After playing mandolin for over fifty years. I check the tuning every time I pick it up. The great Jethro Burns said "I spend half of the time tuning my mandolin and the other half playing it out of...
Type: Posts; User: Jon Hall
After playing mandolin for over fifty years. I check the tuning every time I pick it up. The great Jethro Burns said "I spend half of the time tuning my mandolin and the other half playing it out of...
Sherry, I would play the triplets in this exercise, DUD.
Since you understand the NNS as it applies to chords it won’t be too difficult to apply it to the notes. For me it’s easier to take it one phrase at a time.
Assign the same numbers to the scale...
That’s not too odd. Paul Glasse told a workshop that he would practice difficult passages just before he went to bed and often, when he awoke, was able to play the same passages better than when he...
Thanks Sherry! I’m going to try this method. My memory needs all the help it can get.
Congratulations Sherry! I bet it felt good!
Memorizing from notation is the easiest way for me. When I was younger, I memorized by ear. I can read tab but I’m unable to memorize from it.
Hey Sherry! You’re going to come through this like a champ. If you feel like it, why not play your mandolin in the hospital. I once snuck a tiny puppy into a hospital just cheer up my Mother. You’ll...
Sherry, I think most, if not all of the major, minor and sevenths are modifications of a two finger G (0-0-2-3) and a two finger D (2-0-0-2); granted there are a whole world of modifications using:...
I can find a lot of left hand practice that can be silent: Ffcp patterns while silently identifying notes of scales and arpeggios; playing double stops while identifying which chord tones are...
Sherry, I’m happy you found a group to make music with!
Hey Sherry! Some of the relatively easy fiddle tunes we play in Nacogdoches are:Angeline the Baker, Soldier’s Joy, St Anne’s Reel, Liberty, Red Haired Boy, Over the Waterfall, Shove That Pigs Foot...
Congratulations Sherry! I’m glad you found some people to make music with! Say Hey to Laurie!
Sherry, your Weber sounds great as does Gerald’s playing! How are you liking your mandolin? Is the neck comfortable? Does it have a radiused fretboard or is it flat?
Sherry, 1 and 2 are essential. 3 and 4 are preferred. Being able to play 3 finger movable chords, or even double stops from the chord tones, will enable you to play in a variety of keys. Varying the...
I’m saddened to hear of Peter’s passing. His tremolo never fails to touch my emotions as if it is a human voice.
I'm sure Gerald is staying as busy as he can during these trying times. I'm thinking the Covid pandemic makes it a lot more complicated for orchestras to get together.
During the 1920s, Lyon & Healy also produced Style Bs and Cs. All were excellent instruments. Steve Hartz’s main instrument is a Style B from that period. His instrument has possibly the best treble...
Sherry, the Gibson you’re playing, is a younger sibling to my 1918 A2.
Fills at the end of vocal lines are great on the mandolin, however, don’t be in competition with the piano. Only one instrument should play the fills otherwise it will sound muddy. The arrangement is...
Sherry, I realize it’s difficult to try a lot of mandolins, or really any, during the pandemic. I think you’re wise to not upgrade just because you can. Speaking for myself, two of my three...
I practice in front of a mirror but when I really want to appraise my technique or watch for signs of tension, I video myself.
I began teaching my daughter to play the mandolin when she was 5 or 6. I strung her instrument with single light gauge strings and not pairs. The mandolin had a comfortable action. She didn’t have in...
I, half-jokingly, tell my mandolin students that unless you want everyone to know you’re a beginner before they hear you play, don’t take your mandolin out of it’s case and begin playing without...
Relative Humidity explains what your observation regarding temperature. Warmer air can contain more moisture than cooler air. 50% relative humidity at 75 degrees isn’t the same amount of moisture as...