Wrote out my own "chord chart"--fooled around with it. Used it ONCE in a public venue. I just couldn't get my brain to wrap around "backwards" guitar/banjo chords. Traded her in, along with my Guild 412XL for the Taylor 855. Just not cut out to be a mando player. Maybe the dog IS too old for new tricks....

MWM · #12 10-20-2006, 11:45 AM

Depends on what you want to do with the mandolin. It's a very easy instrument to play - I teach people to play 2 finger chords in one lesson. That said, it's a hard instrument to master. I play bluegrass and knowing the fretboard with your left hand is the easy part. Right hand technique is where the sound is and what creates drive. I find flatpicking leads on a guitar easier than mando leads but that's only due to the use of a capo on guitar. Learn to pick guitar out of G and you've also got A, Bb and B with a capo. Good mando players don't use a capo and learn to play in all keys - Bb and B being popular.

Omaha · #13 10-20-2006, 01:41 PM

I bought a nice Washburn F style a little over a year ago. It was fun to play, and I learned a few songs. I also learned the basic "chop" chords. Its a really easy instrument, if you are into flatpicking.

On the other hand, mandolin is like anything else: There is a lot more to it than meets the eye. For most experienced guitar players, you already have the basic muscle movements and stuff, but it would still take lots of practice to get genuinely good.

In the end, I sold mine. I decided to spend my time on guitar instead. Nice thing is I bought it on eBay, and sold it on eBay for a small profit!

franchelB · #14 10-20-2006, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cpmusic

I found the mando pretty easy to pick up, but I took violin lessons a long time ago, and that probably helped to some degree. I'm no whiz, but I don't work at it that hard.

I have to say, though, that clues such as "tuned like a guitar but backward" make my brain hurt. I think it's best to just get the tuning straight enough to remember what notes the open strings are (GDAE, low to high) and go from there....

It's how I learned the mandolin chords (off mandolin cafe.com). But when I tried to explain it to my friends, they have trouble understanding the backwards/upsidedown "thing" too.
I do like the "different" sound it makes. And people at our church service do notice the difference...and they like it!

Fliss · #15 10-20-2006, 04:34 PM

I play guitar and mandolin and enjoy both, I do love the different dimension that a mandolin adds to music, it's a very versatile instrument.

I think you'd find it easier to make the transition if you were into flatpicking rather than fingerstyle, but at least fretting the notes shouldn't be too much of a problem, once you get used to where they are on the mandolin!

Are you coming to the planned UK get-together? I'm thinking of bringing a mandolin along for fun (as well as a guitar, of course!) so if you want to have a dabble with my little Garrison mando, I'd be happy to let you try it out.

Fliss