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My new eight stringer


gary mac
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:D[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1396027238' post='2409240']
Was it a bed warmer until someone put strings on? :D
[/quote]

:lol: That might explain why it has been such a swine to get set up John. I had to restrain myself from throwing open the patio doors and launching it in to the Koi pond.
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[quote name='rk7' timestamp='1396079738' post='2409654']
Wow, an 8 stringer! Awesome.

I bought Angie one of these for her birthday. Looking forward to some new posts in 'Today I have been learning...'

Great Danes Are Enormous

RK
[/quote]

Today, yesterday, the day before that and the day before that, I've been learning how to tune it :lol:


I guess I ought to edit the title as well, to my new 8 stringer, bit of a senior moment there.

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[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1396082054' post='2409686']
Well done Gary. What make is it? They are tiny compared to bass though & you knew that really, right? :D

Have fun with it.
[/quote]

Tim, after mucho research and checking out mandolin forums (which tend towards more geekiness than even us lot) I went with this one, it's a Kentucky.

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I bought a cheap one years ago and have NEVER been able to keep it in tune. I was going through a bluegrass phase and also bought a banjo. Had more luck with that but never found any local teachers, so gave up. Bass and guitar all the way for me now :rolleyes:

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[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1396083742' post='2409707']
Mandolin Cafe is a good forum & I used that a bit when I started out. Kentucky is a great make so I assume that one is solid top?
[/quote]

I think the top is spruce and the back maple and yep, that was one of the forums I checked out.

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[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1396085301' post='2409725']
I bought a cheap one years ago and have NEVER been able to keep it in tune. I was going through a bluegrass phase and also bought a banjo. Had more luck with that but never found any local teachers, so gave up. Bass and guitar all the way for me now :rolleyes:
[/quote]

I think the tuning thing can be an issue even with the more expensive models.

The mandolin players seem to like the quote "you spend half your time tuning it and the other half playing out of tune" :)

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[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1396088270' post='2409769']
How could you Gary? next you will be doing something really silly like playing drums or keyboard lol....but joking aside rather you than me I struggle enough with a bass let alone one of those baby's good luck mate and it looks like a very nice toy indeed
[/quote]

I do have a keyboard lurking somewhere in the garage :)

Thanks Paul

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Once the strings settle it will stay in tune for ever, mine gets tuned every other month :)

If it has an adjustable bridge then use it to get the action you want. Mine is really low but I never go too high up the neck so I can wing it. It's also worth just checking the bridge position (standard method, fretted and harmonic note at the twelfth fret, it they're out then it's ruler time).

The real trick is to go to your local music shop and buy a dozen or so picks, one of them will work for you and the mando so when you find it go out and buy a bulk supply. My son and I can play the same mando and will use different picks so it is worth having a play around for the one that suits you.

The easy way to improve your playing is to remember one simple rule, always stroke down on the strong beat. It's very easy to get into an up/down/up/down pick pattern but if you're playing a jig or a syncopated time you can very quickly end up out of sync for your strong beats.

Steve

Edited by oggiesnr
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[quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1396179381' post='2410634']
Wahey! Mandolins are great fun. What are you hoping to play on it? Are you going to take it to folk sessions?


I use this site for learning folk tunes:

[url="http://banjolin.co.uk/tunes/tunelist.php"]http://banjolin.co.u...es/tunelist.php[/url]
[/quote]


I'm just hoping to be able to play it and not really thought about what to play. Don't expect I'll be attending folk sessions.


If I get to a level that wouldn't frighten off the listening public, then maybe we could introduce a few mando numbers in to our band set. Would quite like to attempt some Led Zepp, perhaps The Battle of Evermore or Going to California.

Thanks for the link, will check it out.

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[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1396244989' post='2411250']
Don't expect I'll be attending folk sessions.
[/quote]

Thank God for that! You have to hold bits of wood, wear wholemeal trousers, stick your finger in your ear and drink Scruttocks Old Dirigible. Mandolin is more of a deathcore/metalcore instrument, really. :D

Edited by discreet
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I bought a mandolin about 6 months back. Looks remarkably similar to yours Gary, 'cept I got one with a pickup on it...like you do !

Been playing around with it through a Zoom B3 today, and you're right...it is a deathcore/metalcore instrument really :)

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If you're looking for mandolin tunes then download Tefedit (the free reader) from here [url="http://www.tabledit.com/"]http://www.tabledit.com/[/url] and then download the zip files from here [url="http://www.mandozine.com/music/zipfiles.php"]http://www.mandozine.com/music/zipfiles.php[/url] and have fun :) Personally I don't use the tab but it's useful to give you an idea of the fingerings and pick directions as you're learning. The MIDI on the other hand is great help and I tend to learn tunes using a mix of reading and listening.

Should you decide that sessions might be fun (they are) then an ABC program will give you easy access to a huge number of tunes from all over the world and again in either MIDI or notation. Ask me if you're interested and I can point you in the right direction (I have somewhere over 10,000 tunes stored on my computer).

Steve

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[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1396340431' post='2412354']
If you're looking for mandolin tunes then download Tefedit (the free reader) from here [url="http://www.tabledit.com/"]http://www.tabledit.com/[/url] and then download the zip files from here [url="http://www.mandozine.com/music/zipfiles.php"]http://www.mandozine...ic/zipfiles.php[/url] and have fun :) Personally I don't use the tab but it's useful to give you an idea of the fingerings and pick directions as you're learning. The MIDI on the other hand is great help and I tend to learn tunes using a mix of reading and listening.

Should you decide that sessions might be fun (they are) then an ABC program will give you easy access to a huge number of tunes from all over the world and again in either MIDI or notation. Ask me if you're interested and I can point you in the right direction (I have somewhere over 10,000 tunes stored on my computer).

Steve
[/quote]

thanks Steve, will check that out in a while.

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