Mandolin Articles

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. Don’t be surprised if you’re treated like a long-lost friend from school. Mandolin lovers just can’t get enough mandolin. Attend acoustic music concerts The only thing better than listening to recorded music is being present while the magic happens. An acoustic concert doesn’t need to be mandolin-specific; many acts use various instruments, and mandolin may be just one. You may get exposed to musical mandolin styles that you never considered, resulting in a broadening of your mandolin horizons. Concerts are a good place to network with like-minded musicians. If the performers are good acoustic string musicians, most likely a number of aspiring acoustic musicians are in the audience. Many concerts have an after-show reception or party where you can make new friends; some of these events are invitation-only, but many aren’t. In many cases, the artist comes to the lobby to sign autographs. Keep your eyes and ears open at the end of the concert, and you may get a chance to meet a legendary performer in this way. Everyone needs to go to live music concerts in order to support live music and avoid it fading away. Be open-minded when choosing which concerts to attend. The acoustic guitar, fiddle, Dobro, cello and the banjo are all considered cousins in the world of string instruments, and as such, are related to the mandolin. Try out mandolin workshops Mandolin workshops certainly allow you to increase your mandolin skills, but they’re also a great way to get deeper into the mandolin world. If eight people show up for a mandolin workshop in a town near you, you have the perfect opportunity to meet seven other mandolin players like yourself. Meeting other mandolin players and talking mandolin is a big part of the mandolin subculture. Discussions among mandolin players often include topics such as different types of tunes, picks, strings and so on, along with conversations about new recordings or upcoming mandolin concerts. You may need to be prepared to drive some way to attend a workshop held by one of the mandolin greats, but doing so is worthwhile. Visit mandolin camps Acoustic music camps are a great way to meet other mandolin enthusiasts and improve your skills. Most acoustic music camps offer classes for all popular string instruments, including mandolin, guitar, fiddle, banjo, etc. Here are a few options: Swannanoa Gathering presents five weeks of acoustic music instruction held each summer at the Warren Wilson College near Ashville, North Carolina. Steve Kauffman's Acoustic Kamp produces two camps each summer in Marysville, Tennessee—one week specifically for bluegrass and one for Old Time and Traditional string band music. Nimble Fingers has been promoting acoustic music education in Canada for over 30 years. This camp consists of two weeks of instruction with a one-day festival in the middle. In the UK, a music course is held by Sore Fingers Summer Schools—Europe’s leading organization for bluegrass and old-time music camps. The school offers world-class tuition for all the instruments played in bluegrass. The school runs classes, held in the Cotswolds, a few times a year, and hosts a music festival, too. Another great entry in your diary would be the International Italian Mandolin Academy—a yearly week-long event that takes place in Italy, with the focus being on Italian classical music. Go to acoustic music festivals Attending an acoustic music festival requires you to load up the car with a tent, sleeping bag and, of course, your mandolin, and drive a long distance to attend a weekend-long event—while hoping it doesn’t rain. Festivals can vary greatly in size and musical content. Larger festivals can have three or more stages happening all day long, and so you need to plan out your day to see the bands that appeal to you. Take some sunscreen, a hat, an umbrella or rain poncho, maybe a folding chair and plenty of water to any outdoor concerts you attend. When you decide to go to one of these events, don’t worry about sleep (festivals can be a bit noisy, so you may not have much choice, anyway!). You can track down some of the best music in the campsite or even where people have parked their cars. Most of the campsite pickin’ goes on pretty late at night, and sometimes into the wee hours, so don’t be in too much of a hurry to get to bed. Campsite music can vary greatly from one festival to the next, ranging from the featured performers you saw on the main stage earlier that day to the festival-goer who only knows three songs and has had too much to drink. In either case, these events are great places to chat and play with other like-minded musicians. If you aren’t into outdoor camping, several great indoor festivals take place, which are usually held in convention centers and hotels. Among the well-known events are Wintergrass in Belleview, Washington, and the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual event in Nashville. Almost everyone who attends these events is a musician, so you find music being played everywhere and at all hours, in the lobby or hotel rooms rather than around the campsite. Check out a jam session or orchestra Playing with other people is the best way to improve as a player and to network with other musicians, even if some of them don’t play mandolin. Public jam sessions and mandolin orchestras enable you to meet like-minded players. Ask people who work at local music stores if they know of any jam sessions or open-mic nights in