Bluegrass Beginner, redux

[farfallena]

<p>I posted this on the Music Majors forum and received a few responses. Anyone here know anything about bluegrass?</p>

<p>

. . . Over the past couple of years, my “I hate country music!” daughter has developed an interest in bluegrass. It began when she was camping in Kentucky and people would gather around the campfires with their instruments and play each evening. She’s been listening to more bluegrass and traditional music this last (her first year) in college, but I don’t think she had seen a professional group until we attended a concert this weekend. WOW-Did that fire her up! Earlier in the summer, she had talked about buying a guitar, but didn’t want to spend the money. Now, I’d say, she’s leaning toward the mandolin. She’s getting in touch with musician friends from school-who plays what, who could give her informal lessons, etc . . . (one of her friends is learning the banjo and I know my daughter’s dreaming of a full-fledged bluegrass band) and she and I are going this week to a little shop an hour’s drive away to look at guitars and mandolins.</p>

<p>So, what are my questions? As a beginner, she’s not going to spend a lot of money-the shop promotes Greg Bennett guitars and mandolins for beginners on its website so any opinions on that brand would be appreciated. (And we do want to buy from this particular shop-it is a Grandmom and Grandpop sort of place that we’ve shopped at before for my Celtic fiddling son.) Any other advice for getting my daughter started would also be appreciated. By the way, she does play the cello and has a lovely singing voice.

</p>

<p>Since this post, my daughter has found a mandolin teacher, a fellow student. He also recently bought a new instrument so she’ll be looking into the brand he recommended. We are shopping (or at least window shopping) this afternoon.</p>

[violadad]

<p>If there’s a way the new teacher can accompany you, it would be beneficial. It often helps to have an unbiased skilled player (other than store staff) along that can put the instrument through its paces. Instruments sound differently in different hands, and your d can also experience the sound, projection and tone from an audience perspective.</p>

<p>Perfectly normal to do this. An an uninterested experienced party with no $ stake in the outcome can provide additional input to store staff. It’s not necessarily an issue of trust, but an additional input from a musician’s perspective.</p>

<p>From a prior post of mine concerning a cello purchase, but it will hold true in any purchase:

When and if you do look, expect to spend time, and lots of it. Having your instructor, and/or a knowledgeable trained extra set of ears in the form of a colleague or peer helps. Play the same passages when comparing, and play contrasting periods and bow speeds as well. Many suggest playing scales as well. Response is not always the same. Tone and projection are both important. Your assessment as well of those accompanying your trial should be weighed, and do listen from different vantage points. Switch positions, let a compatriot of equal talent play, and you can assess as well from an “audience” perspective, but beware the same instrument can sound differently in the hands of equally accomplished players. If possible, test final decision instruments in actual playing venues. Most reputable dealers or private sellers understand and will agree to a trial period.

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<p>Adjust according to your outlay, but there are differences in instruments, even by the same maker (or factory) regardless of cost.</p>

<p>In her case as a beginner, she may want to pay more attention to finding a comfortable, easy to play instrument.
And proper set-up and tuning is critical. When you do buy, get “care and feeding instructions”. Switching strings will often have huge impact, for good or bad.
And many shops will let you take the instrument on a trial, giving you a week to play it.</p>

[farfallena]

<p>Thanks for the advice, violadad. Buying a mandolin will be a different experience than buying the cello my daughter now plays because, in the case of the cello, she was experienced as a player and had an experienced teacher to advise her. And yes, she did bring the cello, along with several bows, home to try out. It is only a couple of weeks until she returns to school so it makes sense to wait until she can connect with her friend/ teacher and buy an instrument in the city where her college is located. This afternoon we’ll go to look and ask lots of questions.</p>