Don Julin has a reputation for being one of the most eclectic mandolin players/instructors on the scene. Relief is the amount of forward curvature in the neck along the string path. Re: building a mandolin from scratch I found some suitable cedar at a place that sells fencing and decking materials. Use the A string to determine relief. I left the back a bit long to be trimmed to size later. To install the frets, I started with the precut fret wire positioned at an angle to the fret board and gently taped it into place with a small ball peen hammer so the fret would catch the corner of the fret slot. One to two thousandths (.001) of an inch, measured at the sixth fret, with the string fretted at the first and twelfth, works well for most players. ","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"In order to translate written musical instructions and symbols into music that you can play on your mandolin, a basic understanding of chord diagrams, tablature (or tab), and the fingering for a few common scales makes your life a lot easier. 8a - Alternate headstock with angle cut. Place the mandolin's body on top of your leg and hold the neck of the instrument with your left hand. String gauge will have a huge effect on the feel and playability of your mandolin, with lighter gauge strings being easier to fret than heavier gauge strings. Check the strings. And once you become familiar with mandolin chord charts, everything will be easier and less abstract. In each of the four essential mandolin scales in this figure (G, C, D, and A), the root note (the name of the scale) is highlighted.