your area. Open-mic nights are events where amateurs can get on stage and play a few songs. Playing in front of your peers can be an amazing experience and do wonders for your confidence. Even if you’re not ready to perform in public yet, you may meet someone to begin playing with. This type of playing can be good for you, because sheet music is rarely used—all the playing is by ear! In contrast to an informal jam session is the organized mandolin orchestra. Yes, you did read that right! Believe it or not, community mandolin orchestras are currently making a comeback. A mandolin orchestra is similar to a traditional string orchestra, with the big difference being that the instruments are plucked and not bowed. In most cases, parts are written for first and second mandolins, mandola, mando-cello, guitar and bass. Finding this type of group can be like finding the mother lode or a rich seam of mandolin culture. Where else can you come across 20 or 30 mandolin players in one room? Ask around—a mandolin orchestra may be located in your area. If not, start one! Mandolin orchestras usually rely on the players being able to read music. Join the online mandolin community The internet is a great way to meet like-minded people. Mandolin folks can enjoy a variety of ways to get to know each other and learn about our beloved mandolins. A few options to check out: The Mandolin Café is the mandolin player’s home in cyberspace. Developed and run by Scott Tichenor, this website is an absolute wealth of everything mandolin. The site features stories and interviews with many of the greatest mandolin players of today, along with mandolin-related news. It also hosts a vibrant discussion forum covering everything from playing advice to reviews of new instruments. Some of today’s top performers and educators give advice or share sage knowledge about mandolin playing. The classified ad section of the Mandolin Café is one of the best places in the world to find, among other items, new and used mandolins for sale in all price ranges. Mandohangout.com features mandolin discussion forums, links to lessons and a place where mandolin players can post videos of themselves playing, allowing other mandolin players to comment. And, here are a few mandolin groups on Facebook that you should check out: Mandolin Group All Things Mandolin Monroe Mandolin Appreciation Society Comando—Mandolin Playing and Enjoyment Find online mandolin courses Many pre-recorded mandolin courses are available online, making it easier than ever to learn to play the mandolin at home. Some sites charge a membership fee, and others are free or donation based. Here are few you may want to check out: Mandolins Heal The World allows members to access hundreds of video courses/lessons from a variety of instructors for a monthly fee. This site features a wide range of skill levels and genres. Members can also schedule "live" lessons from Don Julin (yours truly) or others via video conference for an additional cost. Instructors include Chris Henry, David Benedict, Tim Connell, Jordan Ramsey, and Alan Epstein. MandoLessons offers a wealth of standard fiddle tunes and other mandolin repertoire pieces. Most are beginner/intermediate level. Users can pay whatever they want as owner Barron Collins-Hill has set up his one-person operation on a donation-based model. Join a national organization The Classical Mandolin Society of America (CMSA) is a national organization with a mission to promote and support the art of classical mandolin playing in North America. Started by Norman Levine in 1986, the CMSA provides grants and scholarships for mandolin education and recruitment. It also publishes a quarterly newsletter, Mandolin Journal. CMSA holds a yearly conference where mandolin players (not all classical) gather to study with some of today’s finest classical mandolin players and teachers. The conference activities include masterclasses, faculty concerts, lunchtime concerts by CMSA member ensembles, late-night jamming (or sight-reading events), and the final night concert where attending members can participate in the En Masse Orchestra of over 100 mandolins! Every mandolin player needs to experience the sound of 100 mandolins tuning simultaneously at least once in a lifetime! Across the Atlantic, the British BMG (that is, banjo, mandolin and guitar) Federation is a great source for mandolin networking in the UK. The Rally is one of the BMG’s main events and consists of a weekend-long event featuring workshops and competitions. The Summer School is the other event organized by the BMG, and is a weekend event (held yearly) that includes classes and performances on mandolin, guitar and banjo. Explore your own town When you start to look around for mandolin activity, you may be surprised to find that it really does exist. You can make a mandolin connection at the hairdresser’s, at the supermarket, or at church. Looking for mandolin culture is a bit like hunting morel mushrooms. At first you don’t see any mushrooms, but after a while you start to see them in the same patches of woods that seemed empty before. Go out and explore (for mandolin contacts, not mushrooms, unless that’s your bag, too!). Spread the news Telling other people about your new-found joy may influence them to take up the mandolin as well. By doing so, you potentially increase the number of mandolin players in your community. I can’t imagine anything negative about having more mandolin players in a community. My motto is: “Mandolins heal the world!”

