I got a Mandolin!!!!!

[Eric18]

Wooohooo!!! I got my very first Mandolin yesterday! A Kentucky KM - 140 S. I love it!!! I cant wait till I learn how to play it.

[pltees]

Congrats Eric!!! I envy you, b/c I remember what I felt like when I first got my mando. Wow, what an awesome feeling. Enjoy, I'm sure you already are.

[mandoBob]

awesome.
have fun and keep picking! take your time and be patient with yourself. dont neglect the rest of your life either :-)

[Eric18]

Thanks guys! Practice is going very well so far! Im really enjoying this! Hey, can anyone recommend some good electronic tuners to get for the Mandolin? I really hear they make it easier to tune them.

[mandoBob]

any standard guitar tuner will work for mando too.
I prefer ones with LED display. I've got a Sabine but there are plenty of others out there.
alternatively, there's some online stuff out there too, like this one:
http://www.mienet.net/music/guitar_tuner.html

[Taipan]

I don't know if you've looked into this, but most CD/book learning courses will have a track on the CD which plays a correctly tuned mandolin slowly enough for you to adjust it and try.

I heard that when you have new strings on a mandolin, the first time you try to tune it, they're most likely to snap....anybody had any experiences like that?

[mandoBob]

yeah they are soemwhat more likely to break when you are putting them on, but that might be b/c people put them on wrong. I havent had much trouble.

[Eric18]

I dont think ill ever put strings on myself... Id probably always have it taken somewhere.

[Thilefan]

Nahhhh...It's really not that big of a deal to put new strings on. A lot of people have this phobia of it, but it's really not that bad. As long as you have somebody show you the correct way the first time. The only 4 times I have broken strings was when I was first begining on the mandolin and I didn't know how high I was suppose to tune it LOL. I had a VERY bad ear. [bang] :rolleyes: [lolol] [lloll]

[Goose_17]

which all would agree....thank god for tuners. i've had my mandolin slightly longer than you eric (like a month) and i haven't had a problem breaking the strings putting them on. of course mine came setup already. however..i did break a e when i was playing with the cover plate and it cut the string...but as far as putting them on, so far it hasn't been anything i can't handle (plus i had my dad show me..a little advantage). thats awesome we got more aspiring mando players like me. i still need to break down and get chris' video or something. i can tell you that i wanted something at beginning to make me feel like i was actually learning, like an easy song. i'd say the first part of big sam thompson is pretty easy if you're looking just for something...keep us posted on how it goes. mandobob and the others here are so great on advice, tips, and just answering questions.

goose <><

[Eric18]

How often do you have to replace strings? Im pretty careful so hopefully it wont break.

[mandofocus]

I have both E strings and an A string break all at once three days after I got mine. I change stings every month or two as to not let them wear out (I play an awful lot, so they they have to be in really good shape). You really can change them whenever you feel that they are beginning to wear out. I recommend that you always have at least two sets of spare strings in case tey break.

PJ :cool:

[mandoBob]

I'm lazy so I dont change strings a whole lot...every few months or more. but some folks say casual players such as myself should change at least once a month.
Chris's video is really really great. DVD is great b/c you can do the lessons over easily.

practice^3 !!

[Thilefan]

I play the mandolin anywhere from 3-5 hours a day, and I find that every 7-9 days I need to replace mine. Unfortunately, I can't afford to do so. [bang] I end up replacing mine every month (and boy is it a nice change when I do).

-Robin

[UpInYourHeart]

Originally posted by Eric18
Wooohooo!!! I got my very first Mandolin yesterday! A Kentucky KM - 140 S. I love it!!! I cant wait till I learn how to play it.

you people make me tear - if only I had some money (besides the $7 hiding in my sock drawer) then I could own an mandolin...but alas all I have my is guitar that I can't play because my fingers are too small to play chords. I also own a keyboard, which I can't really play...I promise myself, the next instrument I buy, I WILL be able to play...somebody want to lend the new girl some money to buy a mandolin? :D

[mandoBob]

if you cant play your guitar or keyboard, then sell it or trade it or something.
eBay is a great way to raise funds. I was amazed how much $$ I got for crap I hadnt looked at in years. I suspect most of us have stuff lying around we dont need...a sad commentary on our society, but I wont go off on that now...
so go for it. do yourself a favor and DONT get a super cheapie mando. ask santa for a nicer one. search the archives here for discussion on that topic. also check out www.mandolincafe.com and www.mandolincafe.net

[UpInYourHeart]

I would, but I've had that guitar since I was 6 - so it has sentimental value...and the keyboards fun to play around with even though I can't really play...so it's cool...one day I'll be motivated enough to go back to them, I'm sure...

