r/mandolin

I am a bluegrass mandolin player and I have a goal to memorize 100 fiddle tunes/ bluegrass instrumentals. I have gotten about 50 down so far, but I need help selecting which tunes to memorize next. What are some of your favorite fiddle tunes/ bluegrass instrumentals? (I am purposely not listing the ones I already got down because I just want to hear everybody’s favorites, regardless of if I already know them)

New mandolin player here, I got my Eastman md305 about a month ago and I’ve been trucking along so far. The only problem is, my fingers are shredded and very sore. So much so that I’ve gotten blisters and cracked my fingertips open till they bled into my fretboard(not even kidding). It came with d’addario XT 11-40’s on it. Then about three weeks in and some very sore fingers I swapped those for Ernie ball 80/20 9-34 gauge. Being accustomed to the 11-40’s, the 9-34’s sounded honestly pretty bad to me. They lacked so much depth and resonance. I lost all the bottom end tone, and the top end sounded tinny and shrill. BUT, they felt nice. I have since put on a set of Martin 11-40 monel strings and they sound fantastic, but we’re back to square one with the very sore fingers.

Any one know of any lighter strings that still sound decent?

I put some monel strings on my mandolin in a heavier gauge and tried to lower the action, but now the G string rattles sometimes, and it no longer sounds warm and resonant, but thin and plunky and it's bothering me. Did I mess something up? Is there a way I can get her back?

Hey friends! What's your favourite microphone for acoustic instruments like guitar or mandolin? In my latest video, I take a look at one mic that sounds great for studio use and live playing. Looks cool too! Check it out!

Curious: regarding resale of mandolins. I assume the most in demand tier of instruments are mid range (where quality is reasonable as is price).

What mandolin would you anticipate is the most easy to resell, at a reasonable price? Entry level Eastmans?

(I recognize this may be unanswerable, but I'm trying to gauge brands/models that have reputation and also have used markets)

Best!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been thinking lately about how certain instruments carry not only sound, but also memories, places, people, and whole periods of our lives.

For me, the mandolin has a very special kind of warmth. Sometimes it feels joyful and bright; sometimes nostalgic, intimate, or even a little mysterious. It can appear in family stories, old recordings, street performances, festivals, quiet practice rooms, or unexpected encounters with strangers.

So I’d love to ask:

What’s your most unforgettable mandolin memory?

It could be:

A concert or performance you’ll never forget

A family member who played mandolin

The first time you heard the instrument

A song that changed the way you felt about it

A moment from learning or teaching mandolin

A mandolin you inherited, found, bought, lost, or still treasure

A funny, emotional, or completely unexpected story involving the instrument

I’m especially curious about the personal side of mandolin culture: the memories, traditions, and little stories that don’t always make it into books or recordings.

Would love to hear your stories.

My km550 has very weak e string(s). But sounds fine if I play over the end of the fingerboard. As a DIY hobbiest, I want to scoop the fingerboard myself. I presume this is best accomplished with a router. Any advice before I give it a go?

I read notation and am just starting on my journey with the mandolin. The mandolin is my first serious attempt to learn a stringed instrument. Tabs are ubiquitous in instructional books for a reason. Many people find tabs to be a boon, but I personally find tabs in the main to be a crutch to lean on, but my eyes invariably gravitate towards them.

What do you do? Using a marker is a bit drastic, as tabs are useful, on occasion and marker seeps through the pages. Something like masking tape might help, but one risks the tape taking off some of the page if you try to remove it, and makes each page of the instructional book twice as thick...

Has anyone had problems carrying on of these on?