An additional way to frustrate myself

After several years thinking about it I picked up a nice starter mandolin to add to my musical endeavors. Tuned like the violin, it can play much of the same repertoire, particularly in the folk realm. There are also some nice classical pieces for it.

The mandolin can be played more quietly than the violin/fiddle. It can also be played in a more confined space. My fiddle teacher says it comes out of the case more than any of her other instruments because of its convenience and versatility for exploring new tunes or bringing back old ones from the depths of brain storage. My violin teacher approves.

The picking pattern is actually very precise. That has taken some of the free-form fun out of playing around with it, but will lead to more solid technique. I don't think I could get any worse, so solid is good.