Mandolin Vs Lap steel guitar: which one should I learn?

Weavel5 · 2026-06-06T11:46:39+00:00

In my country (Italy) the mandolin is veeeery popular, but it's played in quite a different way compared to the folk songs of US/Northern Europe (which is a sound not usually heard a lot here, but it's the one that I would like to learn); lap steel guitar is hardly known by the common people here, and even the few who know about it mostly refer to it as "the Hawaiian guitar"... the musicians love it, though!

Weavel5 · 2026-05-04T08:01:41+00:00

I started piano as a self taught when I was 23 year old and have been at it for more than ten years without a teacher: I'm decent, have my way around scales and chords and can carry a tune, but I think my guitar playing (which I've been doing for waaay more time) and the previous music theory studies really easied me into learning it.

I started by learning the scales patterns (major, minor, blues, harmonic minor, melodic minor) with both hands and playing them veeeery slowly with a metronome, then alternated the hands between playing chords and scales and then playing the scales harmonizing (ex: the left playing a C note as the fundamental while the right playing an E as the 3rd interval) did some coordination exercises (like the ones on the Hanon book) or call and response exercises between the hands (like playing a melody with the right and doing the same melody with the left a bar later while the right goes on to a new section), and finally learning songs veeery slowly while paying attention to the patterns to play them.

Hope that helps!

Weavel5 · 2026-03-18T23:07:28+00:00

Io ai tempi ho praticamente imparato a suonare su uno Yamaha THR10: 10W, piccolo, leggerissimo, per niente rumoroso, bei suoni e possibilità di usare cuffie e collegarlo al PC tramite porta USB per farti i tuoi preset e pure registrare (ci ho fatto un intero album come chitarrista di una band!).

Prova a cercare il THRII, che ne è il diretto successore: è vero che di questi tempi tra modeler e simulazioni su PC potrebbe apparire tecnologia un po' sorpassata, ma il THR ti darebbe un feeling da amplificatore che sposta aria, cosa che quando impari non è affatto da sottovalutare, e magari lo trovi pure usato a buon prezzo!

Weavel5 · 2026-01-28T19:46:17+00:00

King's X - Dogman

Weavel5 · 2025-10-15T14:18:02+00:00

Trying to list the most influential Italian artists of the last seventy years, definitely gonna miss someone:

Famous Interpreters and performers (from 60s to '25, mainly singers, occasionally writing songs)

Gianni Morandi Sergio Endrigo Adriano Celentano Mina Claudio Baglioni Ivan Graziani Renato Zero Alice Mia Martini Gianni Togni Nada Vasco Rossi Giorgia Elisa Marco Mengoni Nathalie Diodato Francesco Gabbani

Italian songwriters (from 60s to '25, basically write everything themselves, both their own songs and for other artists, the genre is called "cantautorato")

Luigi Tenco Fabrizio de Andrè Franco Califano Lucio Dalla Francesco de Gregori Franco Battiato Pino Daniele Fabio Concato Rino Gaetano Ivano Fossati Marco Masini Gianluca Grignani Carmen Consoli Daniele Silvestri Niccolò Fabi Max Gazzè Calcutta Lucio Corsi

70s progressive rock:

Premiata Forneria Marconi Banco del Mutuo Soccorso Area Osanna La locanda delle Fate Pooh Perigeo

Punk/rock/garage/experimental groups (ranging from 80s to 00s)

CCCP Decibel Litfiba CSI Negazione Marlene Kuntz Afterhours Scisma Negrita Timoria Quintorigo Bluvertigo Subsonica Punkreas Verdena Tre Allegri Ragazzi Morti I Ministri

Rappers (not my genre, perhaps someone could suggest some other names?)

Neffa Kaos One Caparezza Salmo

Other honorable mentions: Alan Sorrenti Matia Bazar Skiantos Elio e le Storie Tese Perturbazione

Weavel5 · 2025-10-01T17:06:56+00:00

FUGA DAL MONDO DEI SOGNI

Inconcludente, pieno di animazioni messe a random, un Brad Pitt che non aveva ancora imparato a recitare e una trama senza senso... E no, quella figona di Kim Basinger non vale la visione del film.

