Led Leppelin & Rod Stewart used it - REM & Mike Oldfield used it, yet it's predominantly a folk instrument giving a zingy lift at sessions. Playing it one needs the pick (plectrum) skills of a guitar player (lead for tunes, rhythm for playing chords) with the left hand finger action of a fiddle.

The 4 sets of strings are tunes just like a fiddle. There is a close pair of each of the strings, G, D, A, E, giving 8 strings in all. Having frets though, it's easier to start on than the fiddle as one doesn't have to be so accurate with the left hand. It's actually quite a easy instrument to get started on.

Having a beautiful instrument to play can be very motivating & there are some gorgeous mandolins around, in fact, somehow, it's hard to make one that doesn't look fab, even the modern ones.