Tristan Scroggins - How to Play Mandolin in 14 Days: Daily Lessons for Absolute Beginners

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HOW TO PLAY MANDOLIN

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IN 14 DAYS!

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Daily Lessons for Absolute Beginners

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By Tristan Scroggins

HOW TO GET THE AUDIO 3

DAY 5

INTRODUCTION

DAY 6

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 5

DAY 7: WEEK 1 REVIEW

GETTING STARTED

WEEK 2

PARTS OF THE MANDOLIN 15

DAY 8

CHORD DIAGRAMS & TAB 16

DAY 9

CHORD CHART

DAY 10

BREAKDOWN OF RHYTHMS 19

DAY 11

WEEK 1

DAY 12

DAY 1

DAY 13

DAY 2

DAY 14: WEEK 2 REVIEW

DAY 3

MOVING FORWARD

DAY 4

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

All Photos of Tristan by Kaitlyn Raitz

Copyright 2021 Tristan Scroggins and Troy Nelson Music LLC

International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the author, Tristan Scroggins, and the publisher, Troy Nelson Music LLC. Unauthorized copying, arranging, adapting, recording, Internet posting, public performance, or other distribution of the printed or recorded music in this publication is an infringement of copyright. Infringers are liable under the law.

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INTRODUCTION

Congrats on buying this book and taking your first steps towards becoming a mandolin player! Whether you want to play tunes for friends and family, perform on stage, or simply play privately for your own enjoyment, music can add so much enrichment to our lives, and the mandolin is a real y great instrument to do that with. Its small size and limited number of strings make it very accessible and easy to start on, but it has the potential to be played in many different types of music, including bluegrass, classical, blues, Brazilian choro, jazz, folk, and many more.

The mandolin is an Italian instrument that is related to the lute. Older versions of the instrument had a small teardrop-shaped flat top, with a round bowl-shaped back. These are sometimes referred to as taterbug mandolins. Around the turn of the 20th century, Orville Gibson, a luthier living in Kalamazoo, Michigan, invented a new style of mandolin that had a carved top and back, F-shaped soundholes, a raised fingerboard, and an ornamental shape. This would eventually morph into what we now call an F-style mandolin, and Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co. Ltd. would go on to make some of the most famous guitars in the world. Today, there are many different shapes and styles of mandolinand just as many different types of music you can hear the mandolin in.

This book will mostly be taught through the lens of bluegrass mandolin because thats what I specialize in. However, even if you dont plan on playing bluegrass, the techniques taught in this book will lay a solid foundation for whatever style you hope to play. I started playing mandolin when I was 9 years old. I had grown up hearing music because my dad is a National Banjo Champion and his grandfather was a National Fiddle Champion. My dad didnt play the mandolin, so I bought a method book (not dissimilar to this one) and a friend of ours would drive down to give me lessons once a week and then call me on the phone every night to make sure I was practicing. His name was Bob Fisher and, in addition to teaching me how to play the mandolin, he passed on a great passion for teaching. Im thankful for the guidance of both my father and Bob and all the numerous teachers and mentors Ive had along the way. Im so excited and honored to get to pass on this tradition to you, as well.

________________________

This book is dedicated to Jeff Scroggins, Bob Fisher, and Megan Lynch, with special thanks to Bethany Olds.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

How to Play Mandolin in 14 Days is divided into 14 lessons, one for each day of the two-week program. Within each lesson/day are six mini-lessons. The goal is to spend 15

minutes practicing the music exercise(s) in each mini-lesson, for a total of 90 minutes (15

X 6 = 90) per day. The two exceptions are Day 7 and Day 14. On these days, the entire 90 minutes are devoted to a single song that reviews the material presented during the previous six days.

Granted, 90 minutes of practice per day can seem daunting to some, especially if you are unaccustomed to practice sessions lasting longer than 2030 minutes. And thats OK!

Just because the book is structured to teach you mandolin in 14 days doesnt mean you have to follow the program precisely. On the contrary, if you have, say, 30 minutes to devote to the book each day, then simply extend each section to a three-day practice session. The material is there for you to use, whether you get through the book in 14 days or 40.

While the 14-day plan is the goal, its probably unrealistic for some. The important thing is to stick with it, because the material in this book will have you playing the mandolin with confidence and credibility. How quickly just depends on the amount of time youre able to spend on getting there.

Before you begin your daily sessions, however, I suggest spending at least 1520

minutes listening to the accompanying audio to get a feel for the forthcoming exercises, as well as reading the text in each section for some pointers and to better understand the material youre about to learn. That way, you can spend the full 90 minutes (or however much time you have to practice that day) practicing the actual exercises.

To help you keep track of time in your practice sessions, time codes are included throughout the book. Simply set the timer on your smart phone to 90 minutes (1:30)or however much time you can dedicate to your sessionand move on to a new section every 15 minutes. Or you can set the timer to 15 minutes (0:15) and move on to the next category when the timer goes off.

Next, set your metronome (or click track) to a tempo at which you can play the exercise all the way through without making too many mistakes (4050 beats per minute is probably a good starting point for most exercises). Once youre able to play the exercise cleanly, increase your tempo by 25 BPM. Again, make sure you can play through the exercise without making too many mistakes. If the speed is too fast, back off a bit until your execution is precise. Continue to increase your tempo incrementally until its time to move on to the next section.