Peter Gelling - Mandolin Lessons for Beginners: Teach Yourself How to Play Mandolin

This book provides a thorough introduction to the world of Mandolin playing. Both melody and chord playing are covered along with music reading, theory and a great introduction to a variety of musical styles.

In the course of the book, you will learn how to play notes and chords in a variety of keys along with all the essential techniques for both rhythm and melody playing. You will also learn to understand rhythms, scales and keys as well as how to create your own melodies and rhythm parts. All examples sound great and are fun to play. By the end of the book you will be well on your way to being an excellent mandolin player.

To develop good timing habits right from the start, it is recommended that you use a metronome or drum machine with all the examples in the book until you can play them easily from memory. If you are serious about music, a good teacher can help you progress much quicker than you could on your own.

The best and fastest way to learn is to use this book in conjunction with:

• Buying sheet music and song books of your favorite recording artists and learning to play their songs. By learning songs, you will begin to build a repertoire and always have something to play in jam sessions.
• Practicing and playing with other musicians as often as possible.
• Learning by listening to your favorite recordings. Start building a collection of albums of players you admire or wish to emulate. Try playing along with one of them for a short time each day. Most of the great mandolin players have learned a lot of their music this way.

For more books and recordings by Peter Gelling, visit www.petergelling.com

Using an Electronic Tuner

The easiest and most accurate way to tune your mandolin is by using an electronic tuner. An electronic tuner allows you to tune each string individually to the tuner, by indicating whether the notes are sharp (too high) or flat (too low). Instruments with pickups can plug directly in to the tuner.

There are several types of electronic tuners but most are relatively inexpensive and simple to operate. Tuning using other methods is difficult for beginners and may take many months to master, so we recommend you purchase an electronic tuner, particularly if you do not have a teacher or a friend who can tune it for you. Also if your mandolin is way out of tune you can always take it to your local music store so they can tune it for you. Once a mandolin has been tuned correctly it should only need minor adjustments before each practice session. To learn to tune the mandolin using other methods see the .

How to Hold the Mandolin

• Sit up straight and hold the mandolin as shown in the photo.
• The mandolin should be close to your body in an upright position with the neck pointing slightly upwards.
• Hold the mandolin loosely in position with your left hand and right arm. Avoid tension as this will restrict your playing.

The main aim is to be comfortable and have easy access to the fretboard. A music stand will also be helpful.

Using A Pick

Hold pick with thumb and first finger.

The mandolin is commonly played with a pick (or plectrum). Picks come in various sizes and thicknesses. Generally the thinner ones work better for rhythm playing and the thicker ones are better for melody playing. You may need to experiment with several picks before deciding which one suits you best. The traditional picking grip is to hold the pick between the thumb and the last joint of the index finger.

To pick the strings, use a downward motion of the pick (called a downstroke and indicated by the symbol ( a ), and use only the tip of the pick to strike the string, as shown in the diagram.

Use the tip of the pick to play the string.

Right Hand Position

Pick the strings in the position shown in the photo. This will result in the best sound. As your playing advances, you may want to vary your right hand position to create different effects, but it is best to master the position shown here first.

Left Hand Technique