[MandolERin]

I'm in the same boat as you, girl!

I can't play my guitar (and it's a NICE one too... acoustic Fender with erm... what's that stuff called? rosewood? i dunno. [think har ) because my dad got a wide-neck one, which supposedly makes it easier to play chords... NOT!
My hands are so tiny i can barely reach around the thing. [bang]

I also have an extremely nice flute that I never play anymore that my parents refuse to let me sell.

I can play the keyboard/piano, though, haha.

But yeah. I want a mandolin!

Thanks for the advice everyone... maybe some day I can put it to good use! :rolleyes:

~Erin

[Elizabeth]

MandolErin - WOW! You are exactly the same as me! My name is actually Erin Elizabeth, but when I tried to sign up, it said there was already someone using Erin as their user name, so I went by my middle name. I also play flute, but not much any more, and have a guitar I can't play. I ysed to play piano, but gave it up to play flute, however, I now seriously regret giving it up! But due to me having small hands, what with being only 5ft, I was contemplating playing guitar, but think mandolin may be a wiser choice.

[desert rose]

Yeah, I have a mandolin too. I got mine for free from my cousin who gave it up long ago. I'm taking lessons. I also play Clarinet and Bass Clarinet in band, Alto Saxophone and Piano in Jazz band, Fife, violin, and native american flute at home. Ill take violin lessons soon. I like music!:D

[UpInYourHeart]

Originally posted by Elizabeth
however, I now seriously regret giving it up! But due to me having small hands, what with being only 5ft, I was contemplating playing guitar, but think mandolin may be a wiser choice.

Heeey...it's a fellow short person - I too am 5ft. (although I'm probably like 4'11 1/2 but the state of Washington doesn't have that on their files lol). But yes...that is also my reason for deciding to play the mandolin - when I can get the money to buy one (and find some place that sells them).

[Elizabeth]

Do you know what's even more comforting than finding a fellow female short person? Finding a guy that's just as short! One of my friends a college is only 5ft, he hates it, but I like it!

I understand about fiding somewhere that sells mandos, they are soooo hard to find here in England, I don't think they're too popular over here.

[desert rose]

You live in London?! I bet it's cool!!! I've always wanted to go there.....so do they really have heavy english accents? What about tea time? do they have that too? WOWIE!!!! You are the coolest!!!:D Sting lives in London, too. Have you seen his house? Its huge!!!

[Elizabeth]

Desert rose- In answer to your questions...

> Yes, London is very cool, I love it here. But I also have an overwhelming urge to live in America for a while, I've been once to Florida and there's just something about it that i really liked. I'm planning a trip to Nashville for my 18th birthday next year and intend to do stopovers in New York and Boston. But I'm now seriously thinking of going to Uni out there. It's such a great country! I recommend a trip to London if you get the chance. Sounds like you and I should swap residencies for a while, then we'd both be happy. London isn't all good though, we don't get many of them great American bands over here very often i.e. NC, Dixie Chicks, Lonestar etc.

> I don't consider that we have very heavy English accents, but then that's probably because I've been surrounded by them all my life and don't take much notice. But I know that when I was in America everyone commented on my accent and how it was so cool to hear an English accent. Personally, I don't find it that exciting, but then if I told you that I loved some American accents you'd probably find that odd, because you're used to them. I loved NC'c accents when I spoke to them on their UK tour in October. Oh, I also really like South African accents.

> We used to have tea time, but it's a bit of an old tradition now, some people still have it though. But it's usually considered a rather posh thing to do. If it does take place, it's normally on a Sunday evening.

>I've seen Sting's house and I agree, it is huge, it's very nice!

