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Gauges for the C should be between .048 and .056. I liked the larger one for my 5-string but use .048 for 10-string. For some players, light strings deflect too easily and bend sharp, but normally...

I updated my medley, which was first inspired by Bill Frisell's CD "Good Dog, Happy Man". I follow a version of Shenandoah with Frisell's title tune, and then add John Scofield's "The Boss's Car"...

My Dunlop Ultex picks are beveled symmetrically. I tried rounding the edge and it loses a lot of interesting tone. I can darken tone as needed by angling, but need the sharp edge for brighter tone.

I might be wrong but it sounds more as if he is riffing on a generic chord progression. Because Mike is so musical he can riff beautifully on anything.

I have always been a one-instrument player, only one guitar in my rock days, only one viola in orchestra days. I own two acoustic 10-strings from the same maker and two electric 10-strings. This only...

Arched instruments especially are sensitive to humidity causing dimensional change. This should not be a problem if everything shrinks or expands equally. In lractice I find all modern instruments...

The basic principles apply. Go to emando.com for string sets and info.

I would ensure the nut is low enough -- with such a short distance to the next fret the deflection angle is steep, risking...

I have been working on Tarrega's "Recuerdos de la Alhambra" for years. It has helped my picking a lot, developing a smooth duo style. Ruggiero Ricci arranged it for violin, putting it C. Evan...

Hamilton de Holanda published his 24 Caprichos, which are written for and performed by him on 10-string mandolin. To my knowledge these are the only pieces expressly for 10-string. You can download...

A five-course instrument gets you to useful accompanying and solo roles. There is enough range to offer chords that don't pull focus from a melody, whether singer or instrument. And the range also...

I have a release waiting to be listed at CD Baby, of unaccompanied 10-string. Any day now. Title will be "5 x 2".

Selections include Bach, Choro, Folk and Jazz.

The joke is because the viola doesn't work very well, but is appreciated anyway. I speak as a former violist.

But the viola, in the other direction, proves that playability is more important than...

You could get precise wth Graham McDonald's calculator page: https://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html

But not hard to get really close. Starting with your favorite gauge for G3, say .038,...

The pass-by scissor cut is the best kind. It leaves a less deadly end on the plain strings. Diagonal cutters leave what is really a tiny chisel point, guaranteed to penetrate.

I do not cut against...

I successfully grounded/earthed the strings of my first mandolin, the acoustic-electric Fender. A wire (E string piece) tucked under the washer on the output jack ran to the endpin, where it...

Remaining tension is indeed an issue that I deal with. I usually just pick hard/loud, from both directions, to settle the A strings. I also do not use only increasing-tension tuning direction. I will...

Nicely played!

The short scale and the more tension-reactive A strings make mandolins sensitive to dimensional change from humidity shifts. I remember Tim O'Brien making this complaint about going...

I can well imagine shell has an interesting tone, at least at close range. But that is not a sufficient reason for me. I also think Fender celluloid sounds good, but it wears out too quickly. Because...

I dealt with a case in my auditioning days. It yielded to a three week course of ibuprofen, back when Advil was prescription-only.

Reducing the inflammation allows healing because it decreases the...

Well, it is the sort of thing I do. My personal arrangement for the song has moves like that. Guitar players of course do this regularly, and the tab is probably trying to sound like Paul's guitar on...

More than one way to do that. Maybe explain what music this example is taken from.

If at brisk clip I would just let index finger on second fret lean on the muted string. I do this a lot, using...

From the Virtual Studio page:

"It minimizes latency by using software and hardware that is optimized for the transmission of audio over computer networks. Most people who have tried it so far are...

Instead of graphite look for a tube of powdered Teflon. But going sharp can be because you generate humidity, and the mandolin expands slightly.

However, differential intonation across frets...

On height in general, too close makes a splatty attack sometimes. Lower is a cleaner attack but may not yield the signal strength you want if driving distortion.

On the other hand, you can, and...

I use the International Edition for viola, edited by Milton Katims, which are in alto clef.

I ignore his bowings and fingerings, but prefer the voicing for the D major suite.