Mandolin For Dummies (For Dummies

by Don Julin

Learn how fretting and picking can entertain friends!

The mandolin is making a big comeback among music enthusiasts. A longtime staple of bluegrass, folk, jazz, and country music, this fast-pickin' favorite featured heavily in traditional music from around the world is now seeing a resurgence in global pop.

In Mandolin For Dummies, accomplished composer, performer, and mandolin guru Don Julin breaks down the history and fundamentals of this versatile instrument, showing how you too can fret, pick, and strum with the best in the business. Packed with photos and diagrams to help you perfect your hand positioning, you'll make your way through a plethora of mandolin-friendly musical styles and learn how to take good care of your instrument―paying it back for all the pleasure it brings to you and your friends.

Buy the right mandolin for you Pick up key musical styles Play along with downloadable exercises Restring your instrument Whether this is your first instrument or you're adding to your repertoire, this little number has everything you need to get the most out of your mandolin!

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2012

Reviews

[Altivo Overo]

Quite possibly more than the beginning instrumentalist needs to know, this book is also a useful reference covering peripheral issues. Examples would be the chapter on selecting and buying an instrument, new or used; and the section on adjustments and repairs, including changing strings and resolving problems. A basic introduction to reading common music notation is included, as well as photos and instruction on holding and fingering the instrument.

Overall, this book is well worth having if you own and play a mandolin. However, despite the inclusion of progressive musical exercises and a selection of set pieces, I would say there are better instructional texts for beginners. A couple of examples for Celtic musicians would be Irish Mandolin Playing: A Complete Guide and A Complete Guide to Learning the Irish Mandolin.

[Xenophon]

If the classic "For Dummies" formula works for you, I highly recommend this guide to mandolin structure, playing, maintenance, and so forth.

Don Julin gets the job done.

[Brendan]

I'm using it to learn mandolin. Either I'm completely musically inept or one of the earliest audio tracks didn't match the figure it corresponded to in the book. A lot of information and I'm sure I didn't get most of it in the first read. Now I'm slowly going back and doing the exercises and sticking with them until I feel I'm ready to move on. We'll see how I do.

[Lisa]

This book is a step by step introduction to learning the mandolin. I had planned to teach myself by YouTube videos but when they moved too fast this book was the perfect remedy.

[Johann]

I was REALLY into playing the mandolin for a while. Then I got tired of the sound of it, saw a video of Andres Segovia playing classical guitar, and moved on.

[Natashya KitchenPuppies]

Pretty good, I just wish this one had come with the cd instead of having to download from the computer. I don't tend to play in front of my computer.
But if you were going to have a bunch of beginner books - it would be worth throwing this in too.

[Shaun Deane]

Fantasmic, practical, thorough - terrific resource