Well, I've been playing guitar since I was 9 (I'm 20 now), and play the usual backings, and all sorts of jigs and reels in a sort of Arty McGlynn style. I want to learn something new. Living all my life in the North West of Ireland, I've grown up with the acclaimed Donegal fiddlers, the world class harmonica players, unrivaled pipers, guitarists like Arty, and many more true Irish musicians who have stayed home, not letting foreign influences affect their style (EVERY session Ive heard abroad has just been...different).
Well anyway, what should I learn? I've no idea. I was thinking maybe the mandolin. Or even the fiddle. This is your chance to promote your instrument! I just want something new and fun to play. I've only ever played guitar. Thanks.
See I don't know, I love the flowing sounds of the fiddle, it looks great, I just like it.
But like love the sort of plucking sound you hear continously from the banjos and mandolins.
And the drone from the accordian, ah it's great.
I love them all. But I don't have the needs to learn everything, maybe over time, but at the moment, being as cheap as I am, and restricted with time, it's going to have to be just one.
If you've got "strings fingers", it seems a pity not to at least try the fiddle - you're part-way there. Its versatility would enable you to try other forms of music besides Irish trad, if you wanted, and that would be so even if you never became a top-notch fiddler.
Decent new squeezeboxes of any kind cost a fortune and, like a new car, are inevitably going to deteriorate. I assume there are playable fiddles that cost less and last better.
Do you reckon fiddle would be better than mandolin? Both have the same sorta finger patterns, should i give the bowing a go just for a change from finger picking?
If you already flatpick guitar, then picking a mandolin will be relatively easy. The string spacing is smaller, and picking through the double courses on mando makes it feel different than guitar, so it won't likely be an "instant" ability. But it won't take long. Learning mandoling will give you the basic fingering for fiddle.
Going straight to fiddle will be full of unfamiliar things--going fretless, figuring out how to hang on to the bow, etc. So it generally takes longer to suss out how to play the thing well.
I played banjo and guitar before learning mando and fiddle. I picked up mando and fiddle at the same time, and mando was definitely a quicker road. But I've gone further on fiddle--it's just a joy to play.
Something else to consider--it's usually easier to find decent sounding, playable inexpensive mandos than comparable fiddles for the same money. But then again, you might stumble onto a bargain fiddle....
In my opinion, I would say go for the mandolin. You would not need to go through the process of learning new techniques like bow ornamentation and a fretless fingerboard. Now, it might be good discipline to play the fiddle rather than taking an easier road like the mandolin but, if you like the mandolin, then that nessesarily isn't what you are doing. Also, as far as I have seen, mandolins are not as common as fiddles in sessions and you would be welcome instantly at a session. The mandolin doesn't drown anyone out (unlike what a box can potentially do, depending on the player) and people in sessions like that. You could go for the banjo either, but if you get a bad teacher, bad habits on banjo are really a pain in the arse to correct and I've heard a lot worse sounds coming from a badly played banjo than a badly played mandolin. One more plus side to the mandolin is that polkas, slides and slow airs fit much better on the instrument than the banjo, in my opinion.
By the way, I'm a banjo player mostly myself in case you're wondering!
seriously though, think about what you really want to do, if frets and strings are your thing, then Mando or even banjo. if you want more of a change then fiddle might be the answer.
Your best bet may be to spend the tiny bit of money for an entry level whistle, if that works then consider flute or pipes maybe
Ach i have literally hundreds of whistles around the house, dads a teacher, don't wanna get back into it! Dabbled with it a few years back.
I'm thinking maybe mandolin.
I was wondering if any of these would be any good? This is the best music store near me http://www.hendersonmusicireland.com/catalog/157
It seems to me that the most common progression for guitar players seems to be Guitar->Banjo/Mandolin->Fiddle. But that doesn't mean you have to follow suit. (Another common progression seems to be whistle->flute->pipes, but that's another story).
I suspect that intermediate banjo/mandolin step is often just because people are daunted by the prospect of learning the fiddle (which is not entirely unjustified). It also helps facilitate the transition from backing tunes to playing melody, which is useful. I, personally, greatly prefer to listen to the banjo over the mandolin for Irish tunes, but to each his/her own.