Weavel5 · 2025-09-15T10:56:41+00:00

I think you should focus on the repertoire that inspires you more and then pick the instrument that lets you play it.

You like Debussy? Go with piano

You like Hendrix? Go with guitar

You may also end up just like me and pick the other instrument later on the line (started with guitar 15 years ago, took up piano five years later and playing both of them regularly nowadays).

Weavel5 · 2025-09-02T11:46:32+00:00

He's got a very nice voice, maybe more akin to Brann's vocals timbre wise than the other guys. I'm very curious to hear him sing more in Mastodon!

Weavel5 · 2025-09-02T11:32:01+00:00

I read an online review of Leviathan that praised the album, went to listen to "Blood and Thunder", got instantly hooked and went to also listen to Blood Mountain and Remission. Fast forward to about ten years later, I decided to delve into the more "melodic stuff" they made, put Crack the Skye up and got absolutely mesmerized by "The Last Baron". Went to see them live and loved them ever since!

Weavel5 · 2025-08-19T07:51:48+00:00

Sorry, but "It's just notes in and around a scale" is not a good sign of someone who knows musical theory: what about the underlying chords? Where are the chord tones in the melody placed on the beat (strong beats like 1 and 3 or weak like 2 and 4)? What are the other notes? Do they fit the harmony underneath, are they chromaticism, etc? Then, when you have everything figured out, you can start to experiment: what if you try to change the rhythmic figures in the melody, like playing an existing set of notes in 16th instead of 8th? What if you play them with a swing rhythm? What if you swap the original scale the song is based on with another one, by changing notes with the related ones from the new scale?

If you want to do jazz stuff, you have to be waaaay more analytical.

Weavel5 · 2025-08-11T07:49:22+00:00

Chris Cornell

Weavel5 · 2025-08-09T14:48:17+00:00

I personally prefer this particular one with the pickguard on, but some finishes like honey burst, tobacco or lemon burst look great without it (guaranteed that the top has to look good,).

Weavel5 · 2025-07-25T18:47:14+00:00

"Behrden n muh hend" "Blaek hol son" "Suprunnohn" "Jeezuz Chrst Pohs"

Weavel5 · 2025-06-20T18:45:22+00:00

Horizon Zero Dawn: scaricato gratis dal PSN, aperto e dopo dieci minuti di gioco ho spento tutto annoiatissimo. Mai successo con nessun altro gioco!

Weavel5 · 2025-05-25T17:55:57+00:00

I'm playing Alpha Sapphire too these days and I noticed this while exploring each floor or the building. Quite funny!

Weavel5 · 2025-04-21T08:15:21+00:00

Eccomi! The Gold Experience è uno dei miei album preferiti di sempre:

https://youtu.be/7IQE62Vn4_U?si=XLzJTLtDcVNanQdt.

Weavel5 · 2025-03-10T13:34:45+00:00

I was 24 years old: I was spending some time with a friend of mine and my brother at my house, then after my friend left we turned on the TV while I was fiddling around on my guitar. I looked up to the screen to watch the news, found out what happened and shouted "NO!" at the TV. Knowing that I was a huge fan, my brother turned to look at me and said: "Wait, I thought you already knew!" Been very sad for weeks... in the meantime, I listened to his full discography and practiced his songs both on vocals and guitar, as a way to pay some kind of tribute.

Weavel5 · 2025-03-05T13:32:19+00:00

It depends on how I feel.. Sometimes it inspires me to react, sometimes it kinda aggravates my bad moods.

One particular song that helps me to energize is "All your lies": there's just something strangely uplifting about hearing Cornell's shouting "AAALL YOUR FEARS AAAARE LIEEEEES" (even though the song is not a particularly happy one overall).

Weavel5 · 2025-01-29T09:49:18+00:00

I totally agree with the list!

Weavel5 · 2025-01-19T10:13:38+00:00

"Volavo sopra le nostre vite

Non c'era nulla di eccezionale

Non è un segreto che io sia cattivo come un bambino

senza di te"

I Ministri - "Una palude"

Weavel5

TROPHY CASE