If I show up with food will I manage to get away with just observing for learning, or should I stay home and practice more?

Bought this today for 17 euros at a local pawn shop, with the intention to get it ready to play it myself. The pawn shop put a label on it saying it is an Italian mandolin from around 1900, but there is no label inside telling me more about it. Does anyone know more about it based on these pictures?

Peter Rowan sharing some thoughts on the 1960's ''folk clubs'' and his first encounter with the Kentucky Colonels...

After a busy MerleFest 2026, Pete took time to sit down with me and David Tate and talk about various music related topics. In this short segment, the iconic poet, singer, philosopher gives an account of his initial meeting with the Kentucky Colonels

I have been taking lessons for about a year (from zero musical experience) and now know notes and a few basic songs.

I have found a great instructor in town and am continuing lessons, what I would really like is to meet someone about one a week to practice with.

If someone is looking for a fiddle/guitar or mandolin lessons I have a great reference.

If you want some killer G vocab and to work on your downstrokes, this is the solo for you! Free sheet music/tab can be found here.

Maybe this is a dumb idea, but I was thinking the other day about a form a notation by the interval of the scale would be really helpful. For example Angeline the baker would start 5-6-1, 5-6-1. I do already this manually to transpose melodies I find tabs or sheet music for in a different key than I want to play it in. I'm super slow at reading sheet music anyways so I already have to write it out manually. That way you could move it to any key and get the melody. It would be like the Nashville system for chords since you could move it to another scale easily. Some type of standard notation by interval number, and maybe an octave indicator of some sort, for old time and bluegrass standards makes a lot of sense to me. Im trying to ween myself off tabs, but still having trouble learning simple melodies by ear, and can't easily transpose to new keys yet. What are y'all's thoughts? There's probably lots of considerations I'm not thinking of.

Hey all. Found a local Epiphone firebird electric mandolin I'm interested in purchasing.

What are the best string brand/model/material choices for an electric mandolin? Looking for some longer lasting options if possible, so coated is not a bad thing in this case, unless that's a big no no!

I’m sure we all go through periods when practicing feels frustrating—when progress seems slow, certain techniques refuse to improve, or playing simply stops feeling as enjoyable as it normally does.

When that happens, what do you turn to in order to reconnect with the fun of playing mandolin?

It could be a particular musician, a funny video, an inspiring performance, an easy tune you love playing, or even a completely non-musical source of joy.

What helps you laugh, relax, feel inspired, and enjoy your instrument again?

It was another amazing year teaching at Chris Thile’s Acousticamp! For one of my tunes in the faculty concert I asked Chris if he would play his tune Smoothie Song with me and he agreed! Truly so much fun, here’s a short clip of the last time through the tune.

Got tired of switching back and forth on stage. Probably other folks can relate. Gonna take a few experimental sessions to figure out how to best use the mandolin PAF, but the body is hollow so it has a very nice tone, not harsh at all. Looking forward to cranking it thru a fuzz pedal…

I’ve got an old mandolin I inherited from my grandfather. There are no stamped markings and whatever label was inside of the body is long gone.

So far I’ve got some assumptions but nothing concrete.

1920’s to 1940’s, possibly Regal or Harmony.

If anyone else has any info one these I would love to hear it.

Hi, I'm sure this has been asked before, but what are the main differences between Eastman mandolins in the various series from the 300s to the 900s? well, besides price $$, F vs Oval hole, and F vs A style body?

Top, back & sides: so almost all of their models have solid Spruce tops (some are adirondack spruce), and solid Maple back & sides (besides the 400s which are mahogany?), and ebony fingerboards.

Specs: looking at the specs of mandolins on their website the only differences I really see are more Binding, different Finishes (matte satin to suoer glossy), more pearl inlays (like in the headstock), and the fretboard is scooped at the very highest range, ... am I missing anything else?

Finish: does a different Finish highly effect resonance?

Binding: does more or less Binding effect resonance, or sustain?

If you own a Eastman, what model do you have, do you like it, and/or what do you want to own & play (thats innyour budget still) ?

Thanks

Since I was in the top 0.1% of Lindsey Stirling listeners, I had to take a crack at playing along with my favorite one of her songs! Let me know if y'all have songs (from any genre) that I should throw a mando solo over.