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.

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. The mandolin's body The mandolin body is the hollow wooden chamber where the sound is produced. The type of wood used in the body is a determining factor in how a particular instrument is going to sound. The mandolin body is divided into three parts: The top (or soundboard) is usually made of spruce. The back is usually constructed from a harder wood; maple is the most popular, but birch, mahogany or rosewood are also used. The sides are also made from a hardwood, with maple being used most often. Strings Mandolin strings are made of steel and come in sets of eight. Many older mandolins need to be strung with light-gauge strings, and bowl-back mandolins should only be strung with ultra-light strings. Soundholes The soundholes in the top allow the sound to come out (not surprisingly). Mandolins come with two different types of soundholes: Round hole, like a soundhole on an acoustic guitar F-shaped holes, similar to the soundholes on a violin Bridge The bridge is the wooden piece that sits approximately in the middle of the body and functions as a guide to line up the strings and transfer vibrations from the string to the top. The bridge is only held on with string pressure. If you take off all the strings, the bridge falls off. Tailpiece The tailpiece is a stamped or cast piece of metal that serves as a place to anchor or attach the strings. It’s attached to the side of the mandolin body and, unlike the bridge, doesn’t fall off when you are changing strings. Tailpieces are functional but they can also be decorative. Scroll Not all mandolins have scrolls. In general, if the mandolin has a scroll, the model begins with the letter F, as in F5- or F4-model mandolins. Musicians and manufacturers may argue over whether the scroll makes any sound difference, but what’s clear is that these models are harder to build and so more expensive. Points Points are another cosmetic appointment that not all mandolins have. The typical F5 mandolin has two points coming off the bottom of the body. The bottom points are handy to rest on your leg when you are playing while seated, to keep the instrument from moving. Some mandolins have two points: one where the scroll would be and one opposite that location. Pick guard A pick guard (sometimes called a finger rest) is a protective piece made of wood or plastic that can serve as a place to rest your third and fourth fingers as a reference guide or to keep the mandolin from getting scratched up. Not all mandolins have pick guards, and some people (including myself) remove them to allow more sound to come out of the soundhole. The mandolin's neck The neck is the long, slender part attached to the body and runs parallel to the strings. Your left hand is going to spend a lot of time on the neck, and so get familiar with the different parts, described below. Fingerboard The fingerboard, or fretboard, is a thin piece of hardwood with very precise grooves or channels cut in it, into which the frets (see the next section) are hammered or pressed. The fingerboard is glued to the neck. Frets Frets are the strips of metal that are vertical on the fingerboard. In effect, these metal strips shorten the length of the string when you hold them down with your finger, adjusting the pitch of the string. As you fret closer to the mandolin’s body, the pitches or notes get higher. Each of these pitches has a letter name, and together the letters make up the musical alphabet. Fret markers The fret markers are little pearl dots placed in the fingerboard at frets 5, 7, 10 and 12. Often, these markers are also placed on the side of the neck facing up, so the player can see the dots too. If you’re coming to mandolin from playing guitar, the fret markers are a little different. The guitar fingerboard is marked at the ninth instead of the tenth fret. Florida A Florida is the fingerboard extension, named because of its resemblance to the shape of the state of Florida. The extra frets it provides were added to the mandolin to give the player access to notes that are even higher, as if the mandolin notes aren’t high enough already. Very few mandolin players ever play these notes. Headstock The headstock is the piece at the end of the neck that supplies a place to fasten the tuners. The mandolin maker usually puts the brand name on the headstock. Nut The nut is the slotted piece located at the end of the fingerboard that acts as a guide for the strings. They pass over the nut on the way to the tuners. Tuners Since you asked, the tuners are the gear-driven pegs to which the strings are attached. The tuning of each string is achieved by turning the knob on the end of each tuner. Truss-rod cover The truss-rod cover is a plate mounted on the headstock that’s removed when you want to adjust the truss rod. The truss rod itself is a steel rod that runs the length of the mandolin’s neck, which you can use to straighten a bowed neck. Not all mandolins have this feature. Using string vibrations to produce sound When the mandolin is strung and tuned up, the strings create a downward pressure on the top. When you pluck the strings, they vibrate at specific pitches, transferring these vibrations to the top. In turn the top vibrates, turning the vibrations into sound.

