Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mandolin

Others like St. James Infirmary?

Baby_Balrog — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:53:25 -0800

My band does a great cover of St. James Infirmary Blues. What else should we do that's in the same vein? Here's a bozillion .mp3s of St. James so you can get a feel for it. It looks like it's been categorized under pre-war blues. It sounds great - we do it as a three-piece... guitar, banjo, fiddle with three-part vocal harmonies. It plays well on the fiddle - what other tunes capture this kind of dark, painful sound in a blues way that translates well to string band?

Swimming in a sea of wood and strings.

radioamy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:28:46 -0800

Boyfriendbirthdayfilter: Do you know anything about buying mandolins? Please hope me! My boyfriend is a musician (guitar mostly, dabbles in bass) and has mentioned that he would like a mandolin. His birthday is next week (oops!), and I’m interested in buying one for him. However I know little about buying musical instruments, and nothing about mandolins!

I’m looking to spend about $200. Is that a reasonable amount to pay for a decent quality instrument? Is a mandolin something that I could buy at Guitar Center or do those sound like they came from Toys-R-Us? What should I look for and what should I avoid?

I've looked at two previous questions and through the FAQ at Folk of the Wood but I'm still unsure. There are SO MANY FUCKING OPTIONS! A-style, F-style, A-style with F-holes...halp!

Do you have some advice for me? The more direction the better, because I feel like I'm swimming in a sea of wood and strings!

I live in New Orleans, LA if that's relevant. I'm okay buying online if I need to.

Please suggest some tunes for me to learn to play

mzurer — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:45:23 -0800

What 5-25 songs should I learn that will be most likely to come in handy at bluegrass/old-time music jams? I'm learning to play mandolin and can read sheet music moderately well based on my past life as a violinist. I'm looking for stuff that will help me improve and also make it more likely to be able to play with others. As a bonus, links to resources (free is good, but if there is an excellent book you'd reccomend purchasing I'd love to know about it) with sheet music arrangements, or even better, with mandolin-specific transcriptions, that would be great!

While my banjo mandolin gently weeps

Kerasia — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:03:24 -0800

I have just been gifted a beloved and much missed late relative's 8-string banjo mandolin. The relative bought the instrument (used) in the early-mid 1970s and died soon after. Despite googling the universe I cannot find out anything about the instrument or maker. On the head it says "Wayne" in a horizontal scroll and then vertically underneath, "Dixie". I'd love to know more about the instrument. Anyone heard of Wayne Dixie banjo mandolins?

Gander Mountain theme song

stubby phillips — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:12:51 -0800

i want to listen to a radio commercial without the words. a situation has arisen where i have to think about Gander Mountain (they sell outdoor equipment) a lot. every time i hear or read the words "Gander Mountain" the theme song for their radio commercials pops into my head. i love this tune.

i think i can play this tune on my mandolin. i just need to listen to it a couple times when i'm not in my car to make sure. can anybody help me find an mp3 of it so i can verify my imperfect recollections?

Nervous mandolinist looking for the friendliest old-time session in NYC.

nebulawindphone — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:10:40 -0800

Nervous mandolinist looking for the friendliest old-time session in NYC. I'm a pretty good all-around musician, but I'm terrified of playing with other people. I'm an introvert and a huge perfectionist — doing something I'm new at with a group of strangers is just about the worst thing I can imagine. (And playing music with a group is, yeah, something I'm new at. Nice vicious cycle, eh?)

The thing is, I've fallen in love with the mandolin, and playing the mandolin by yourself is one step away from playing the goddamn maracas by yourself. It just doesn't sound right without the rest of the string band. I guess it's time to suck it up and learn to play with others.

So I'm looking for the absolute friendliest, cuddliest, touchy-feeliest most welcoming and least intimidating old-time session in the city of New York. Bonus points if they're convenient to Greenpoint, but I don't mind riding the subway for a while if it means extra friendly. It would be nice, too, if there was a decent core of regulars who weren't absolute beginners, but if loads of experience is incompatible with friendliness, default to friendliness.

More mandolin music, please

billtron — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:55:49 -0800

I really like Paul Kelly's mandolin recording, "Varmland Waltz," on the muji website. Help me learn to play similar music, either from sheetmusic or by ear from recordings, on my mandolin. I've got jig skillz and reel skillz, so I can handle music that's intermediate to challenging, I guess.

The inside scoop on mandolins.

Gordion Knott — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 05:04:46 -0800

I'm interested in mandolins. Not the instrument, the cooking utensil. Is it all that it's cracked up to be? From what I've read, mandolins seem to do just about everything--slicing, dicing, the works.

For me, I'm looking for a device that will take the effort out of cutting vegetables for vegetarian dishes. Ideally, it should both mince vegetables as well as cut them into cubes or circles. Bonus points for slicing up onions, a task which I don't particularly care for.

