A surprise gift from J! Just because.
I've long talked about learning to play the banjo (it's been on my life to do list for awhile), but J and I had determined that the mandolin might be a better fit. Honestly, I just wanted to learn to pick and play bluegrass on some form of stringed instrument. On a somewhat (un)related note, Chris Thile of Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers plays the mandolin.
Seriously though, I like the fact that the mandolin is tuned the same as the violin--it just has extra strings. This means that most fingerings are fairly intuitive for me and I can already pick out a few tunes. I'm usually not one for taking shortcuts but at this advanced age, I'd prefer to not have to start from scratch. I'm not nearly as quick a learner as I was 28 years ago.
Am so excited to start practicing! If anyone has suggestions as to bluegrass/country staples that I should learn, I'm all ears.
I've got a song for you.
ReplyDeleteI saw the Punch Brothers at Carnegie Hall and they played Reptilia. It was beyond awesome - I wish they'd record it.
I found it on YouTube and it was awesome! Will prob take me a zillion years to get that level, but hey, we can all aspire to greatness, right? :-P
Delete