The fiddle's not easy by a long stretch, but once you start getting the hang of the bow (which is hard), you won't want to go back to your plectrum. The bow, and the ability to hold, texture, and connect notes adds a huge new dimension to playing music.
So I'd say that if you're brave and dedicated, go straight for the fiddle (chances are good that you'll probably end up there anyway, since so many do). If you want to take things easier, go for the banjo/mandolin.
Of course, I have a strong fiddle bias myself... ;)
my advice would be to go for a complete holiday from frets strings and soundboards.
With a brief exception early in life I played exclusively stringed instruments on and off for three decades. My late adoption of B/C box five or six years ago enables me do the things in Irish music that can't easily be done with fretted instruments. Playing on free reeds throws new light on banjo tunes and conversely the banjo is an aid to playing the box.
The two are complementary and the completely different playing styles allow me to give the tendons a bit of a holiday.
If you take up the fiddle, you're going to want a teacher. And lucky you, you just happen to have some of the finest fiddle players anywhere up there in Donegal. Shoot, you can just mosey on down the road and ask your nearest neighbor to show you a tune. You could do worse than the fiddle. Good role models are half the challenge, and that shouldn't be a problem for you.
Well, I really wouldn't presume to tell you what instrument you should choose. As someone already said, it's about what speaks to you.
However, I would like to ad that while there is some truth in what people are saying about the fiddle being in some ways more versatile than mandolin or banjo (it does have the advantage of infinite sustain) I would counter that the more I listen to music, the more I am convinced that limitations lie in the player and not in the instrument. And anyway, half the fun is figuring out how to get around those perceived limitations.
Besides, there are some things at which the mando and banjo excel for which the fiddle is less than ideal. One of my favorite things about the mandolin is it's ability to switch seamlessly from rhythm to melody and back again.
But then again, I could be biased--guess what instrument I play.
Let me start again. Flute is the polar opposite of guitar. Understand them both, and you become a force to be reckoned with. Flute is an incredibley versatile instrument with a character that allows you to explore options of musical expression unknown to guitar. That is not to say better - just very different. The contrast could be very liberating, and give you an advantage in accompanying others that may prove a revelation.
And if you get really good, you can release a CD accompanying yourself and maybe quit your day job.
Mandolin, in agreement with those that suggested that previously, and then fiddle, to back both sides... There's not an instrument I don't like in the right hands, but as you've been intimate with the guitar for so long, well, the transition to mandolin and then fiddle seems a natural progression. Someone mentioned bodhran, and I suspect a good strummer would naturally make a good percussionist, easily, but moving into intimate relationships with the melody, that would be my first inclination and recommendation... As the cat mentioned earlier, you'll find great mandolins at accessible prices more than you will find comparable fiddles, and the bows ain't cheap either, for a decent one, and even the least of the best is a hell of a lot of picks worth...
As if 'transition' were ageist... The main gist of related suggestions, which you may have missed previously, and in my comment, was monetary... Besides, what is wrong with taking the easy option, eh?
As a guitarist who went through exactly the same stages - i recommend mando and fiddle - at the same time! mando is a soda for most guitarists and when you know the shape of the tune on it - you pick up your fiddle. been having a ball with this strategy for 3 yrs now with reasonable results (in my opinion - my family and friends may beg to differ )
The greatest instrument of all (IMHO) is the double bass with its deep sonorities and soaring harmonics...but not exactly suited for ITM. My classical dot-bound background is showing...I chose the fiddle as my session instrument of choice for many of the above-posted reasons. For a break, I play a bit of flute, for as the esteemed Michael Gill has noted in an earlier thread, there is a space between the high whistles and the strummers, and the flute fits perfectly therein.
you should do the anglo concertina. it's the most fun instrument i've ever played. it's such a joy not to worry about tone and just push and pull to your heart's content. as i'm a flute player, i also have a lust for tonework (nothing is so satisfying as spending a couple hours on your tone), and the concertina's got some nitty gritty too--if you ever feel so inclined, you can spend hours and hours working on honing in the exact muscles to get perfect bellow and tone control. the great thing tho, is that you dont have to! i know some people who never put an ounce of thought into their arms and pectorals and sound grand.
flute is frustrating, but rewarding. the feel of a nice low e resonating (or a low d barking) is great. i'm sure it's almost as good as some wonderful note resonating on the violin, but i've never been able to get mine to cooperate very much cuz i havent spent the time.
