I highly recommend the 2019 documentary film on Lightfoot, "If You Could Read My Mind." It's not only about a great singer/songwriter, but it's one of the best documentaries about a musician I've...
I highly recommend the 2019 documentary film on Lightfoot, "If You Could Read My Mind." It's not only about a great singer/songwriter, but it's one of the best documentaries about a musician I've...
I have never been able to learn from exercises, nor could my instructor of several years. If I want to learn a technique, like tremolo or cross picking, I find a tune by a really good player that...
I was hospitalized for three days a couple of decades ago for cellulitis in my right arm. I had my wife bring my Mederios travel mandolin in and passed the time with it. Then I got a roommate, so I...
Experiment with different gauges of nylon guitar strings. Buy really cheap single strings in different sizes and see what what will tune to pitch in each position at a reasonable tension. If you get...
I would add that some mandolin players shouldn't worry about temperament, but they darn sure should "just tune" their instruments!
I've been told I use "un-just, ill-tempered tuning." It's a personal preference.
I think people make too much of matching an instrument to a style. If you are playing solo or duo, maybe that's important. Also, if you are playing bluegrass, I guess you need a chop. But I tried my...
Bill Bussman (Old Wave) makes mostly right handed mandolin family instruments, but he is a left handed bass player. I'm sure he can play some, but I was in a music store with him once and he picked...
It should also be said that crosspicking can also be a rhythm method and a fill method. You can do a crosspicking roll to arpeggiate chords without the melody either all the way through a piece,...
C'mon guys! You know if he listed it on Amazon and he got a few endorsements on this site, they'd sell. Look at all the crazy devices discussed here over the years. Some of them are still selling...
Acoustic Guitar Magazine says Flatpicking is simply playing melodic lines and rhythms with a flatpick. Crosspicking is a style of flatpicking that adds sonic fill by playing patterns across 3 or more...
We need a PC euphemism for them. That seems to be what people do nowadays with sensitive terms. How about "SC's" (Skinheaded Chordophones)?
Right. You know the difference between a praise pianist and a terrorist?
You can negotiate with a terrorist...
I have played mandolin with church praise groups for most of the last 28 years. I played guitar in praise groups for about 10 years before that. I can only say what I have done that seems to work, in...
I took courses from ArtistWorks years ago. I mostly took mandolin with Mike M., but also tried harmonica with Howard Levy for a short time. I thought it was a pretty good arrangement. This was...
I am partial to 80/20 bronze strings on ovals. I think they bring out that characteristic, chime-y, bell-like sound.
I can't see that would be a problem as long as the tuner did not mar the finish and the tuner was obviously not merchandise. Good stores keep their instruments pretty close to in tune. The big box...
I use an Inkbird humidity controller. It turns my humidifier on at 46% and off at 50%. It will give an alarm at 45%. From what I can tell, it seems pretty accurate. I tried calibrating it with the...
I just watched the new documentary "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind," which I highly recommend. It is excellent.
He says something that really grabbed me about the guitar sound he goes...
No, the other way. A wound A will need to be farther from the tailpiece. The way to think about it is gauge of the core string. So, for a plain A to be at the same note, same scale length and similar...
If they work, it is because the scale is longer than a mandola, roughly 25% longer. Longer strings at a similar tension, lower notes. I would use of one the many online string tension calculators to...
All I can say what has worked for me over the years.
As people have said, listening to tunes will help you remember them. Very important.
Try to learn to "sing" the melodies with nonsense...
I found a great hygrometer switch a couple of years ago, an Inkbird Digital Pre-Wired Outlet Dual Stage Humidity Controller, $42 from Amazon. It is reliable and accurate. It can be calibrated, but I...
Maybe someone said this, but I didn't see it and I am surprised how many players don't know this: Always tune upwards. If the string is flat, tune it up to pitch, but if it is sharp, tune it flat and...
We could morph into a whole new thread over instruments that just sound obnoxious. The most obnoxious instrument I ever jammed with was actually one of my favorite instruments...but only when played...