If you have any other England related questions I'd be happy to answer them if I can. I may be asking you a few America related ones in the future, especially if I end up at Uni there (I hope I do!)

[desert rose]

Yeah...I do have another question... is London very big? and is the tea good?:D I LOVE TEA!! i might go to London sometime near in the future, cause my band always goes to Europe to tour, and they've gone to London in the past. I might go sometime in the future.:)

[Elizabeth]

Cool, I've never been online in this forum and had a reply that quick!

The tea is great, I love tea too, especially Earl Grey tea. A company called Lipton (do you have them over there?) have just started a new chain. Instead of the usual Starbucks, or Costas Coffe Shops, we have tea bars. You can get tea in all different flavours, hot or cold, it's great!

London is big, but most of them main sites are in pretty close proximity to eachother. And the shopping's great, I love shopping! Is it a college band or a band of your friends? If you come over and do a gig, you'll have to let me know where and when, perhaps I coouls come to see you. If I haven't move to America by then!

[Elizabeth]

Oh, one other thing, just out of curiousity, what time is it to you right now?

[desert rose]

I had to go the store after that last reply. Answering all of your questions.....
Yes we have Lipton tea over here. It's delicious! But my absolute favorite tea is Celestial Seasonings. Do you have that?

The band is a high-school honors band that is so good that they go to London. It may be a few years before I come yet. :(

Well, I the time over here right now is 10:08p.m. We're 6 hours behind you guys. So if its 9:00a.m. over in London, its still 3:00a.m. over here, per se. Sorry I couldn't respond so quickly. We left to go to the store 3 hours ago! So right now it's 4:00a.m. over there, and you're probably not on here right now. I bet shopping over there is cool!:) I get to go shopping in St. Louis tommorrow with my friends. St. Louis has about 7 different malls. Its awesome!

I play mandolin and take lessons over here. Its fairly popular over here, but most of the kids at school like Eminem, a rapper that cusses like the day is blue. I don't understand why they like him, though. I don't! Well, you can talk to me sometime tommorow, but I'll leave at noon (over here) and I'll not be back until quite late hours over here. So I'll see you real soon!

Your Foriegn Friend,
Ashley Berry :)

[Elizabeth]

I'm guessing you're not online right now considering it's...erm...5am over there! Aaaanyway...

I've never heard of Celestial Seasonings, but that doesn't mean we don't have it over here, I may just never have found it. One thing I never got to do when I was in America was go to a mall, I wish I had. We have malls over here, but they're relatively small compared to what I've heard about yours.

We don't have a college band unfortunately, but we do have a choir, which I am part of, and at concerts I play as part of them band sometimes (the band is made up of the choir directors friends, they are the some of the most amazing musicians I've ever met, apart from NC of course!), they've taught me alot.

I think we've drifted a little from the topic of this forum, and people may begin to moan at us, as I have seen happen before in other forums. And as nice as it is to chat with you (you're the first person based in America I've had a proper chat with, it's really nice!) But, in an attempt to put us back on course, I'm definately going to have to learn to play the mandolin. And perhaps I'll give guitar a go if I find time.

Have fun shopping! (I went yesterday and bought the new Alison Krauss live album, it's great!)

Your Foreign Friend
Erin Elizabeth

[desert rose]

I had fun shopping yesterday! I got three pairs of earrings, some colorful hair extensions, a Chinese necklace, and a Vanilla Coke. (Which is, by the way my FAVORITE drink. What's yours?) I also got this pretty jacket. It was great. This foreign guy wrote my name on a grain of rice for free. I lost it, of course. The only downside of yesterday was that I didn't have enough money leftover for a chocolate mocha.:( Hehe...I would have been bouncing off of the mall's ceiling!:D I got some dark chocolates at a candy store, and it was delicious! It was really fun.

*I don't think that anybody's going to moan at us, because we haven't totally left the mandolin subject.*

I'm practicing my mandolin so I can play What Child is This? for the Christmas program at my church. Mandolin is really cool! I don' t understand why most people don't like it. Oh well, not everyone likes the same thing. Anyway, have a nice day!

Ashley:D