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"Thanks, Jim, and everyone else. May I ask where/how you found out about Hladky? His name is on the album cover, but not much information is given about either him or the ensemble in the liner...

This issue is discussed by Tyler and Sparks in their book, The Early Mandolin. As far as "classical" music is concerned, tremolo was used sparingly on the baroque Neapolitan mandolin primarily as an...

A lovely instrument and sound. Query: would you be able to build one with more frets, say at least 24, and preferably 27 or 29? This is for classical mandolin.

Ok, folks, John is 83 percent of the way to his goal after one day of fundraising. Let's put him over the top ASAP so he can get to work!

Hladky was a very important figure in the 20th century revival of the classical mandolin. Aside from the ensemble that he conducted (and recorded) he was responsible for rediscovering a significant...

Hi John,
I just kicked in (pun intended) my two cents, so to speak -- check out your Kickstarter account. I think I might be the first in line.

"Even if there were time for it, picking up a different instrument in a different tuning would require rewriting your own part (complete with cues, etc.); and I don't imagine it would sit very well...

"On the subject of keys, I played in a run of Ragtime once where one of the numbers was in A# minor: seven sharps! I assume it was transposed up from A minor to suit the singer, and the copyist...

101907

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra will perform its latest program, "Locally Sourced: Area Music for Mandolin Ensemble" featuring original and arranged music primarily by composers from New...

"Seriously... any other performer?"

On the mandolin, as is clear from the context of my posting. Not any other instrument per se. On other instruments, John Holloway (violin), Andras Schiff...

"Its not just the tempo, its the whole feeling. I have a preference for performances that showcase the music. 'Here is some Bach, isn't it great.' as opposed to 'Here is me playing Bach, ain't I...

I play mandola with the Providence Mandolin Orchestra. Because most of the music we play originates outside of the US, I generally use the octave instrument. I have a mid-20th century (East)...

"What with HET consort and other video I've seen here I had gotten the impression that when classical music was written for mandolin the expected instrument was a bowlback."

Most European...

I use Lilypond, www.lilypond.org, an excellent program that produces professional quality output. I believe it does tablature for fretted instruments, although I have never used that feature.

Hi Victor, a notation question. Does the "+" sign under notes (e.g. measure 12) indicate a l.h. pizz (pluck the note with the left hand) or something else?

Hi Don,

Very cool, you guys definitely have that Thile-Daves vibe going, even more edgy! I'd love to play stuff like this, but it is a fair distance from the classical world that I inhabit (plus...

Last fall Mark Davis and I published a brief article in the newsletter of the Classical Mandolin Society of America that described the contemporary repertoire of the Providence Mandolin Orchestra. ...

By far the best technical discussion of posture in classical mandolin playing is Keith Harris, "The Mandolin Game," pp. 2-9. Harris describes in detail two approaches to holding the mandolin, both...

A very nice and stylish performance. Caterina is playing the right hand part, Thile the left, and Marshall the pedal (bass). Thile's playing, in particular, is very fluid (Marshall, ditto). It is...

"Saturday, March 9, 2013 - The New Expression Mandolin Orchestra, based in San Diego, will be presenting a Latin themed program."

I had the opportunity to sit in on a NEMO rehearsal of some of...

I play with the Providence Mandolin Orchestra. During the first half of a typical PMO concert the music director, Mark Davis, will ask each section to hold up their instruments, which he then...

Victor, Magriet,

Do you know which VK pieces are on the ATTIKA program? I cannot determine from the poster. The Concerto? Sinfonia?

The PMO's performance of the Concerto a Pizzico yesterday...

Addendum #2: and lastly, Place also wrote a "Plectral Symphony" for mandolin orchestra. Whether the parts/score survive is anyone's guess. Mark Davis and I would dearly love to find it, though.

Addendum: I forgot to add that Place wrote a highly regarded mandolin method, copies of which surface on Ebay today. He also wrote a small book on how to set up and operate a mandolin orchestra. ...

William Place Jr. was one of the leading professional classical mandolinist (some would say the leading) in the United States during the first few decades of the twentieth century. A student of the...