I am now in my 40's and having played the guitar for 30 years I considered that it was really the only instrument that I would probably learn.
Three years ago I dabbled ( for 12 months or so ) with some formal classical piano tuition as I knew I was searching for something different. I then discovered the Irish fiddle, ditched the piano lessons and I haven't looked back. Folk music has always been my first love. I now play regularly with other fiddle players (mainly playing Irish and Scottish tunes) as well as other musicians, listening and watching what they do, feeding off the energy and passion of the music. I go to fiddle workshops at every opportunity and spend the rest of my time listening to and soaking up the music from CD's and other recordings that I have made.
My observation with my own experience is that it is so much easier to learn a second or third instrument if you can play one already. Going from the guitar to the fiddle was not easy as the bowing is obviously an art that needs to be worked on and I know that I have many years of enjoyment and frustration ahead of me as I try and develop my skills and ability. (But what rewards !!)
Just recently I bought a Mandolin because after spending two years learning fiddle tunes and with a guitar players flat -picking technique already well developed it's easy to develop a decent technique in no time. If I had more time I would also dabble on the tenor banjo.
Why not mandola or 'zouk ?
The scale length is closer to the guitar, though the different tuning nmeans you have to be prepared to throw your fingers about a bit more, and you can always chord if you don't know the tune.
Personally I tried the fiddle, but the bowing was more than I could handle, but I think that the younger you start the easier it ought to be to get that going. On the other hand there are so many fiddlers about already. Good idea to expand from the guitar, certainly.
Anyway, the mando-family instrument will get you used to working in 5ths instead of fourths and thirds, and you could be practising the fiddle in private till it's ready to take outside.
Hey thanks for the suggestions Pete ... but there are only so many hours in the day .... I did think about buying a Mandola .. and may get round to it if I can pick up a decent instrument some time. My love for the fiddle is generated by the fact that I regulary play with other local supportive people (including LazyHound).
I agree about your point about working in 5ths. I think the mandolin will help my fiddle playing and vice versa.
Pete Copers in the introduction to his second Irish fiddle book talks about it taking 5 to 7 years to gain real fluency. He says, to build a good repertoire takes hours of dedicated listening, practice and playing with others. The good news is that I have started the journey now rather than later .... having a good ear developed over many years of self taught guitar can only help.
Guernsey Pete offers a welcome widening view ~ the 'mandolin' family has a lot of possibilities to offer. I'm in sympathy with him, liking the lower registries... However, there is a price difference, though not as huge a jump as getting a decent fiddle and bow, on average. Another consideration would be the list of attitudes toward different instruments, from those least favoured to those in favour. The mandolin has never featured as an instrument of scorn and in my experience is always welcomed and appreciated, not being a 'dominator' like say the piano accordion can be, or a gate crasher like percussion or the tenor banjo (in a similar league) can be. Of course, it is always down to the player not the instrument, and the presence or absence of consideration.
My wife is a particularly good judge of character, has a good BS meter, and the mandolin is one of her favourite instruments, and she likes that family of strums on the whole, including the guitar... But, like me, she realizes it is down to the player not the instrument. Recently we experienced a lot of Hackbrett, the Austrian version of the hammered dulcimer ~ and it was sweet. We have mostly had bad experiences with that family, American players that were into volume and being the 'lead' instrument in a session of music. However, we've known consideration there, if mostly from Greeks and Austrians... ( I just know Ptarmigan will give me hell for that. )
Hey, I just though, since we have the Greek bouzouki in the tradition already, why not the Santouri? Now that is amongst my all time favourites of hammered dulcimers, and it has a damper bar and pedal too... ( That's my attempt at trying to make amends to the power of Ptarmigan. Fear makes us do funny things. )
my favourite guitar player picked up a flute after 15 years of playing the guitar, his doing pretty well - right Janek?
I'm wandering about new instrument for me as well, so I can tell You what I've just heard the other day:
Which instrument You like the best?
- A good measure of which of many intriguing instruments is right for you might be the one you'd tend to pick up in an idle moment. Thats the one you'll be impatient to get back to, the one you'll improve on seemingly without effort because its fun but not work.
As a mandolin player, I'd say take up the fiddle. I wish I'd done at 20!
