scjandy, if you primarily want to play Irish traditional music on the mandolin I would recommend you focus on picking tunes - chords are more useful in (and important for) old time, folk, or bluegrass settings.
Get a few simpler tunes under your belt to start with (Boys of Bluehill, My Darling Asleep, Dunmore Lasses are good ones I started with.) Listen to lots of recordings, both of mandolin (good suggestions here: http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/6446/comments#comment137280 ) and other trad instrumentsand get along to some live performances or sessions if at all possible.
Concentrate on picking, seeing as you're also playing tunes on the fiddle. You will probably be aware that the tuning is the same.
However, it's good to learn chords too. This will also help you when you play the fiddle.
In the meantime, just play the same tunes you would play on the fiddle. Jigs and hornpipes are especially good for the mandolin. Reels are probably easier on the fiddle but, at this stage, there won't be much difference.
Slow airs and waltzes appear easy to play on the mandolin but you actually have to work much harder to make these sound good on this instrument.
Re Chords. I actually started off playing these on mandolin before I ever got around to playing tunes. I've found that this has helped a lot with my fingering i.e I'm less likely to lift fingers off the fret board/fiddle neck unecessarily as I've noticed some players do. This helps a lot during faster tunes. it also adds to the tune to insert part chords, drones etc. So, learn chords as well. They're useful for more than bluegrass.
Concentrate on the picking, though.
Mandolin tune
Mandolin tune
I am trying to learn to play the mandolin (as I also learn the fiddle)-
Should I learn cords or picking first? What tunes would be good for a beginner on the mandolin?
# Posted on October 31st 2005 by scjandy
Re: Mandolin tune
scjandy, if you primarily want to play Irish traditional music on the mandolin I would recommend you focus on picking tunes - chords are more useful in (and important for) old time, folk, or bluegrass settings.
Get a few simpler tunes under your belt to start with (Boys of Bluehill, My Darling Asleep, Dunmore Lasses are good ones I started with.) Listen to lots of recordings, both of mandolin (good suggestions here: http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/6446/comments#comment137280 ) and other trad instrumentsand get along to some live performances or sessions if at all possible.
# Posted on October 31st 2005 by grego
Re: Mandolin tune
Concentrate on picking, seeing as you're also playing tunes on the fiddle. You will probably be aware that the tuning is the same.
However, it's good to learn chords too. This will also help you when you play the fiddle.
In the meantime, just play the same tunes you would play on the fiddle. Jigs and hornpipes are especially good for the mandolin. Reels are probably easier on the fiddle but, at this stage, there won't be much difference.
Slow airs and waltzes appear easy to play on the mandolin but you actually have to work much harder to make these sound good on this instrument.
# Posted on October 31st 2005 by Johannes J
Re: Mandolin tune
Re Chords. I actually started off playing these on mandolin before I ever got around to playing tunes. I've found that this has helped a lot with my fingering i.e I'm less likely to lift fingers off the fret board/fiddle neck unecessarily as I've noticed some players do. This helps a lot during faster tunes. it also adds to the tune to insert part chords, drones etc. So, learn chords as well. They're useful for more than bluegrass.
Concentrate on the picking, though.
# Posted on October 31st 2005 by Johannes J
Re: Mandolin tune
Thanks for asking this question, as I'm trying to teach myself as well.
# Posted on November 1st 2005 by josingsinthehall
Re: Mandolin tune
couple of nice easy picking tunes here
http://www.chinatogalway.com/tunes%20Irish.htm
some good chord tunes for the mando here
http://www.chinatogalway.com/Songs%20cover%20page.htm
KS
# Posted on November 1st 2005 by KS