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. Suggested strumming patterns are included in the following figure. Listen to the audio tracks before you try to play these songs. Playing something without knowing what it’s supposed to sound like is very difficult. Listen first! The five songs in this article are included in the audio tracks with the melody part in the right speaker and the suggested strumming pattern in the left speaker. Instead of relying on a guitar player or software to be the backing track, I have recorded a rhythm mandolin track for each song. I suggest you learn to play rhythm on the songs so you can play the melody and the rhythm. The melodies are played first with a metronome and then with the strumming accompaniment. “Ode To Joy” theme This well-known simple theme comes from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Pay attention to the pick direction in the third line of this piece. Use strumming pattern 1. “Down in the Valley” “Down in the Valley” is a traditional American folk song that most people have heard many times. This song is in 3/4 time, and so be sure to count it with a repeating series of three strong beats (see the figure). I suggest using all down strokes when playing the melody. Use strumming pattern 5 for the rhythm. “Go Tell Aunt Rhodie” Many people sang this song at a very young age. I suggest using all down strokes when playing the melody, and strumming pattern 3 for the rhythm. “Skip to My Lou” “Skip to My Lou” is sung by many people as young children. Follow the pick direction closely. Strumming pattern 2 works nicely with this song. “Red River Valley” “Red River Valley” (also known as “Cowboy Love Song”) is an old cowboy song dating back to the late 1800s. It starts with two pickup notes (notes that fall before the first “one” of the first measure); the first two notes are on beats 3 and 4. Play this song using all down strokes when playing the melody and use strumming pattern 3 for the rhythm.

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. If you’re handy with a few tools and measuring devices, you may be able to do some of this basic set-up work yourself. If you’ve never done this type of work but think that you want to give it a try, get some instruction first from a qualified set-up professional. In addition, you can buy instructional DVDs on this topic, and an ever-growing list of YouTube do-it-yourself videos are available to help in this process, too. Most mandolin players can perform the basic set-up tasks of adjusting the bridge, but take the more advanced jobs to a pro. Even a great guitar technician may do a terrible job on a mandolin set-up. The shorter scale, and the stiffness of the double strings of the mandolin require much more precise tolerances than a guitar. In this section I cover a few easy jobs that you may want to try yourself with a few basic tools. Stewart-MacDonald and Tonetech are suppliers of specialty tools and parts used in the making and repairing of string instruments. Some of these tools are quite expensive but can make the job much easier. Also, Frank Ford, at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, California, has a wealth of additional information on set-up and other issues about the care and feeding of a mandolin, available online. If you’re even a little intimidated or feel uncomfortable at the thought of carrying out the set-up procedures, leave them to the pros and go to your acoustic music specialty shop. Believe me, a good mandolin set-up technician is a great friend to have. Adjust the Action Action describes the distance you have to press the strings down to get a fretted note to ring properly. Mandolin strings are very tight when tuned up to pitch, so having the action low makes your mandolin easier to play and causes less pain to your fingertips. However, if the action is too low, the strings buzz and rattle against the frets. Many mandolins built since the 1920s have adjustable bridges with two thumbwheels that you use to raise or lower the overall height of the bridge. You can adjust these thumbwheels in two ways: Loosen the tension on the strings until you can turn the screws with your thumb. Use a screwdriver with a wide flat tip inserted near one of the thumbwheels, between the bridge base and the bridge top. Carefully turn the handle until it takes enough pressure off the thumbwheel by lifting the bridge top so that you can adjust the thumbwheel. The following figure demonstrates this method. Most mandolin players like their action to be about 1.5 millimeter (0.06 of an inch) high at the twelfth fret. You can measure this distance with metal feeler gauges or a rotary depth micrometer. Although