As you're learning the fiddle, get yourself a mandolin or banjo as well when cash allows, and between the skills you've learned on guitar and fiddle, you'll be able to play it naturally. But fiddle will take more work, you're in a great fiddling area, so start on fiddle now.
As MG said, you don't need "transition" steps at your age.
No, only kidding 'c'! I'm afraid it's back to that old thing about there not being any BAD instruments, just bad players.
The difference in the approach of some players of Hammered Dulcimer & those of the Santouri, is that some H-D players insist on using bare wood Hammers while, as you can see from this photo, Santouri Hammers are traditionally covered in Cotton Wool: http://www.kofteros.gr/
So, played with bare wood, those large American Dulcimers can be totally dominating in a session, especially in the wrong hands, while felted or leathered Hammers can make all the difference. But it's really down to manners & common sense & players wishing their musical contribution to a session to blend in with, rather than drown out everyone else.
As for your question Stíofán, I'd 2nd what Bren has said.
I started with the Mandolin at age 24 & took up the Fiddle a couple of years later. Now, I mostly play Fiddle in sessions & the chances are you will become frustrated too with how quiet your Mandolin sounds in session.
Want to learn a new instrument
Want to learn a new instrument
Well, I've been playing guitar since I was 9 (I'm 20 now), and play the usual backings, and all sorts of jigs and reels in a sort of Arty McGlynn style. I want to learn something new. Living all my life in the North West of Ireland, I've grown up with the acclaimed Donegal fiddlers, the world class harmonica players, unrivaled pipers, guitarists like Arty, and many more true Irish musicians who have stayed home, not letting foreign influences affect their style (EVERY session Ive heard abroad has just been...different).
Well anyway, what should I learn? I've no idea. I was thinking maybe the mandolin. Or even the fiddle. This is your chance to promote your instrument! I just want something new and fun to play. I've only ever played guitar. Thanks.
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by Stíofán
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
I love playing fiddle--the sheer physical pleasure of swinging the bow, and the incredible range of nuances and expressiveness that are possible.
But isn't the question "what instrument speaks to you the most?"
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by Will CPT
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
See I don't know, I love the flowing sounds of the fiddle, it looks great, I just like it.
But like love the sort of plucking sound you hear continously from the banjos and mandolins.
And the drone from the accordian, ah it's great.
I love them all. But I don't have the needs to learn everything, maybe over time, but at the moment, being as cheap as I am, and restricted with time, it's going to have to be just one.
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by Stíofán
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
If you've got "strings fingers", it seems a pity not to at least try the fiddle - you're part-way there. Its versatility would enable you to try other forms of music besides Irish trad, if you wanted, and that would be so even if you never became a top-notch fiddler.
Decent new squeezeboxes of any kind cost a fortune and, like a new car, are inevitably going to deteriorate. I assume there are playable fiddles that cost less and last better.
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by nicholas
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Do you reckon fiddle would be better than mandolin? Both have the same sorta finger patterns, should i give the bowing a go just for a change from finger picking?
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by Stíofán
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
If you already flatpick guitar, then picking a mandolin will be relatively easy. The string spacing is smaller, and picking through the double courses on mando makes it feel different than guitar, so it won't likely be an "instant" ability. But it won't take long. Learning mandoling will give you the basic fingering for fiddle.
Going straight to fiddle will be full of unfamiliar things--going fretless, figuring out how to hang on to the bow, etc. So it generally takes longer to suss out how to play the thing well.
I played banjo and guitar before learning mando and fiddle. I picked up mando and fiddle at the same time, and mando was definitely a quicker road. But I've gone further on fiddle--it's just a joy to play.
Something else to consider--it's usually easier to find decent sounding, playable inexpensive mandos than comparable fiddles for the same money. But then again, you might stumble onto a bargain fiddle....
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by Will CPT
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
In my opinion, I would say go for the mandolin. You would not need to go through the process of learning new techniques like bow ornamentation and a fretless fingerboard. Now, it might be good discipline to play the fiddle rather than taking an easier road like the mandolin but, if you like the mandolin, then that nessesarily isn't what you are doing. Also, as far as I have seen, mandolins are not as common as fiddles in sessions and you would be welcome instantly at a session. The mandolin doesn't drown anyone out (unlike what a box can potentially do, depending on the player) and people in sessions like that. You could go for the banjo either, but if you get a bad teacher, bad habits on banjo are really a pain in the arse to correct and I've heard a lot worse sounds coming from a badly played banjo than a badly played mandolin. One more plus side to the mandolin is that polkas, slides and slow airs fit much better on the instrument than the banjo, in my opinion.
