After playing the banjo for forty years, I have just purchased a Kentucky KM-650. I’ve always loved the mandolin but keyed on the five string. My question to you guys is how to best use Ben’s site to get the best results. I know a few chords but that is about it. Any tips/ideas will be appreciated.
Bob
New to the Instrument
Howdy,
Congratulations on the new mandolin! Looking at the roster of things he has available, I’d suggest working through the following videos:
Intro to mando
Pick hand foundations
Open chords (won’t take you long and you may as well hit it)
Mando basic rhythm
If you haven’t already done so by this point pick a song you like and give it a spin. I find I really like picking easy songs so I can get them down quickly.
Have fun!
Thanks Mike…that was exactly what I was looking for. I got started with BB.com a few years ago when I was out of work for a couple months with a fractured ankle. I spent the better part of that time working on a single song…“Keep on the Sunny Side”…until I nailed it on the banjo. Since then I’ve moved on to many other songs/tunes but that gave me a good foundation and I start my daily practice with that number. BTW, my 10 y.o. granddaughter has that same guitar…thankfully she doesn’t fly airplanes yet! I appreciate the reply.
Bob
Everyone loves Mike’s guitar.
In addition to Ben’s site I highly recommend picking up a copy of Don Julin’s ‘Mandolin For Dummies’. Hate the title, but it is an outstanding resource for all levels of playing.
Thanks Jim…I’ll look for that. I’m a firm believer in the “…For Dummies” concept and pretty well fit into that category on many things!
Bob
I wish I had a hello kitty guitar 
I’d be my wife’s hero. A friend on the forums (Larry) photoshopped that in there for me. I don’t even remember how my association with Hello Kitty got started on here, but one day he had posted a picture of me with the HK guitar and it just stuck.