Should i learn mandolin or guitar

Agreeing with otterly2k. The mandolin has big advantages in playing melodies, including the fact that for hundreds of years the violin had more music written for it than any other instrument. But as far as accompanying yourself or others singing, the guitar is such a treat that it makes learning the basic chords, quickly rewarding. It's the time you want to put in that makes the learning period seem short and easy.

I'm learning both right now, with about a two year head start on mandolin. I'd tried to learn guitar a few times but was never able to match the progress that I had on mandolin. Ironically, with some mandolin under my belt, it feels like guitar is actually easier. I can fake a lot more on guitar without requiring the speed and dexterity of mandolin.

The ability to play guitar fingerstyle also gives me more options. The mandolin is still my first love, though. At first glance at this it looks like they oppose each other notewise one goes high, one goes low but I suppose somewhere that is supposed to make sense.

Opinions on both sides. Having played guitar for a while, I found mandolin to be very natural. As always, of course, motivation plays a hugh part. Personally I find the guitar easier. I started on with the mandolin and then after a year started leaning guitar. Maybe it is because I had already learned some stuff and my fingers were starting to get used to the whole chord forming thing.

But the more theory I learn, the easier both instruments become, since theory transposes instruments. Like somebody else also said, I personally find the mandolin easier for melody and the guitar easier for chords I've never owned, played, heard knowingly or even seen a Johnson so I can't comment on your second question, except this: Be content with what you have because any mandolin is better than none and when you feel you've made some progress and saved some more money , get a better one.

A good instrument is usually easier to play than a rank beginner's cheap instrument but then, you must cut your coat according to your cloth Ps welcome to the site! Three days after I bought my first mandolin I had a band, a gig and an instrumental I wrote on mando to perform For me, music started to make sense only when I discovered the tuning and shorter scale length of the mandolin.

To this day, for me the mandolin is more logical and much more comfortable than the guitar. I started out on a ebay Johnson four years ago and played it for about 8 months before upgrading to a MK Legacy that plays like butter and opened-up to sound great now The Johnson needed major set-up as the action was WAY too high and required a superhuman vise-like grip for a newbie to play.

Once that was done I had a fairly loud mando with alright tone and action for something so cheap. The MK was like a breath of fresh air after it though, my playing improved rapidly upon switching just because I played the MK so much more due to the comfort and lack of fatigue. I remember lengthy discussions about bass guitar being easier "cause it only has four strings". The lower four courses on the instrument are tuned in pairs with one string each; this creates an octave effect like that of a string guitar.

Mandolins also often feature more ornate carvings than most guitars do. Mandolins also have a shorter neck than most guitars, which can make them easier for some players to play because the frets are closer together although many people find it harder to fret notes at the end of the fingerboard.

There has been a lot of changes in the number of strings a guitar has, where earlier guitars had 4 courses like a mandolin, but today we have guitars having six single strings instead of courses.

Apart from a bass guitar, typical guitars have six single strings while a mandolin has 8 strings paired to 4 courses. Most beginners fear mandolins because the double strings are challenging to make a note. The good thing with mandolins strings is that they are thinner just close to one guitar string, and also their nearness to each other makes them feel like one.

The mandolin strings are fixed tight with lager tension as compared to guitar strings. This makes beginners feel the fingers kind of hurting until, and to make the matte worse, strings are also thin, so imagine the pressure on the fingertips. Hence guitars are best for first-time players. Both bass or standard guitars are larger than a mandolin virtually in every way. It is impossible to reach every fret on a mandolin due to their smaller size, and you wonder why the designer added them all.

Guitars are tuned differently from a mandolin. Meanwhile, we can say that the chord structure of a guitar is more complex than a mandolin and banjo. The reason for this is the number of strings that a guitar has. The more the strings, the more chords that you need to learn. Therefore, you might spend a lot of time to learn the chords before the actual playing techniques. Once you can master playing rhythms, you will be able to take lead roles as well.

Moreover, you also also learn the different techniques on playing a guitar. Strumming is just the basic.

Later on, you will encounter the complexities of plucking, string-bending and so forth. Of course, these are learnable skills once your hands are already accustomed to the rhythm.

If that day comes, you might be able to follow the tracks of Eric Clapton or Tony Rice. It is not a far-fetched dream anyway. Just learn the scales on the fingerboard, and you are already on your way. Mandolins come in different varieties, too. Each region of the world has unique versions for this instrument. Most of the time, people use it to play jazz, classical, and bluegrass genre.

Sometimes, you can hear it on Irish and Celtic songs. The mandolin is relatively smaller than a guitar. But do not let its size be the reason you underestimate this instrument.

Being small doesn't mean that it is easy to learn and play. In fact, it is quite opposite. Specifically, the mandolin comes with left-hand and right-hand techniques. You need to master each of the technicalities before you are able to play the mandolin properly. Fortunately, if you are familiar with stringed instruments, it won't be a problem to your part.

After all, hand techniques are common to guitar and banjo as well. When you study the mandolin, you will also encounter the terms "cross-picking," "chops," and "tremolo. One of the common issues is the playing technique. Basically, it will help if you learn both left- and right-hand techniques when playing the mandolin. Be prepared for specific ways of playing necessary to master this instrument, including:.

One more struggle is to get used to playing double strings. It is not simple to adjust your fingers to hold double strings, especially if you have already played some other string instrument. On the other hand, you need to clench large hands to get the right notes while playing. In the end, the mandolin has a short neck. Consequently, its strings have much more tension, so you may feel resistance while pushing the mandolin strings down.

As a result, you will face sore fingers during the first few lessons. There are no too many differences when it comes to the learning process. Moreover, mastering one instrument will make it easier to play another in the future.

However, you will probably have difficulties finding adequate learning resources available for the mandolin classes. There are fewer tutors available, and literature is a bit limited. All that will make learning mandolin complicated. The way of guitar construction makes it much more convenient to maintain than the mandolin. The fixed guitar bridge that supports the strings allows their replacing effortless, so even a novice can do it. On the other hand, the floating mandolin bridge can move or even fall while removing and changing the strings.

In such a case, you need to put them back in the right place. It is vital since the too high or too low placed bridge will result in inadequate sound. It can be a bit terrifying for a beginner.