Mandolin Resources

More Details and Resources

• An mandolin in fair condition A or F style - I can advise you on the suitability of specific instruments. Always get the best instrument you can reasonably afford.
  • Beginning mandolin $200 - $250.
  • Intermediate mandolin $300 – 500. This intermediate mandolin should have a solid wood top and probably electronics.
  • Top mandolins - Gibson is long-term favorite with mandolin players and a top mandolin will cost $1500-$3000.
• Picks, 2 Dunlop 494P101 Americana Round Triangle OR Dunlop Primetone Semi-Round 1.3mm Sculpted - Not the crappy ones that came with your mandolin. This specific pick is what all beginning and intermediate students will use for at least the 1st year, to develop basic technique. Different picks do different things well; this pick is well balanced for many techniques. It may not necessarily be your forever pick.
• Strap (preferably leather) - Levy's 3/4" A Style Mandolin Strap Brown ($16), Walker & Williams M-78 Soft Leather Adjustable Strap ($21), Neotech 8001002 Mandolin/Ukulele Strap, Black ($22). Regardless of the material of the strap, it must grip the back and not slide, so the left hand develops the greatest skill. Cotton and Neoprene are other good materials. Use the strap even when you’re sitting down.
  • Your strap will also need 2 strap buttons - Mushroom Head Mandolin Strap buttons, chrome – unless they are included with your strap or are already on the mandolin.
• Strings - Light gauge. Gore Elixir ($11-12, last longer) and C.F. Martin ($4, 5) are good brands. Just as needed.
• Pencil - Musicians write with pencils because they make changes to their music and make frequent notations on the pages. Erasable, colored pencils are best.
• 5 GB flash drive (or larger) - To record your lesson, When you begin each lesson, give your flash drive to your instructor and they'll record your lessons. Be sure and take the drive with you when you leave and listen to it in your computer the day of or the day after your lesson. This will give you a way to review the lesson and give me a way to send demonstrations of technique or songs home with you. If you'll review your lesson each week, you'll progress about 5 to 10% faster.
• Audacity - Also, if you'd like to get a even more out of some of your own practices, download Audacity, a free computer-based recording program. It does many great things to help you practice; people even make professional albums with it. You can change the pitch of your song, record yourself, record yourself playing with your song, or isolate sections of songs for practice. Many good things.
• Metronome - Leave your metronome at home, but you need it to practice. Apps for iphone – Tempo Advance is the best - $4. For Android, Tempo - $2. Standalone metronomes: Planet Waves PW-MT-02 ($15), Korg MA-1 ($20-25). Use the metronome whenever possible. It will develop your sense of rhythm and counting; equally important, it will show you where you should be practicing. If you follow the beat from the metronome in songs and exercises, the areas where you don't do well will be revealed, and you'll know where to spend extra practice time. The metronome is your drummer.
  • When you’re having trouble getting into the metronome, use a drum machine. For iphone, use Garage Band, for Android use Drummer Friend - $3. Standalone drum machine: Boss DB-60. And a little home keyboard with rhythms and metronomic markings works well, too. Students who practice with metronomes or rhythm machines will also progress about 5 to 10 percent faster.
• Sheet music for 5 pieces - Click here and look through the songs there – if you like some, download them and print them out. This list grows weekly and the great advantage of using the songs here is that the charts are pretty accurate and easy to follow. If you don’t see songs you like here, find music for 5 songs of your choice, within these guide lines: 1) No songs where violence, drugs, cursing, or sex figure largely, 2) No songs where what you like about the song is how super hard it is – for now. Just pick songs you think are cool.
  • Be careful not to get instructional material (for songs); TAB-only (internet) should only be used only very occasionally, because there's no way to know how long any of the notes or chords last. You will work through 1-2 songs per month, and will need to keep a steady supply of cool songs available, as we learn the old ones. If you have recordings of these songs, that's great and very useful, but not required.
• Tuning fork (preferably G or use a piano or keyboard) - This is to learn to tune your mandolin. Develop your ear and become a great musician. We discourage the use of electric tuners (unless you're playing on stage and can't hear your mandolin), because it prevents musicians from developing their ear. But here are 2 cheap tuners: Grover GP680T Chromatic Clip-On Tuner - $13 – 16 and Boss TU-01 Clip-on Chromatic Tuner - Black - $18 – 24.
• Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music - Recommended, but not required. Definitions for many useful musical terms are found here.

More Mandolin Resources

Mandolin repair - Dan McCarthy, http://www.dallasmandolinrepair.com, Johnson Square Building, 2701 Fondren Dr., Suite 123, Dallas, TX. 75206, 214-724-2789. M-F, 10-7pm.

Strings

• http://www.juststrings.com/
• http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/
• http://www.stringsbymail.com
• http://www.stringthis.com