By the way, I'm a banjo player mostly myself in case you're wondering!
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by 52Paddy
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
bodhran, seems to be a real shortage......
seriously though, think about what you really want to do, if frets and strings are your thing, then Mando or even banjo. if you want more of a change then fiddle might be the answer.
Your best bet may be to spend the tiny bit of money for an entry level whistle, if that works then consider flute or pipes maybe
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by thorsdog
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Ach i have literally hundreds of whistles around the house, dads a teacher, don't wanna get back into it! Dabbled with it a few years back.
I'm thinking maybe mandolin.
I was wondering if any of these would be any good? This is the best music store near me
http://www.hendersonmusicireland.com/catalog/157
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by Stíofán
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
It seems to me that the most common progression for guitar players seems to be Guitar->Banjo/Mandolin->Fiddle. But that doesn't mean you have to follow suit. (Another common progression seems to be whistle->flute->pipes, but that's another story).
I suspect that intermediate banjo/mandolin step is often just because people are daunted by the prospect of learning the fiddle (which is not entirely unjustified). It also helps facilitate the transition from backing tunes to playing melody, which is useful. I, personally, greatly prefer to listen to the banjo over the mandolin for Irish tunes, but to each his/her own.
The fiddle's not easy by a long stretch, but once you start getting the hang of the bow (which is hard), you won't want to go back to your plectrum. The bow, and the ability to hold, texture, and connect notes adds a huge new dimension to playing music.
So I'd say that if you're brave and dedicated, go straight for the fiddle (chances are good that you'll probably end up there anyway, since so many do). If you want to take things easier, go for the banjo/mandolin.
Of course, I have a strong fiddle bias myself... ;)
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by Georgi
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Have you never ever played a mandolin before?
If you can Flatpick tunes on your guitar, the transition won't be massive.
Try mandolin, but if your interest continues, you most likely will take on fiddle.
Good luck.
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by Hugo Chavez
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
my advice would be to go for a complete holiday from frets strings and soundboards.
With a brief exception early in life I played exclusively stringed instruments on and off for three decades. My late adoption of B/C box five or six years ago enables me do the things in Irish music that can't easily be done with fretted instruments. Playing on free reeds throws new light on banjo tunes and conversely the banjo is an aid to playing the box.
The two are complementary and the completely different playing styles allow me to give the tendons a bit of a holiday.
Get yourself a B/C box.
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by millionyears_bc
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
If you take up the fiddle, you're going to want a teacher. And lucky you, you just happen to have some of the finest fiddle players anywhere up there in Donegal. Shoot, you can just mosey on down the road and ask your nearest neighbor to show you a tune. You could do worse than the fiddle. Good role models are half the challenge, and that shouldn't be a problem for you.
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by kennedy
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Well, I really wouldn't presume to tell you what instrument you should choose. As someone already said, it's about what speaks to you.
However, I would like to ad that while there is some truth in what people are saying about the fiddle being in some ways more versatile than mandolin or banjo (it does have the advantage of infinite sustain) I would counter that the more I listen to music, the more I am convinced that limitations lie in the player and not in the instrument. And anyway, half the fun is figuring out how to get around those perceived limitations.
Besides, there are some things at which the mando and banjo excel for which the fiddle is less than ideal. One of my favorite things about the mandolin is it's ability to switch seamlessly from rhythm to melody and back again.
But then again, I could be biased--guess what instrument I play.
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by North Light
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/6109/
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by llig leahcim
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
May I recommend the flute?
IT'S THE BEST DAMN INSTRUMENT IN THE WORLD!!!
Um. . .sorry. . .was a bit on edge just then.
Let me start again. Flute is the polar opposite of guitar. Understand them both, and you become a force to be reckoned with. Flute is an incredibley versatile instrument with a character that allows you to explore options of musical expression unknown to guitar. That is not to say better - just very different. The contrast could be very liberating, and give you an advantage in accompanying others that may prove a revelation.
