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Hi all,

Here's "Jack of Diamonds" and "Three Forks of Cheat," using AEAC# tuning, on a Stiver F5. Hope you enjoy them and try out this tuning yourself!


https://youtu.be/LvpxGQOND90

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I keep a tune spreadsheet, with keys and a rating of my comfort with the tune, which is handy for those jam situations where I don't remember a single tune I know. It also helps me focus my practice...

I recently watched a video about food writing, in which a group of food writers discussed whether they had foods they did not like. More than one remarked that, if there was some ingredient they...

Still a work in progress, and the mandolin was a little stiff that day, but I hope you enjoy it!


https://youtu.be/kNC-Vg1FpbQ

I just bought a Duff. Oo-ee, is it good. I bought it from Skip Gorman. I've known that I liked *this particular* mandolin for a long time.

As anyone here knows, there are big differences between...

Steve at Acoustic Music Works in Pittsburgh told me this story: Right after the big stock correction at the beginning of the Great Recession, guy comes in and buys a reallly expensive guitar. He...

That's "Get Up John" tuning, by my ears, or a close variation. For reference, listen to Ricky Skaggs playing Get Up John or Skip Gorman's version

The tuning is: F#A DD AA AD. Very fun!

There are a few nice jams and other events you could explore in the area.

There is a world class old time jam at Radio Bean in Burlington every other Sunday.

Hatch 31 in Bristol has a...

I guess this is a personality thing, maybe related to introversion / extraversion? I'm totally baffled by comments such as "I'd rather hear the live performance without the audience." For me, a huge...

I really enjoyed this very thorough article and have been recommending it widely. Love the Fretboard Journal!

I have known friends who, with modest incomes and rich, full lives, owned very expensive instruments. Part of their success was surely due to getting "on the property ladder" early, allowing their...

Declaring that a person needs one or the other -- character or practice -- always sounds to me like the search for a break or shortcut. I don't think there are shortcuts. Playing music is about...

Where I live, I don't get the chance to see too many of the best acts in person, so I definitely go to festivals to catch up on seeing live music and get my bluegrass fix. Usually I come home knowing...

I'd like to add further emphasis to Mark Wilson's point 3: to advance, it helps to have a goal. I have gotten a lot out of working up a piece of music that is just a hair above my current...

Just found this inspiring conversation. Enjoy!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BTtGDC4li8

And another young'n here. Wow, so much to be said. I certainly would love to get my hands on a pre-war Martin. I just can't afford one.

I like having a small number of very nice things, for...

Nobody's mentioned my favorite trick for building speed, so I'll chime in.

Use a metronome in two directions. Start at 80 beats per minute. Play a tune as best you can. Now, roll is back to 60...

Enjoy, Tom! I'm envious. Monroe Camp makes my "Top 3 Mind-Blowing Intellectual Experiences" list. Once again my most important professional meeting exactly conflicts with the dates, so I won't make...

Hi folks,

Thought I'd give you all an update on my own message, after a year of living in Middlebury. Recently it seems there has been a bumper crop of new jams in Vermont, which might be of...

I've attended Mandolin Camp North, the March Mandolin Festival, and Monroe Mandolin Camp. I love all of them and will try to attend as often as I can.

It's natural and appropriate for beginning...

I'll explain. This little trick is a remarkable innovation, and it's really simple.

When most of us repeat notes, we repeat them on the downbeat followed by the upbeat. You can tell it's a...

I don't know. I've always admired how he chose certain keys and certain techniques to push sound out of the mandolin. I'm thinking of, for example, Kentucky Mandolin. He chose G Minor because his...

The issue you are having is precisely the problem with resting your right hand anywhere on the mandolin, for any reason. If you restrict motion, not only do you lose access to the fabled "sweet...

Good luck on your journey, Melissa! Collecting tunes is a great hobby. I second Eric's suggestion for a first fiddle tune.

By the way, ideally you would memorize these tunes, i.e. be able to play...

I'm rarely so blunt: but this is ridiculous! If anything will slow you down and restrict your motion, it's anchoring. Almost any teacher today will tell you that a good goal is a relaxed, free...