How to Read Tablature /// Beginner Mandolin Lesson Series (Part 3)

[@johncecil1014]

I finally have these two chords down. After a couplenkf weeks they are starting to feel automatic and sound true. On lesson six now and moving forward while spending time every day going back and re-running old lessons over. Thank you for the great lessons. Also, just listened to Foreign Landers today for the first time. Inspiring!

[@MarioManzanares]

David, for the E Chord, you can't simply say "we are going to bar down with your index finger across the D and the A strings" like it's NOTHING! Haha. t's super complex to perform, my finger is small and it hurts and I don't really understand how to do it :( A thing like this deserves it's own explanatory video!

[@DavidBenedictMandolin]

You got this Mario! Just takes some time to build up the strength and calluses!

[@MarioManzanares]

@@DavidBenedictMandolin It's already getting better after two days of practicing!

[@davidconnell3867]

When

[@davidconnell3867]

When you are barring down on this, are you getting all four strings down or just one of each?

[@Andoobirb]

@@davidconnell3867 Try to get all 4 strings or else it won't sound as good. Making sure you are holding the mandolin correctly will help. Good luck!

[@Chicken_Inspector_kun]

Could you elaborate on how to bar down the index finger for the E chord? I don't understand how I'm supposed to get my one finger to hold down both strings and still be able to make a sound.

[@ladynokidsgustofwind5304]

My fingers are small - I have to kind of flatten my finger to get both strings…and give it a lot of pressure

[@MarioManzanares]

Yess please, develop on that! It's really hard for a beginner like me U_U

[@MindfulMike520]

You really just have to slant your finger just a little bit and kind of use the sides of your index finger to get both. Just keep at it and get a feel for the pressure you need. Best of luck and happy picking!

[@edgaristtod]

@@MindfulMike520if i do that i always have the problem that the e strings get muted... been playing guitar for 15+ years and am surprised that this is where I fail on the mandolin haha

[@kyleekyotes9102]

just making this comment for a time stamp to come in and look at the music and play with you. Thank you for great content as the first time I clicked you video was the first time I played the mandolin. With that said 12:30

[@ralphkilloran8065]

A truly wonderful video. I am 6 minutes into this lesson and have learned more about reading music than I learned all through my school years.

[@robertshorthill6836]

When I hear a tune, I can usually tell if and where there might be a quarter note, half note , etc. 8th notes are fairly easy to pick out after a bit of noodling on mando strings. I made a "road map" of standard to mando tabs to easily convert from one or the other. A big help.

[@dobro.don87]

Thank you for including the standard notation. Tab is really great for getting people started with guitar/mando, but it should only be a stepping stone to musical notation. It conveys much more information about the music, can be read and played no matter what instrument, and it creates an invaluable association between the intervals which allow for a more complete understanding of playing in any key.

[@DavidBenedictMandolin]

Hey Donald! Yeah, standard notation is super useful and I'd definitely recommend people learn to read on the mandolin, but I actually think tab is a much more efficient for stringed instruments especially when fingering melodies up the neck. I'd even say it's more important to be able to read tab on the mandolin than standard notation because there are so many great resources in tab to learn from.

[@brittanydavidoff2623]

I am having the absolute best time with this. Thanks so much!

[@kdm0707]

Love your work brother and super grateful for these lessons. I’m finding The pace is quite fast for a beginner lesson… maybe a few more repeats of each bar before moving on could help 🙏🏽 thank you

[@sshshbdbsbsn678]

You are a saviour and the most elaborate person. Someone that could actually teach me how to read the notes, thank you good sir

[@mariontor8139]

Great videos. Clear and concise information and pop ups ie music sheets. Do you have a video by way of a song (as you illustrate in this video) that does a deeper dive into reading rhythm?

[@DavidBenedictMandolin]

Awesome! Thanks so much for checking out these videos! We didn't get too deep into rhythms and musical notation in this series, but I hope we can do more videos on that topic soon!

[@tycox8342]

Wonder how many people the e chord discouraged. By the comments sounds like a few lol. I want to break my e string… I’ve spent thousands of hours playing the fiddle and have never been this frustrated with an instrument.

[@gill444100]

I tried new stings on my Mando and it made it much easier.

[@eponawarrior7492]

Honestly I adapted it to a non barre formation. I'm hypermobile and that specific fingering was destroying my joints in that finger. Fingers 1 and 2 on D and A second fret, and finger 3 on G fourth fret. Might not be proper, but it's working out for me alright.

[@johncecil1014]

Yeah for lesson three this is brutal. I am determined though

[@robertshorthill6836]

Buffalo Gals was one of the first tunes my teacher taught me. Chords first, then the notes. If you are a rank beginner, learn this tune. It's not that difficult to play and you will feel an immence satisfaction with being able to play a cool tune on your new friend-- your beautiful new mandolin. (Maybe it's not a new mando, except new to you. Old instruments sound the best. Just ask Norman and Nancy Blake.)

[@lfish21.]

I played in band in high school so thats the only musical experience I have and that was over 15 years ago now then recently I really wanted to pick mandolin up (been listening to and got really into bluegrass). I have been picking at it for just over a week and just now got to this video after really working on moonshiners the last week. That first time you play the notes bar through and not miss a note is incredibly rewarding. Even though it was 15 years ago and I have basically lost ALL musical ability. Picking up the notes was fairly simple and reading tabs makes a ton of sense.