And if you get really good, you can release a CD accompanying yourself and maybe quit your day job.
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by Ailin
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Mandolin, in agreement with those that suggested that previously, and then fiddle, to back both sides... There's not an instrument I don't like in the right hands, but as you've been intimate with the guitar for so long, well, the transition to mandolin and then fiddle seems a natural progression. Someone mentioned bodhran, and I suspect a good strummer would naturally make a good percussionist, easily, but moving into intimate relationships with the melody, that would be my first inclination and recommendation... As the cat mentioned earlier, you'll find great mandolins at accessible prices more than you will find comparable fiddles, and the bows ain't cheap either, for a decent one, and even the least of the best is a hell of a lot of picks worth...
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Stíofán is only 20 years old. What's with all this advice about choosing an instrument where the transition would be easier?
# Posted on April 20th 2007 by llig leahcim
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Pipes!!
Or flute.
# Posted on April 21st 2007 by seisflutes
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
As if 'transition' were ageist... The main gist of related suggestions, which you may have missed previously, and in my comment, was monetary... Besides, what is wrong with taking the easy option, eh?
# Posted on April 21st 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
As a guitarist who went through exactly the same stages - i recommend mando and fiddle - at the same time! mando is a soda for most guitarists and when you know the shape of the tune on it - you pick up your fiddle. been having a ball with this strategy for 3 yrs now with reasonable results (in my opinion - my family and friends may beg to differ
)
# Posted on April 21st 2007 by geoffmc
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
The greatest instrument of all (IMHO) is the double bass with its deep sonorities and soaring harmonics...but not exactly suited for ITM. My classical dot-bound background is showing...I chose the fiddle as my session instrument of choice for many of the above-posted reasons. For a break, I play a bit of flute, for as the esteemed Michael Gill has noted in an earlier thread, there is a space between the high whistles and the strummers, and the flute fits perfectly therein.
# Posted on April 21st 2007 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
you should do the anglo concertina. it's the most fun instrument i've ever played. it's such a joy not to worry about tone and just push and pull to your heart's content. as i'm a flute player, i also have a lust for tonework (nothing is so satisfying as spending a couple hours on your tone), and the concertina's got some nitty gritty too--if you ever feel so inclined, you can spend hours and hours working on honing in the exact muscles to get perfect bellow and tone control. the great thing tho, is that you dont have to! i know some people who never put an ounce of thought into their arms and pectorals and sound grand.
flute is frustrating, but rewarding. the feel of a nice low e resonating (or a low d barking) is great. i'm sure it's almost as good as some wonderful note resonating on the violin, but i've never been able to get mine to cooperate very much cuz i havent spent the time.
# Posted on April 21st 2007 by daiv
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
I am now in my 40's and having played the guitar for 30 years I considered that it was really the only instrument that I would probably learn.
Three years ago I dabbled ( for 12 months or so ) with some formal classical piano tuition as I knew I was searching for something different. I then discovered the Irish fiddle, ditched the piano lessons and I haven't looked back. Folk music has always been my first love. I now play regularly with other fiddle players (mainly playing Irish and Scottish tunes) as well as other musicians, listening and watching what they do, feeding off the energy and passion of the music. I go to fiddle workshops at every opportunity and spend the rest of my time listening to and soaking up the music from CD's and other recordings that I have made.
My observation with my own experience is that it is so much easier to learn a second or third instrument if you can play one already. Going from the guitar to the fiddle was not easy as the bowing is obviously an art that needs to be worked on and I know that I have many years of enjoyment and frustration ahead of me as I try and develop my skills and ability. (But what rewards !!)
Just recently I bought a Mandolin because after spending two years learning fiddle tunes and with a guitar players flat -picking technique already well developed it's easy to develop a decent technique in no time. If I had more time I would also dabble on the tenor banjo.
# Posted on April 21st 2007 by Jon_bailey
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Why not mandola or 'zouk ?
The scale length is closer to the guitar, though the different tuning nmeans you have to be prepared to throw your fingers about a bit more, and you can always chord if you don't know the tune.
Personally I tried the fiddle, but the bowing was more than I could handle, but I think that the younger you start the easier it ought to be to get that going. On the other hand there are so many fiddlers about already. Good idea to expand from the guitar, certainly.
