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There is a (probably apocryphal) story of Eric Clapton storming out of a recording studio in a rage some time in the 1960s because it was suggested to him that he might like to try a diminished scale...

I play with a variety of musicians, some who can read standard notation, some who can't. I have never met a reader who has expressed regret at having learned to read.

That is impressive! Last year, as an exercise in learning how to make a data base, I created a song list, with about 150 titles that I theoretically know and have learned over the past 45 years. Most...

I'll second that. For several years my band was booked to play at a christmas market, sometimes in sub-zero (celsius) conditions. I would leave my instrument in its case for at least half an hour in...

I used Thomastik starks for many years until they became too expensive. Then switched to Fisoma Supersolos, because they are affordable. Regarding ease of playing, there's not much difference, the...

I work musically with both the geriatric and mentally handicapped (it's part of how I earn my living)

It never ceases to amaze me how someone who cannot remember what they had for lunch half an...

If you're going to drill a hole, drill a serious hole, a hole that really matters, that makes a statement...
194477

It is worth pointing out that amplification is never only about just making an instrument louder, some tone-shaping is always involved. If you were able to take the sound of your '22 Gibson and ramp...

Not everything works perfectly in MuseScore, but given that it is freeware, I think it is a fantastic tool and have been using it for years.

One workaround is to use the up/down arrow keys and the...

I dislike music that is faster than I can think - that says more about me than the music. It is why I tend not to listen to much bluegrass, and prefer to listen to scottish rather than irish...

At last! someone who is really making casein picks, rather than using galalith, which is polymerized casein (that's what the formaldehyde stage is for). Of course, I'm being pedantic and facetious...

In my 42 years or so of playing I have had the sum total of one lesson, and have only seldom opened a mandolin-related book. I am incapable of playing bluegrass (fortunately it's not something I wish...

Sorry to disagree, but how a string intones depends upon its length, mass and the tension it is under. That is why if one changes to a lighter or heavier set of strings one has to move the bridge,...

If you mix string gauges, you will have intonation issues. I no longer use T.I. strings because they have become too expensive for me - I now use Fisoma Supersolos, which are also a flat-wound string...

The Fishman bridge pickups are piezo pickups.

I tried scorecloud and found that I had to spend so much time editing that it was quicker just to record what I was playing and transcribe it myself. In contrast to cobalt, I do find it helpful to...

A drop of tincture of propolis on each side of the pick makes it slightly sticky, you can then hold the plectrum as loosely as you like, and it will never slip out of your hand.

I make my own - about 10 years ago I bought a sheet of galalith (what is here referred to as casein), 1.75mm thick. I cut out the shape I like (more or less the fender 351 shape, with the business...

Simon, I think you are asking a metronome to do the opposite of what it is designed to do - which is to teach you to play strictly in tempo. Subtle variations in tempo and phrasing are a human thing...

Tuning my mandolin down (or up) by as much as a semitone results in disastrous intonation issues which can only be (partly) solved by moving the bridge, which I wouldn't attempt in the middle of a...

I would suggest you look at the MG series from Yamaha. I have an MG 10 that is connected to my computer and an MG16 for live work. I've used them with large diaphragm mics, both expensive and cheap,...

+1

Electronic tuners have their place (loud environment, in front of an audience when it has to go quick, etc.), but if one abandons the basic skills required to hear whether one is in tune or...

This may appeal, too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQcJHqVr65I

I would say the Yaybahar. Apart from the fact that they are not commercially available, I can imagine that there are a fair few people one might have difficulty persuading that what one is producing...

Agreed, to get even more philosophical, I believe in setting goals we first need to look at our reasons for wanting to play music. To illustrate what I mean, here's my story - when I started playing...