Mandolin Lessons
I have been playing the mandolin since the late Reagan years. I remembering picking out the theme music to the PBS show “Masterpiece Theater” (which is actually the very fancy Mouret’s “Rondeau”) way back in high school in the early 80’s. The mandolin was not cool enough for me then (electric guitar was much more appealing) so I let the instrument sit for almost all of that presidency and ultimately picked it up again when I needed its sound for a soundtrack/ sound design I was doing for a theater piece here in the Boston area. Since then I’ve enjoyed playing lots of music on my mandolins, sometimes professionally in performances and studio sessions.
It’s safe to say that this instrument loves to play melody, has a bunch of easy-to-play chords for strumming, and is usually very kind to beginners. The double-courses (closely placed pairs of strings tuned and played in unison) give a beautiful and amazingly full sound for the size of the instrument. Due to its diminutive size, it’s great for kids or adults with very small hands. Plus, it’s great for violinists who want to double on a fretted instrument- it shares exactly the same range and tuning.
Strumming partial chords on the mandolin always sounds cool- instant medieval vibe (a partial chord is when you play just a few notes in the chord rather than strumming across all of the strings). Good clean fun. Of course, the instrument (like any instrument) will play its version of any music you give it.
I’m always happy to teach what ever music the student is inspired by, and so I tend to teach a lot of old-time/ bluegrass/ country rock/ traditional songs on this instrument- they’re great places to start, or finish if you like. Classical pieces sound beautiful too. In addition to the above mentioned styles, I’ve also played and taught blues, rock and even metal on the mandolin. It’s great for faking lots of music from the east and near-east too. Anything with a melody!
Here’s 2 web sites with loads of great-sounding free stuff:
A student of mine was just featured on the PBS show “Arthur” for her exceptional bluegrass mandolin skills and equally exceptional joie de vivre. Plus- I get my cameo appearance halfway into the clip!
Truth be told, (aside from the many excellent teachers i’ve had) I’ve learned a lot of music from attending concerts, listening to recordings, and studying books- that’s why I suggest this for my students. Lots of what you need to know is in the books- as for the rest, a live teacher is necessary (plus, I gotta pay rent).
For the basics, here are some good books that I have enjoyed helping some students work through:
Southern Mountain Mandolin, by Wayne Erbsen. Mel Bay.
Mandolin for Beginners, by Joe Dalton. Alfred Publishing.
Beginning Mandolin, by Greg Horne. Alfred Publishing.
Mandolin Scales and Studies, by Ray Bell, Mel Bay.
Fiddle tunes and Irish Music for Mandolin, by Dan Gelo, Mel Bay.
There’s far too much great music to listen to in a lifetime, but if you wanna hear fancy mandolins, I suggest getting started with the following: