Left Hand Technique - Mandolin Lesson

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[@leocrossfield]

Best video on KZbin for thumb position. Excellent!

[@anthonyfaiell3263]

I have played guitar for over 18 years now. I got a mandolin this christmas from some family... I hopped right in and have been playing it basically non stop for at least an hour or two everyday. I am absolutely in love with the instrument. Although these past couple days I have had pain in my left wrist, making the mandolin nearly impossible to play without causing pretty moderate pain. Plus constant mild discomfort throughout the day. Yet I can still run clean sweeps, stretchy chords, and fast chromatic/diatonic runs on guitar with minimal extra agitation. . I clearly should have watched this video before venturing down the mandolin road... It appears that my problem was that I was holding it exactly like a guitar, with my thumb resting directly behind the neck around the center of where I'm playing. That said, thank you for having this resource freely available for us, I have only myself to blame for not taking advantage of it earlier.

[@farmpunk_dan]

I’ve got double jointed thumbs and I’ve struggled with tendinitis in my right hand with woodwinds, and now I’m struggling with the left hand with mandolin. Thanks for the tips. Still struggling but it’s good to know what normal is.

[@reillyamber160]

Thank you for the lessons. They're really helpful. I have a question that I haven't seen answered anywhere else: how do you stop the strings from making noise when you take your fingers off of them? Whenever I move a finger from one string to another, it makes sound, like an unintentional pull-off. I know there are muting techniques used for guitar but I'm not sure how to mute unwanted string noise on mandolin. If you made a video about this I would be interested in seeing it. Thanks!

[@richarddeleon3558]

Thank you 😊 you just answered all I wanted to know,that is where the thumb rests on the mandolin's neck, thanks

[@sheikwake]

Love the lessons. Of all the mando stuff I’ve found yours is the most beginner friendly and easy to understand. I’ve been playing for a about a year and recently I have gone back to basics to make sure I’m progressing while using correct technique. Come to find out, I’ve been holding the neck more like a guitar than a mandolin. My fingers aren’t as long as many players I see on KZbin but I do get what you are saying about striking a balance and it being comfortable. So I’m working on that. My question though is whether or not your hand stays in exactly the same position when you play chop chords as it does when you are playing melodic sections. Specifically does knuckle of your index finger is stay in contact with the neck? I know that is a very specific question and it may just depend on my hand shape and size but knowing what works for other players helps too. Thanks so much.

[@Seanisainmdom]

Excellent, thank you

[@toothyweasel2705]

My pinkie seems to curve too much to to point it buries itself in my ring finger when I try to get the seventh feet with it and I dunno how to fix it

[@Alexandra-ip2by]

I must have missed or misunderstood something you said, but how do i press the strings down when my hand is positioned like that? Like, if i try to press the strings down i just push the neck towards me unless i hold the instrument with my right elbow, am i doing something very basic wrong?

[@PsychopathicSuicide]

i watched a different lesson that said you should use something called a violin grip on the mandolin, which is where the inside knuckle of your thumb rests on the back of the neck to allow easier sliding instead of the way you demonstrated. would this be a bad technique? i feel as if i can navigate around the fret board more easily like this. thanks

[@MandoLessons]

The method I show here gives my fingers an easier time of getting to the frets, whereas having the mandolin neck sunk into my hand farther restricts my ability to get to the fingerboard, especially the E string. Everyone has their own thoughts on proper technique, but I personally do not recommend letting the instrument slip in to the crotch of your hand like that, nor would I recommend that technique for playing the fiddle/violin. Thanks for watching, Baron

[@oliverfrench467]

i’m a guitar player and i only came here to whinge about how difficult this is.

[@polish_king98]

For real. Been playing guitar 12 years and really trying to find that good pressure and find that tight picking as to not hit other strings on mandolin is tough. This is only my second day with a mandolin but still.

[@zeeet]

I can't keep it loose! I have to press so hard to get a clear note

[@MandoLessons]

+zet It may be that the action (height of strings off fretboard) is too high, that would make it hard to play. Your local music instrument store could probably sort that problem out for you quickly and cheaply. I hope it gets easier!

[@cjboyo]

@@MandoLessons Omg I'm nearly crying, I thought I was crazy, but it's an instrument problem????

[@polish_king98]

Clara-Joe Kolterman intonation between bridge placement (like banjo/orchestral instruments where there’s a floating bridge) and string height due to that same bridge. All instruments have some need of tinkering with. It can be a pain to learn to do it yourself, but once you get the hang of it, it saves you money and you can feel proud of knowing how to handle your own.

[@polish_king98]

Clara-Joe Kolterman and there’s also preference with string height too. As long as your instrument doesn’t suffer and you have a truss rod to help relieve/stress neck tension in the instrument.

[@mpp.8090]

Can you recommend an inexpensive mandolin for beginners?

[@mpp.8090]

A left handed mandolin for beginners?

[@cjboyo]

Amazon has a mandolin kit for 100

[@rohanjoshi8420]

I am unable to used my left hand. When I put left hand on string then it not sound like you. It stop making sound when I put left hand on string. I unable to play it 😭😭😭😭

[@cjboyo]

I was vibing until you started playing scales and then I was not vibing.

[@nahyungchoi8053]

Does anyone have advice for women or anyone with small hands? I have average sized female hands and there is no way for me to have the thumb stick out to the front while having a gap between my hand and the back of the mandolin neck. I can’t find any women explaining how to hold the mandolin :/

[@sjmoetj]

Check out Sierra Hull. She doesn't mention thumb placement explicitly in this video but you can clearly see what she's doing with her thumb when she plays: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6WmoHp9mNicZqs

[@sjmoetj]

Actually, she does mention left hand technique in that video I linked! :)