Hello All,
     I'm a fifty-two year old grampa who has been married for 31 years, and has played guitar since I was 12.  I picked up my first mandolin in 2006, and have owned a half dozen since then.  Now I've settled on what I could afford, and what I like, and you can see them in my Signature.
     Nowhere near "professional" grade of player, I'm still learning faster on the mandolin than I EVER did on the guitar.  Perhaps attributed to "Tabs" and their helpfulness, but I have learned Standard Notation as a child, on piano.
     Over the last three years, I've started out with Bluegrass (no, Bill Monroe was not my first hero on the Mando, but I DO like the F-style instruments), but have grown somewhat tired of the typical chop of that genré and have migrated over to a mix of classical, jazz, blues, and free-style playing.
     I have attended a monthly "Jam" that attracts literally hundreds of folks to a private home nearby, which has become for me a sounding board of my learning.  I try and learn one new song a month (Old Time, Celtic, Gospel, ......it varies)to be able to offer when the "nod" comes to me.
     As a care-giver to my wife who has M.S., (only diagnosed around the time I started on the mandolin), I devote much of my time to working full time and to her needs, which leaves me limited amounts of time for practice, but I manage to squeeze 30 minutes a day out of the routine of my day.
     Lately I've been working from Tabs for a couple of well-known classical pieces, and enjoying the break from the Bluegrass arena.  I don't dislike Bluegrass.......in fact, I like it a great deal.....it's just that Bluegrass has taken a turn towards the fast and perfect, and I prefer the slower and not-so-perfect material.  There's something about the "back porch" quality of performance and play that is more appealing than trying to be the fastest and most perfect player.  I believe in accuracy, of course.
     The "other" Forum that I have been a part of, equally as long (the name of which is well known to most all of you, and in fact you may also post there, for all I know), has shown itself to be a bit snobbish lately, and I'm on a quest for a more tolerant crowd; tolerant of us newbies who might ask questions that have already been asked.
     "Patience is a virtue" and I'm the first one to bow to others who know more than me.
     Looking forward to more conversations about the mandolin in here!!
     -Plectrum Squeezer

Nice to meet you.  Hope you squeeze the plectrum gently, too tight a grip is not so good  :-)

This forum has not been very active lately  :-(  
I still check in from time to time.  Would like to see more activity here.  It is nice having an off topic section where we can share other-than-mandolin views with other mandolin pickers.

Some of us have moved to ukulele and have no plectrum but lots of pluck.   Take care.

Brinker

Welcome aboard.