Anyway, the mando-family instrument will get you used to working in 5ths instead of fourths and thirds, and you could be practising the fiddle in private till it's ready to take outside.
# Posted on April 21st 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Hey thanks for the suggestions Pete ... but there are only so many hours in the day .... I did think about buying a Mandola .. and may get round to it if I can pick up a decent instrument some time. My love for the fiddle is generated by the fact that I regulary play with other local supportive people (including LazyHound).
I agree about your point about working in 5ths. I think the mandolin will help my fiddle playing and vice versa.
Pete Copers in the introduction to his second Irish fiddle book talks about it taking 5 to 7 years to gain real fluency. He says, to build a good repertoire takes hours of dedicated listening, practice and playing with others. The good news is that I have started the journey now rather than later .... having a good ear developed over many years of self taught guitar can only help.
# Posted on April 21st 2007 by Jon_bailey
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Guernsey Pete offers a welcome widening view ~ the 'mandolin' family has a lot of possibilities to offer. I'm in sympathy with him, liking the lower registries... However, there is a price difference, though not as huge a jump as getting a decent fiddle and bow, on average. Another consideration would be the list of attitudes toward different instruments, from those least favoured to those in favour. The mandolin has never featured as an instrument of scorn and in my experience is always welcomed and appreciated, not being a 'dominator' like say the piano accordion can be, or a gate crasher like percussion or the tenor banjo (in a similar league) can be. Of course, it is always down to the player not the instrument, and the presence or absence of consideration.
My wife is a particularly good judge of character, has a good BS meter, and the mandolin is one of her favourite instruments, and she likes that family of strums on the whole, including the guitar... But, like me, she realizes it is down to the player not the instrument. Recently we experienced a lot of Hackbrett, the Austrian version of the hammered dulcimer ~ and it was sweet. We have mostly had bad experiences with that family, American players that were into volume and being the 'lead' instrument in a session of music. However, we've known consideration there, if mostly from Greeks and Austrians... ( I just know Ptarmigan will give me hell for that.
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# Posted on April 21st 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
Hey, I just though, since we have the Greek bouzouki in the tradition already, why not the Santouri? Now that is amongst my all time favourites of hammered dulcimers, and it has a damper bar and pedal too... ( That's my attempt at trying to make amends to the power of Ptarmigan. Fear makes us do funny things.
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# Posted on April 21st 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
my favourite guitar player picked up a flute after 15 years of playing the guitar, his doing pretty well - right Janek?
I'm wandering about new instrument for me as well, so I can tell You what I've just heard the other day:
Which instrument You like the best?
# Posted on April 21st 2007 by padre
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
- A good measure of which of many intriguing instruments is right for you might be the one you'd tend to pick up in an idle moment. Thats the one you'll be impatient to get back to, the one you'll improve on seemingly without effort because its fun but not work.
# Posted on April 22nd 2007 by pubpersona
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
As a mandolin player, I'd say take up the fiddle. I wish I'd done at 20!
As you're learning the fiddle, get yourself a mandolin or banjo as well when cash allows, and between the skills you've learned on guitar and fiddle, you'll be able to play it naturally. But fiddle will take more work, you're in a great fiddling area, so start on fiddle now.
As MG said, you don't need "transition" steps at your age.
The mandolin will look after itself
# Posted on April 23rd 2007 by Bren
Re: Want to learn a new instrument
'c' - HELL, HELL, HELL!!!
No, only kidding 'c'! I'm afraid it's back to that old thing about there not being any BAD instruments, just bad players.
The difference in the approach of some players of Hammered Dulcimer & those of the Santouri, is that some H-D players insist on using bare wood Hammers while, as you can see from this photo, Santouri Hammers are traditionally covered in Cotton Wool: http://www.kofteros.gr/
So, played with bare wood, those large American Dulcimers can be totally dominating in a session, especially in the wrong hands, while felted or leathered Hammers can make all the difference. But it's really down to manners & common sense & players wishing their musical contribution to a session to blend in with, rather than drown out everyone else.
As for your question Stíofán, I'd 2nd what Bren has said.
I started with the Mandolin at age 24 & took up the Fiddle a couple of years later. Now, I mostly play Fiddle in sessions & the chances are you will become frustrated too with how quiet your Mandolin sounds in session.
# Posted on May 28th 2007 by Ptarmigan