Community Stories

Mandolin anyone?

Ultraman Zoffy
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About a month ago I was rummaging through a box of CDs (compact discs, not certificates of deposit) and I came across an album that I had not listened to in years, though I used to listen to it very often. It was Shady Grove, by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. I started listening to it again, which got me pulling out other Garcia/Grisman music like Old and In the Way, and I decided to get a mandolin. Long story short, I have been bitten by the mandolin bug and am really enjoying my little Eastman A-Style mandolin. I was just curious if anyone else on OF was into the mandolin and had any suggestions, advice, stories, antecdotes, or mandolin pictures to share with a mandolin newbie such as myself...

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Charlemagne1333
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The thinking man’s ukulele, and not as antisocial as the banjo 😉

I have an electro-acoustic mandolin that I plug into Logic Pro through an audio interface.

IMG_3434.webp


I think the instrument is fairly well documented in contemporary genres - early R.E.M. recordings come to mind, but let’s not forget where it all began 😉

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Ultraman Zoffy
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Charlemagne1333 Charlemagne1333
The thinking man’s ukulele, and not as antisocial as the banjo 😉

I have an electro-acoustic mandolin that I plug into Logic Pro through an audio interface.

IMG_3434.webp


I think the instrument is fairly well documented in contemporary genres - early R.E.M. recordings come to mind, but let’s not forget where it all began 😉

IMG_3435.webp
Awesome! An electro-acoustic might be something I'll look into when I start to get better with my playing. I am a bass player and have loads of pedals and rack-mounted effects that would be fun to play around with! 😁
 
Ultraman Zoffy
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arturo7 arturo7
I dabble with an octave mandolin.

webber.webp
Fantastic! The octave mandolin has a very pleasing sound and I like the fact that it sits an octave lower on the tonal register. Beautiful instrument! 👍
 
140dave
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I’m more on the Garcia side of things, I pick a little banjo now and again. Only advice is play with other musicians as often as possible. Doesn’t matter if someone’s better, just play.

Saw Garcia and Grisman more than a handful of times. At least half of the reason why I picked up my dads old banjo.
 
Ultraman Zoffy
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140dave 140dave
I’m more on the Garcia side of things, I pick a little banjo now and again. Only advice is play with other musicians as often as possible. Doesn’t matter if someone’s better, just play.

Saw Garcia and Grisman more than a handful of times. At least half of the reason why I picked up my dads old banjo.
Never saw Garcia and Grisman, but spent most of the late 80s and early 90s at Dead shows. I appreciate Jerry's style, but I'm a bass player and would often sit/stand closer to Phil to watch his bass playing. The banjo is a very under-appreciated instrument that I like the sound of very much - it really adds to the flow and push of music, especially Bluegrass 👍
 
Porteroso
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I don't play a mandolin, but do play a related instrument- violin. Hooray for anything tuned in 5ths. I had a friend who was a very good violinist and would switch back and forth, she still plays around town I think.

Mandolin is a very cool instrument. Capable of some amazing things.
 
Ultraman Zoffy
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Porteroso Porteroso
I don't play a mandolin, but do play a related instrument- violin. Hooray for anything tuned in 5ths. I had a friend who was a very good violinist and would switch back and forth, she still plays around town I think.

Mandolin is a very cool instrument. Capable of some amazing things.
Interestingly, it was the violin that got me into the mandolin. I have been trying to learn the violin for the last three years (I am terrible, and cannot honestly say that I play the violin), and then I found out that the mandolin uses GDAE just like the violin and is tuned in fifths. People say that if you can play the violin the transition to mandolin is much easier, however as badly as I play the violin I don't think it will help me much...☹️
 
Canuck
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I too play violin. Today, our group played at a fall fair on an acreage in rural Alberta. The banjo player was right behind me. NOT my choice! I’ve nothing against the instrument, but six hours later, my ears are still ringing! Our mandolin player brought his guitar, today. A picture from 2024. I’m the fiddler standing.
IMG_2824.webp
 
arturo7
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Porteroso Porteroso
I don't play a mandolin, but do play a related instrument- violin. Hooray for anything tuned in 5ths. I had a friend who was a very good violinist and would switch back and forth, she still plays around town I think.

Mandolin is a very cool instrument. Capable of some amazing things.
Once you learn it, fifths tuning is great. It is used on many different instruments. It offers access to a wide range of music. I've been working on this lately.
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