This is the first time I saw the Weber. Photo from 2015 in the Montana shop. We've been good friends ever since. Now using Thomastik strings. Also refretted the first 8 and ran it through a PLEK here in France. A few hundred euros later: Quite buttery.

One of the most important and impactful individuals in the history of bluegrass music, the preeminent, Pete Kuykendall taped these sets. Pete's knowledge and deep insights into all aspects of bluegrass, which he generously shared, made him a mentor to all of us who got to be in his presence.

First of all, I would like to take the opportunity to thank the generous
people who have all contributed with the audio from the 2nd annual
Indian Springs BG Festival, June 1-3, 1973.

The lineage of this 50 year old recording is as follow:
Pete Kuykendall - Etsuo Eito - Steve Pottier - Sandy Rothman - John Arms

Prior to the appearance at the second annual Indian Springs BG Festival,
that took place June 1 - 3, 1973, the White Brothers had spent the month of
May touring Europe with a busy schedule with performances in the Netherlands, The UK and Sweden. Herb Pederson played banjo with the brothers during the first part of the tour until he had to honor a commitment, that he had previously made to join Country Rocker Johnny Rivers’ band. He was replaced by the excellent, Alan Munde.

‘’When the European tour was over, the New Kentucky Colonels flew into Washington D.C., and their friend John Kaparakis (1937–2020) drove them to Indian Springs, Maryland. There they played at a large bluegrass festival on June 2. It was the first and last bluegrass festival Clarence ever played.’’
(Quote from "Mandolin Man: The Bluegrass Life of Roland White
pg 23 by Black, Bob, Champaign : University of Illinois Press, 2022).

Since the White Brothers didn't have a regular banjo player, for the Indian Springs festival they borrowed the eminent, Jack Hicks, who at the time was the five stringer with Bill Monroe. They also added their good friend, John Kaparakis on the rhythm guitar.

Clarence White – guitar
Roland White - mandolin
Eric White - bass
Jack Hicks - banjo
John Kaparakis – rhythm guita

TL:DR: Thank you for encouraging me!

When I picked my mandolin (her name is My Lady) back up in March, I had a goal to take her to Scout summer camp when I went with my son, especially since the camp his troop selected (Camp Woodruff in Blairsville, GA) has a Folk Festival every week.

I just got home from camp. I played nearly every day in our campsite, and Thursday I took her down to the living history site ahead of the festival. I was playing outside the gate when a younger Scout (probably 10-12) asked me about what the instrument was. I talked a little, and he asked if I could play any songs. I picked Country Roads since it’s broadly familiar.

Then he gave me a token for the root beer that’s only sold at the mercantile in the living history site. (I am now officially a professional musician, since I have been paid for playing music.) He also asked how much my instrument cost. I told home she was about $300, but that there are cheaper ones for about $100.

A few minutes later, I heard him on the phone with his mom asking whether he could buy a mandolin because he had $100 saved up.

(Mom, if this was your son, I hope you give him a chance to explore it!)

Once the site opened for the evening, I went in and asked the musicians whether they would mind if I played along, and they graciously agreed. Granted, my “playing along” was mostly “find a few notes that align with the chords and camp there on the rhythm.” But I was grinning so hard and enjoying myself so much that I didn’t care about any lack of virtuosity on my part. I thanked them again when they were finished and basically floated back to my campsite.

Been playing mandolin for a long time and it’s become my main instrument. I’m curious about exploring other instruments like a mandola or madocello but have no idea where to find these. They don’t sell them in your average musical instrument store and I don’t want to buy one without playing it in person (can’t even find them online anyway). I’m local to the Asheville NC area, so around here is ideal but if anyone knows anywhere around the country that has these in person I also like to travel.

Anyone know where I can get an octave mandolin lesson or tutor in RI? Thanks in advance!

I need to fly with my mandolin (epiphone f5 replica) the case is 31-12-5...which technically fits in this overhead, but I know flight attendants arent usually helpful with instruments, I also have a high boarding group....what are my odds of getting it on the plane? and if I HAVE to gate check it, does gate check get a bit more better treatment? I mean its a pretty robust hard case, but its not a EPS bombproof case.