I was wondering if getting a mandolin would be hlepful for me in learning fiddle, in terms of helping develop muscle memory in my fingers and to help develop my ear for better intonation. Ok, it would also be a good exscuse to get a new instrument But would my time be better spent just focusing on fiddle? I played a mandolin the other day in a music store, it was fun to be able to pick up this other instrument and play all these tunes right away.
If it is useful, any recommendations on which mando to get? I saw mid-mo makes them in violin scale length (well, 13"; my fiddle is actually about 12 1/2 "; is that close enough or will it hurt more than help?), does anyone else make mando’s in a scale length close to fiddle?
I don’t think it’s wise to take up mandolin as an aid in learning fiddle. It wouldn’t ever help as much as playing fiddle, I don’t think. I could be wrong.
On the other hand, mandolin is a wonderful instrument all its own, and you could with clean conscience buy one to learn in its own right. Mid-Mo tend to be good if you don’t mind a flat top, as are Eastman mandolins and some others. You might poke around Mandolin Cafe for a while and see what happens. I’m sure some more knowledgeable people will come to help you out here, as well.
i am with congrats on this one. if your true goal is fiddle, time with the mandolin is partly wasted(cause you miss the time practicine bowing as you play and you miss dealing with the fretless aspect.
why is it not a complete waste? cause not only do you learn a great instrument as has been said, you learn some tunes.
so it all boils down to which you want more.
if you have a good ear, don’t be afraid of fretlessness. if you are new to music and dont know how your ear is, you should get lessons anyway.
meir
I’ve been trying to learn fiddle.
Yeah, there’s a lot of technique but a BIG hurdle for me is getting the tunes into my head and keeping them there.
I’ve found if I can get the melody committed to memory my fingers find it easier to play it in tune.
Mandolin might work for that but I’ve found tin whistle to be very handy. A tin whistle is compact and inexpensive enough to always have on hand,
but you already know that.
I moved from mando to fiddle, and I really do think it helped but maybe that’s just me. I was glad that I got to tackle the task of bowing AFTER I already had a feel for the notes (similar, but certainly not exactly the same).
I played violin for nine years or so before i ever picked up a mandolin; now the mandolin is all i ever play, really. Not uncommon for players to go back and forth between the two, but my time is limited so i’ve decided to devote myself to just the mandolin (i don’t really play whistle, flute, etc much anymore either).
Left hand fingering patterns are the same as a fiddle, more possibilities for chords on a mandolin of course, but otherwise for learning tunes pretty much the same. Intonation is another matter though, unless you get one of those stick-on fretted fingerboards for the fiddle.
Right hand is totally different, flatpick vs bow. You won’t learn to bow by picking and vice versa.
You can play mandolin lying on the sofa, or in the back seat of a car, not so easy with a fiddle. So it’s kind of nice to relax with. Mandolin has its own difficulties, neither instrument is easy to play really well, but overall i think fiddle’s a more demanding instrument… it’s easier to play badly on a fiddle than on a mandolin, if you know what i mean.
Most mandolins you see today are just under 14" scale length. Mid mo does make a 13" scale, and most bowl-backs (“tater bugs”) and older Martin mandolins are also 13" scale.
If you are playing a bunch of tunes right away on mandolin, I am guessing you must already have some experience playing mando or guitar or some other fretted instrument. If not, you are much more musically gifted than most of us and should go directly to fiddle. You’ll have it down in a few days! Otherwise, if you’ve already got some right hand technique on mandolin, I think it’s worthwhile. When I was first learning fiddle I almost always would learn tunes from sheet music on mandolin first. Once I had a tune down, I would try it on fiddle and focus on intonation and bowing, not having to worry about fumbling my way through figuring out where the melody was going next. I’ll still do that sometimes. After fourteen years, my bowing and intonation still need quite a bit of attention!
Thanks for the replies…I do play other instruments already, so not a total newcomer to music. The whistle option makes sense, but a few of the tunes I learned use those low notes you only have on a fiddle; I suppose I could get a whistle in A, but then some high notes would be tough to reach. I do have a teacher, and she’s great, only downside is I don’t get to take lessons with her as often as I’d like. The bowing right now isn’t so bad for my very novice level, I’m getting at least a decent tone out of it (no screeching!), and can slur, play the occasional double stop, etc. The biggest challenge has been the intonation. I can hear when its off, and hear when its correct, and can eventually get it, but hitting it consistently is hard right now.
Steve, you’re right, I’ve played guitar in the past, and a couple of other fretted strings, and no mandolin, and haven’t done it for a while. Can still use a pick though (not that that’s all that hard, esp. compared to a bow!).
Well, it seems like it might be silly to spend a lot on a mando now, when i could put that money towards lessons, and/or dvd’s, etc. I’ll look around, see if I can find a cheap bowlback that plays decently. If not, I’ll look again several months from now when I’ll hopefully have more tunes down and can just pick at it for fun (as was mentioned, back seat of cars, lying on couch, etc).
I taught myself to play both the mandolin and the fiddle after having played the guitar for 30 years. I agree with RH that the fiddle is more challenging than the mandolin, but all those years with the guitar made it easier to use a flat pick than to handle the bow.
My suggestion with the fiddle is to not be too perfectionistic about intonation. Just enjoy the process of playing the instrument allowing for the little intonation “errors” that come with playing a fretless instrument. If you have good musical sensitivity, as you play the fiddle, little by little, your intonation will improve.
With regard to slight variation in string lengths between the mandolin and fiddle, I wouldn’t be too concerned about that. I don’t like holding a mandolin with a bowl-shaped back. I recommend a mando back that is flat or slightly rounded, even though the string length may be slightly longer than your fiddle. With a little practice you will be able to go between various strings lengths (violin and viola, for example) without a serious problem with intonation.
My bottom line is for you to enjoy playing both the fiddle and the mandolin and not to be too concerned with precise intonation, especially in the beginning. My mandolin sits in a stand next to my chair in the living room. I pick it up and play while I am watching TV, especially during the commercials. I keep my violin out of the case and ready to play at a moments notice. Several times a day I pick it up and play whatever is on my mind. Sometimes I am not thinking of a particular tune, so I start playing seemingly random notes, but random notes don’t stay random very long as the sequence of notes remind me of a tune that I may not have thought about for a long time. I feel so fortunate to have both the mandolin and the violin in my life.
I’m with Doug on not trying to be too perfectionistic about intonation.
My focus this summer has been bowing patterns and their relationship to my foot instead of the melody of the tune.
And also like Doug, I leave my fiddle out so I can play it when ever I want. As soon as breakfast is over the fiddle and bow are placed waiting for my attention on the kitchen table.
But would my time be better spent just focusing on fiddle? I played a mandolin the other day in a music store, it was fun to be able to pick up this other instrument and play all these tunes right away.