[@JW75383]

Best Mandolin lessons on-line, liked and subbed!

[@robertshorthill4153]

Just remember, there are 8 eighth notes for each measure, made up of quarter notes and/ or eighth notes. The up stroke of the second eighth note would be counted as an "and" -- 1and,2and,3and,4and, 1and,2and,3and,4and. These are two measures -- 8 eighth notes each. A quarter note followed by eighth notes would be 1 2and 3 4and, 1 2and 3 4and. The "and" is the up stroke. When you get this concept, try laying out a tab sheet by listening to a tune or phrase by ear. It should be easy to hear the quarter notes. Most times, the measures will end with an "and" unless it is a quarter note (or half note or whole note). A flagged quarter note is usually counted as an eighth note (after a dotted quarter note, I believe.) A dotted quarter note gets a beat and a half in value. That's for another lesson, tho, folks. Cheers from a semi- advanced "beginner". Bob. PS, We are all beginners to some degree.

[@DavidBenedictMandolin]

Ah, thanks so much!

[@robertshorthill6836]

If I see a tune written in standard, I have a chart or map to covert the tune to tab. All I need is the number of sharps (or flats) to tell me the scale or key. For example, 2 sharps is the key of D major. Most fiddle/ mando tunes are in one of three or four keys. C, no sharp; G, one sharp; D, two sharps; A major, three sharps. The keys with flats are something I need not get into with this comment, but can be discovered with a bit of effort. Tab works best for me, but the main thing is I can convert to either from what is presented. Cheers, Bob

[@thomasduncan4996]

how do I print the Buffalo Gal transcript?

[@nickgreen7929]

Is the purpose of that A and E cords in the first part of this play through just to teach the strum pattern? Is it a separate part of the song that’s like included in the backing track? I’m just confused why to play through in just A and E versus playing through the tabs? Thanks so much for this series I’m finding it very informative!

[@DavidBenedictMandolin]

Thanks for watching, Nick! Mandolin players have to play accompaniment as well as melody. The chords we learned line up the melody so that you can accompany another musician on this same song.

[@Eckus]

What do i do when there are no arrows on my tabs? Do i just play from top to bottom or what??

[@enantiodromia]

Does anyone happen to know why luthiers put the lowest-sounding string at the top and the highest-sounding at the bottom?

[@wterrencemooney2718]

I am on Part 3 . What/how do you suggest I practice in between sessions. I cant move on to 4 . Going to fast. I am retired now and want to use my time to learn the mandolin. I am not naturally tallented so it will take a lot of practice. Thanks Terry

[@ramonek9109]

What? the E is not possible.

[@DavidBenedictMandolin]

You got this!

[@robertshorthill6836]

You want to know an impossible chord? Try the G chop chord. They say keep at it. I have been trying for 7 years. Still impossible, but the notes do not have to ring out-- it's the percussive sound that makes it nice.

[@dadaveda]

I’m having trouble fingering the E chord. My finger dampens the high E.

[@johncecil1014]

I have been struggling with getting that E chord for weeks now. My fingers are callused. Frustrating....

[@johncecil1014]

The chords are starting to sound a bit better

[@johnmurdoch8534]

the a chords sounds normal but even if i hit the notes for the e chord it sounds like crap, is it supposed to have so much dissonance as a chord? and yes as was commented 5 million times already, its also almost impossible to do without incredible pressure and inevitably muting the e string.

[@erwinvandijke6169]

When David says G-string or D-string, he means stringS. They are doubled, that's why ;-)

[@Dikshaweow]

i love your lessons!

[@greggcoppolo8430]

Hi David, great instructions. I'm just starting to learn the mandolin, but in this exercise, I'm really having a problem with the up, down strokes to match the notes. Any suggestions? At this point, I can either use all up strokes or all down strokes in the melody.

[@desertfox3860]

Learn to count it as 1 2 and 3 4. The quarter notes are the numbers. You say "and" for the second eighth note. It is your up stroke.

[@greggcoppolo8430]

@desertfox3860 Thanks for the idea, I'll try it.

[@lawrencekellie]

I must assume that a tab has been created by someone who knows where to properly place your finger for that particular note, in that particular phrase. For example, using the note A4, you can play A4 on the G string, fret 14, on the D string, fret 7, on the A string, open. Which one of those three is the best and most efficient A4 to play? Tabs are a good way to find that out. For me, that is what I will use Tabs for. And while there may be a lot of Tabbed songs, not everything I'll be playing is tabbed, for example, if you are playing melody out of song book or a lead sheet. Both require knowing how to play a specific written note, that is, there is no Tab available. I've been reading music since 1961, using a Tab will help me correlate the note, which I have known for 59 years, to the fretboard of the mandolin. Lawrence

[@williambecking5124]

As soon as you started playing you lost me man . This is a beginner lesson right ? What note are those on the sheet musin and were do inplace my fingers to make those note

[@matthewwheatley]

Yeh it honestly feels like he is speeding through this, not adressing real frequent issues such as finger placement, playing two strings, buzz, or a useful amount repetition. Just play it through once and off you go.