TOPIC: WHAT TO DO FIRST????

As most of you know, I'm a guitar person but I have taken up the mandolin too. I'm learning that which one I pick up first makes for a better practice session.... I liked starting with the mandolin (Mandy) but I have learned that if I start with the mandolin and then move to the guitar (Marty) the fingers totally forget where the strings are. If I start with the guitar and then move to the mandolin I don't have this problem...the flow is smoother....Why is that? Does this happen to anyone else out there that practices 2 instruments? The piano (Petey) doesn't give me any trouble, I can play it before or after and it's the same.

Maybe because the frets on the guitar are further apart,and the guitar's neck is larger, so your fingers get to stretch more. When your ready to play the mandolin, your hand and fingers have had a good warm-up. It seems plausible--stretch four frets on a guitar, 1 finger per fret, then try it on the mandolin. I'm not saying the mandolin is easier to play though. My thinking is you have more strings on a scaled down instrument, it comes with a new set of issues, like accurately fretting notes on multiple strings, smaller fretboard, etc.