MANDOLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jdogric12]

I just realized (whilst posting in another thread here, as you may have seen) that we haven't discussed mandolin here too much, or even at all, have we?

I was lucky enough to have my order placed when RIC did their recent 5002 run. I've been playing the snot out of my new AFG 5002. I also got a cheap acoustic for $50 from a popular catalog. I have been taking weekly half-hour lessons for a little over a month now and am getting a lot out of it. Starting June 8th I go to full hour lessons; I need more!

My instructor (Mike Godwin, Modern Music Workshop, St. Pete, FL, USA) has been giving me a good education on the background of bluegrass and lots of insight into useful techniques specific to the mandolin. I was, and continue to be, surprised by how different it is from guitar. It's easy to simply think of mandolin as a tiny guitar with funny tuning, but it's so much more. Apparently, the way I understand it, the mandolin evolved as a folk "replacement" for the fiddle/violin. I never knew that.

Anyway, I'm at work and can't waste too much company time posting right now, but I think I might try to shoot video of myself on the 5002 tonight, so everyone can have a good laugh.

Stay tuned, and please share your own experiences. I know several of you got some of those new 5002's and I'd really like to compare notes here with you.

[jdogric12]

Yo.

[jps]

Sounds cool! But..............I was kinda hoping for something more like

[JakeK]

Man, Jdog, I never knew that's what a Ric mandolin sounded like. I never knew that's what your voice sounded like, either! Cool vid.

[jdogric12]

Thanks Jake!

Jeff, you stinker. pm sent re: video

[jimk]

Yeah, good sound. And it sounds like a real mandolin, too. (a slight dig at Tiny Moore's sound.)

JimK

[wmthor]

Here's the one that I can't get out of my mind.

[sloop_john_b]

Love me some mandolin (as can be seen in the preceding post ). It started when I first heard the Zep tune "Battle of Evermore" and has carried over to this day. I "learned" the instrument (aka figured out most of the chords ), then taught it to a friend, who now plays it in our band. Would love to take some serious lessons someday, or at the very least find a book with some good old-timey tunes in it.

Here's a quick webcam vid of me doing a little playing, and showing off my current mando:

[JakeK]

Wow, John, I couldn't put your voice to your face, either. I should try to stop guessing people's voices.

Cool vid, though, dude. You've done well for teaching yourself. I'd like to learn the mando, I'm sure it would be fun. I really need to break out of the rhythm guitar stage.

[jimk]

Yeah, mandolin is kinda fun. Once upon a time, I swore I was never going to learn to play it. Somebody asked me if I was interested in joining their band, because they were looking for some one who could harmonize, and play several instruments. And oh, by the way, could I play mandolin, too? So I thought the gig sounded like fun, and learned to play mandolin.

JimK

[wmthor]

Here's an old photo of me with my very inexpensive Gibson Flatrion mandolin. I bought in 2001 at the Gibson factory which is located inside of Nashville's Opry Mills mall.

Unlike JB in the above Big Muddy video, I do play left-handed.

[sloop_john_b]

Unlike JB in the above Big Muddy video, I do play left-handed.

D'oh!

[johneek]

Here are my two favorite mandolin players.....

[jdogric12]

Great posts everyone! Thanks!

[cassius987]

That sounds nothing like a guitar; I thought people were saying it sounded like a guitar! No, that sounds like pure mandolin to me. Great stuff.