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On another forum I frequent there are a couple participants who have lon-n-n-ng gear lists who’ve put the lists in a separate post then linked to that post in their signature. One, I believe, adds...

I love the FZ quote Pete posted. My favorite Miles Davis quote, hands down, is, “When you hit a wrong note, it’s the next note that you play that determines if it’s good or bad.” It takes a...

When you practice do you stop and “correct” any clams you play? DON’T DO THAT! If you stop when you practice you’ll train yourself to stop when you play. Play through your errors, keeping the feel of...

Many moons ago I took lessons from a classical guitarist who’d studied with Pepe Romero. He pointed out that we routinely watch the fingers that are pressing the strings to play the notes while...

It’s the head needs protection, not the headset band! Pilots have tried many approaches. e.g. A patch of soft, thick leather or upholstery fabric inside, between the button and the scalp. Except for...

I began playing the electric bass guitar in 1966 and in all that time I’ve heard, I’m sure, nearly all the assertions of what the instrument “should” be called. Terms go in and out of fashion, so...

Mandolins are around 14” scale length while most guitars have 24 3/4” to 25 1/2” scales. Given the same string gauge, that short scale yields a greater string stiffness compared to longer stringed...

Michael Cleveland on fiddle!

When reading online opinions about what’s good and what’s not I’ll point out that you, as a mandolin novice, are unlikely to be able to evaluate these opinions and instruments to a fine degree until...

I’m sure glad the holidays are past tense, now. It’s been weeks since I worked on these lessons and I need to get back on it before my next total hip replacement surgery. It’s hard enough to learn...

I agree completely. That’s really close to what I’ve used for many years. I end a practice session by rewarding myself by playing something I just plain enjoy playing.

I also subscribe to...

A capo on a mandolin? You may as well wear white after Labor Day!

For recording many engineers provide the Countryman Type 85 DI. In live sound reinforcement there’s a broader range of DIs in use but if you show up with the 85 the sound guy will likely say, yeah,...

This’ll come across as snark but if people would redirect the effort they put into avoiding standard notation they’d be competent readers of the dots in a short time.

Yes and no. I wouldn’t go into any instrument purchase with a desire for, expectation of or plan for monetary gain, however high end the instrument and however much time may pass.

Mankind has an...

I’ve never tried cross-tuning but I think I’ll yield to your rendition of this piece. Very cool tune!

Wood glues are what they are, which is to say that you need much more surface area than what’s there for glue to hold the two pieces sufficiently strongly to use the tool as intended. No matter how...

Alternate picking is strongly advised for novice-to-advanced intermediate players. It’s not a law, it’s simply that many years of many players using many techniques have homed in on what works well:...

I’m open to trying or at least listening to new-to-me stuff when recommended by players who are far better than I am.

I’m an intermediate (2 years) mandolinist, on the verge of 73 years old and across these decades I’ve learned that no novice can really distinguish between an adequate instrument and a stellar one....

I never learned what strings were on it when I bought it but I asked around for recommendations and opted for the EJ72. I think that more important than the string choice was getting the setup done...

My first mandolin was the MDO305 two years ago this month. A good setup, a set of D’Addario EJ72 strings and a Lakota Leathers strap and I’m enjoying it immensely. Some folks gripe about the shallow...

I believe that picks are a rabbit hole, especially for those of us not in the pantheon of the mandolin gods. It is the journey, not the destination that matters, so do land [on a pick] from time to...

Alright!! Let the magic resume! The best of luck to you, Sheila.

I like that! It’s another example of, “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” — Henry Ford

Think of the music we’d have lost if Beethoven, Django, Doc...