Mandolin Mondays #176 w/ Special Guest Simon Mayor
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, May-13-2019 at 7:00am (9875 Views)
British humorist and mandolin luminary Simon Mayor, brings us a very special Mandolin Mondays video this week with his beautiful teardrop mandolin built by Mike Vanden. Hear him play the sweetest Irish Air that's ever been played on the mandolin.
Simon has been at the forefront of the UK acoustic scene since the release of his 1990 debut release The Mandolin Album. His virtuosic and eclectic playing style mixed with his off-beat humor and wit has earned him a slice of the mandolin world all to himself. In addition to his reputation as a performer and composer, Simon has also written instructional books and hosts his very own mandolin retreat in November: https://mandolin.co.uk/booking-form-sheffield-2019/
He now tours regularly with long-time partner Hilary James. They've worked on a legion of records together--check them out here: http://www.acousticsrecords.co.uk/hilary-james.html
Here's some gear info from Simon about this instrument in this video, "The mandolin I’m playing is one of my spares, made by Mike Vanden in 1999. I have four Vandens, three teardrop shaped f-holes and one F5 that I bought with a matching mandola from Dave Pegg (of Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention). I favour the teardrops for what I do, although the F5 is a great example of that style. My favourite 1983 Vanden is in for a new nut and a re-fret at the moment, my first on any instrument - ever! I use Newtone 11-39 strings and a 0.8mm ordinary cheap plastic plectrum."
If you'd like to download a free copy of the transcription for this music, you can get it here on Simon's website: https://mandolin.co.uk/free-music/
Be sure to connect with Simon at the following links below for more information about his music:
https://mandolin.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/mayorandjames/
https://www.youtube.com/user/AcousticsRecords/videos
And as always, tune in next week for more Mandolin Mondays! Until then...
Happy Picking!
David