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Mandolin: Expert Guides and Resources
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Articles & Books From Mandolin
Article / Updated 07-18-2022
The mandolin community is like one big happy family, perhaps in part because the mandolin isn’t the world’s most popular instrument (yet) and mandolin lovers need to go to great lengths to satisfy their mandolin appetites. If you run into a stranger with what looks to be a mandolin case, and if doing so seems appropriate, introduce yourself as a student of the mandolin.
Step by Step / Updated 03-16-2021
Every relationship comes to the point where you need to meet the family. The mandolin family is very friendly, and unlike your in-laws, mandolins don’t whisper behind your back while you’re in the other room. The mandolin family includes the mandolin, mandola, mando-cello, mando-bass, and octave mandolin.The mandolin familyReproduced by permission of Elderly Instruments.
Article / Updated 03-12-2021
The object of these songs is to get you playing simple melodies on your mandolin. After you learn the melodies, be sure to play the suggested strumming patterns while following the chords. In a real musical situation (in a band), you need to be able to play not only melody, but also to supply a good solid rhythm while others play or sing the melody.
Article / Updated 03-12-2021
Many mandolins ship from the factory or even from some small independent builders in need of a good set-up, and if there’s one thing any mandolin requires to live up to its potential, it’s being set up properly.Setting up your mandolin doesn’t mean framing it for taking the last piece of pie that you know darn well you ate yourself, but includes adjusting the action, intonating by positioning the bridge, and in some cases carrying out fretwork.
Article / Updated 03-12-2021
Mandolins come in many shapes and sizes but share enough anatomical similarities to be considered mandolins. Here, we look at a modern F5-style mandolin because it’s the most popular mandolin around today. The F5 has some cosmetic features that other models don’t have, making it more decorative. Check out the photo to see the full anatomy of the mandolin.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-11-2021
In order to translate written musical instructions and symbols into music that you can play on your mandolin, a basic understanding of chord diagrams, tablature (or ‘tab’), and the fingering for a few common scales makes your life a lot easier. This Cheat Sheet explains these helpful tools while supplying the most common chords and scales that you’re likely to run into when playing mandolin.
Learn how fretting and picking can entertain friends! The mandolin is making a big comeback among music enthusiasts. A longtime staple of bluegrass, folk, jazz, and country music, this fast-pickin' favorite featured heavily in traditional music from around the world is now seeing a resurgence in global pop. In Mandolin For Dummies, accomplished composer, performer, and mandolin guru Don Julin breaks down the history and fundamentals of this versatile instrument, showing how you too can fret, pick, and strum with the best in the business.