Can mandolins fulfill all of these needs? If so, what brands should I look at for under a hundred bucks US?
And what other caveats should I think about?

Musical intrument learning hacks?

mjewkes — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:39:54 -0800

How should I go about learning to play the Octave Mandolin? I just recently purchased an octave mandolin from the Olde Woods Luthiers in Newfound Land.

I'm not so interested in bluegrass (what the instrument is most known for). I'm more interested in learning to play folk and celtic music.

I know a few guitar chords, and can play piano at an intermediate level.

What is the most effective way of learning an instrument like this? Lessons right away? Learn some chords, try to play guitar songs? Learn tabs? Just mess around with it every day?

Note that there isn't very much out there for books on the octave mandolin, and that it cannot be played the same as a regular mandolin - too much stretching of the fingers.

mando demando

gnutron — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:39:08 -0800

I was gifted a mandolin for my birthday this past weekend. I already play guitar and bass. Mandolin, not so much. Tips, techniques and tricks are appreciated. I have been playing guitar and bass for about 15 years. I've already learned some mandolin chords and have been happily strumming away.

I'm interested in hearing some mandolin tips, techniques or insights from experienced players. Or point me towards some good online resources. Tuning tips would be appreciated as well.

I plan on taking lessons at some point in the future. If you know anyone teaching in the SF East Bay, feel free to make a recommendation.

This thing must open up somehow...

inoculatedcities — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:23:07 -0800

How do I 'open' the tailpiece on my mandolin to restring it? I have an inexpensive Rogue RM-100A mandolin that needs restringing. I am trying to take the strings that came with it off so I can put some Elixers on but I'm completely stumped as to how to "open" the tailpiece to access the looped ends of the strings. They are encased in a solid clasp-like part of the tailpiece and are inaccessible. I'm certain this must open somehow to allow you to unhook the strings and place new ones in but I can't figure it out for the life of me. Perhaps its really very obvious and I'm overlooking something here. Anybody know?

Help me find a good beginner's mandolin?

inoculatedcities — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 16:25:27 -0800

Help me find a good beginner's mandolin? I'm a guitarist who is interested in purchasing an inexpensive but decent mandolin to learn with. eBay regularly lists ludicrously cheap mandolins (<$100) but I'm wary of getting something that will literally fall to pieces after a short time. I've played some laughably cheap acoustic guitars. One I ended up putting a whole through because the laminate was so thin and cheap and I just wanted to see if I could do it without punching through (I could -- it went in the garbage). Another, bought for $99 at a pawn shop, ended up being my favorite guitar (it's a Yamaha FG series from the late seventies similar to the one Elliott Smith played for along time). So I know that price does not equal quality in all cases. So now that I'm thinking about buying a beginner's mandolin I'm uncertain about which brands to look at and consider. Any help would be appreciated.

Guitar to mandolin tabs?

dhruva — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 18:13:06 -0800

How do I convert guitar tabulature to mandolin tabs? Hi, I've just managed to get my hands on a mandolin, and since I've never played any musical instrument before, I'm just looking at mandolin tabs and trying to play songs. Is there any (easy) way to convert a standard guitar tab to its mandolin version? And while I'm at it, I would be grateful for any tips and tricks to help me learn to play the mandolin. (I've trawled the numerous mandolin websites on the net, and I'm now looking for personal recommendations from y'all, and I'm on a Mac, if that helps).

Bluegrass guitar or mandolin teacher in NYC?

davidvan — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:21:02 -0800

I'm looking for a bluegrass mandolin and/or guitar teacher in new york city - specifically someone near Columbia University or on the upper west side (or who would travel there for lessons). Have tried finding one on craig's list and looked at flyers at music stores. Any suggestions on how to find such a teacher, or knowledge of such a person?

Buying a mandolin or guitar in China

ZenMasterThis — Wed, 04 May 2005 19:02:46 -0800

Will be traveling in Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen, and Beijing about a week from now. Any recommendations on where to find decent mandolins and guitars at good prices?

Website(s) with mandolin orchestra recordings?

tommasz — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 13:37:43 -0800

Does anyone know of a site that has sound recordings (either for sale or download) of early American mandolin orchestras (early 20th century)? I've been looking at the Smithsonian and Library of Congress but haven't found much. I'm assuming that given the time period they would mostly have been recorded on wax cylinders.

Buying a Mandolin

UKnowForKids — Fri, 30 Jan 2004 09:01:45 -0800

My cheap old mandolin, bought out of the back of a friend's truck for $20, just went kaput. Can anyone suggest a) a good mandolin that will cost me under $500, and/or b) a reputable online place to buy mandolins?