a bit pricy, these micrometers take all the guesswork out of the job. Some very experienced luthiers and set-up technicians can set the action by eye, but I prefer to measure it. The next figure shows this measuring tool. Tackle the Truss-rod Adjustment Some mandolins have an adjustable steel rod running the length of the neck, called a truss rod. This steel rod is designed so that by turning the nut on the threaded end of the rod, you can adjust the straightness of the neck. A bowed fretboard makes for high action and poor intonation. If your mandolin neck has a bow to it, a truss-rod adjustment (which somehow sounds more unpleasant than it is) may be able to straighten the neck. The truss rod screw or nut is located in the headstock, under a cover plate. You have to remove a few small screws to access the truss-rod adjustment screw. After you’ve removed the cover, determine what type of tool you need to make the adjustment. Some truss rods require an Allen key (or wrench), and others a thin-walled socket wrench. You can purchase truss-rod adjustment tools from luthier supply stores. If your mandolin’s neck is bowed forwards, turn the rod to the right. A very small amount can make a big difference, and so only turn this rod about one-eighth of a turn at a time. If the neck is back-bowed or bent backwards, making the strings buzz against the frets, try loosening the truss rod by turning it to the left. Some modern mandolin builders are putting a two-way adjustable truss rod in the neck. This type of rod pushes or pulls the neck in either direction, thus making this whole process easier. Check out the following figure for a view of the truss-rod adjusting procedure. Slot the Nut The action (or string height) at the first fret is very important for getting your mandolin to play easily and in tune. This measurement is overlooked quite often in lower-priced mandolins, but I’ve also seen many expensive mandolins that are very hard to fret because of this problem. If you think that your mandolin is hard to play on the frets nearest the nut, you may want to measure the action at the first fret. I use a rotary depth gauge (as shown in the previous figure) for this job. I like the action at the first fret to be about 0.3 of a millimeter (0.012 of an inch) for the E-string and about 0.38 of a millimeter (0.015 of an inch) for the G-string, with the A- and D-strings being somewhere in the middle (see the following figure). You can get different-sized metal files made specifically for slotting the nut. Try to find files that are slightly larger than the string you’re slotting. For instance, if your E-string is 0.254 or 0.28 millimeters (0.010 or 0.011 of an inch), look for a file that’s about 0.33 of a millimeter (0.013 of an inch). Cutting or deepening the nut slots can be a little risky, and so go slowly. One swipe too many with a file and the nut is ruined. Set the Bridge: Intonation Mandolin bridges are held in place by the downward pressure of the strings; they aren’t glued down. In order to get the mandolin to play in tune all the way up and down the neck, the bridge must be in the correct location. The term intonation refers to how well the instrument plays in tune. You can check this aspect by using an electronic digital tuner while moving the bridge very small amounts. Below are step-by-step instructions to set the intonation on your mandolin: 1. Tune the mandolin using an electronic tuner so that all the open (that is, unfretted) strings are in tune. 2. Fret each of the strings at the twelfth fret (the octave) and observe the reading on the tuner: If the tuner is reading flat or lower than it should, move the bridge towards the neck a small amount. If the tuner is reading sharp or higher than the open string, move the bridge back towards the tailpiece a bit. A millimeter or two (say, 0.06 of an inch) can make a huge difference, and so be careful not to move the bridge too far. Notice that in this figure, the open string and the twelfth fret are both in tune. 3. Check that the bridge is upright and not leaning one way or the other. If the bridge is leaning, carefully set it straight. Sometimes, however, the bridge needs to be at a slight angle to get the best intonation on all the strings. And, sometimes, adjusting a bit for one pair of strings might throw one of the other pairs off, so repeat as necessary to get as close to perfect as you can for all the pairs. Attempt the more involved set-up procedures that I mention only if you’re confident with your handyman skills. A professional set-up technician has the special tools and experience to carry out these procedures.

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.