A music store near where I live is closing and selling off all their stock for half price. No whistles, unfortunately (they mainly specialize in guitars, and largely of the electric variety), but they had three lonely little mandos, so I brought one home.
I used to play a little on the mandolin, but it’s been years…are there any websites out there for neophytes (or beginners books other than that putrid Mel Bay one that starts out with “this is the pick”)?
Redwolf
http://folkofthewood.com/page5296.htm is Folk of the Wood’s free online mandolin lessons. the site is pretty graphic-intensive so beware if you have a slow connection.
the major mandolinists’ hangout site is http://mandolincafe.com , not sure there’s much in the way of beginner’s lessons but the people on the board can be very helpful.
congratulations, the mandolin is a great instrument, just watch out for MAS (Mandolin Acquisition Syndrome), the eight-stringers’ version of WhOA. much more costly… 
Oh, that’s perfect! Thanks!
The real bummer is, I squashed my left index finger in a door this morning, which is sadly limiting practice, but I’m hoping to put in at least a little time every day. I really like the idea of having another instrument to play at sessions eventually, and I’ve always enjoyed the sound of the mandolin.
Redwolf
I love playing the mandolin. Redwolf, make sure that your instrument is set up so that it is easy to play. Most mandolins directly from the music store will need some adjustment. Since you have to depress two strings for each note, having an instrument that is easy to play is important, especially when you are learning.
The mandolin is tuned exactly like a violin and is in the same register. Music for violin and fingering diagrams should be usable without any change. Scales are dead easy in any key—the tuning in fifths guarantees that—and chord charts are available. I have several good books of instruction and one great collection of old timey tunes notated for mando (with accompanying CD of the originals) if you’d like me to dig them out.
I have a fireplace!
Seriously, congrats on the new “baby” and may it bring you hours of enjoyment.
A wise observation that a lot of beginners overlook.This little bit of information opens the door to a vast quantity of sheet music normally associated with the fiddle.
http://www.rambles.net/brody_fakebook.html
I’ve had a copy of this for years now and many of the tunes I’ve learned, especially the rags, are better suited to the mandolin than the fiddle.
Slan,
D. 
So what make and model tell us everything.
Oh, it’s just a little Rogue…nothing fancy, but the action is comfortable, the neck is true and it holds tune well. It reminds me a bit of my old mandolin, which died when my then two-year-old daughter mistook it for “a guitar just my size!” It just seemed sad that the store was closing and no one seemed to want the mandolins…this particular store caters more to rock guitarists. It’ll be fun to see if I can ease back into playing it…it’s been a long time, and I never knew more than a few tunes before, but now I have more time to practice than I did when I was in high school and college.
Redwolf
[quote="dubhlinn
http://www.rambles.net/brody_fakebook.html
I’ve had a copy of this for years now and many of the tunes I’ve learned, especially the rags, are better suited to the mandolin than the fiddle.
Slan,
D. [/quote]
Then, there’s this:
http://www.fqms.com/Mandolin_Picker_s_Fakebook_P12647C1032.cfm
I have the fiddle one too and use it for playing at old timey sessions. There are lots of collections of that type of music which is great on mandolin eg The Portland Collection.
The mandolin is probably the greatest, most versatile instrument which ever received the gift of strings. I mean that.
It’s a long, slippery slope, Redwolf…
Robin
Yeah, I can tell…this little thing’s already sucking me in. I was absurdly pleased at being able to play a G scale nicely today, so I kept playing it over…and over…and over…different speeds and rhythms…up and down the scale. I’m sure my neighbors are already heartily sick of me!
Redwolf
Cool on the purchase!
Does this store have a website with stock lists available? (Checks funds for another guitar or mando)
The nice thing about a mando is that - if you just strum it - it sounds great, being tuned in 5ths.
From what little I know, a big challenge is getting the picking technique down so that it is quick, accurate, and efficient. Have fun!
Nope…it’s just a little local place. I think the owner ran it more or less as a hobby, and cars have begun to occupy more of his time. Nice bunch of people though…my daughter took guitar lessons from one of the guys there, which is why I happened to be hanging out there.
I happened to speak to my daughter’s teacher today, and the two other Rogue mandos have been snapped up (one, I hope, by a friend I mentioned it to last night).
Picking is what I’m focusing on right now. It seems to be pretty foundational…I figure I want to get the basics down correctly from the start (and it’s something I can practice even when my left hand is sore…it’s going to take a while to build up these calluses again!).
Redwolf
I really love mine. The only problem is the cramped fingerboard which I find makes chords really difficult. I’m thinking octave mandolin here…
i’ve played mandolin for a long time, but this year i started playing tenor banjo and now the mandolin fretboard seems really really small…
different scale lengths and nut widths can make a difference though… even a 16th of an inch more can make the neck feel much more playable.
When I was a child, for several years I took lessons on the guitar using the plectum or flat picking style of playing. After learning to play the fiddle as an adult, I found that I was able to pick up the mandolin and start playing the fiddle tunes that I knew without much of a learning curve at all. Because of the simple organization of the mandolin fingerborad, I now mostly play mandolin tunes by ear, much as I do with singing or whistling. Having small fingers, I don’t feel that the mandolin fingerboard is overly compressed. I appreciate the fact that I can reach all of the seven frets in the first position without having to move my hand much. This allows you to play the mandolin about as fast as you can pick, and when you learn to pick notes on both the up and down strokes, you can really go to town.
Also, besides being a fun instrument, the mandolin is cute, I think.
It does have a high cuteness factor, that’s for sure. Best of all, the sound of a mandolin makes me smile…even when it’s just me trying out a couple chords playing it. It’s a happy instrument, I think.
Redwolf
I agree!