Artist Academy of Bluegrass ? Any Feedback?

[mandodan1960]

What do you think ?

[robert.najlis]

the ability to have send videos to Mike Marshall and get responses back from him is incredible. In my opinion that is the best thing about it, and makes it more than worth it.

[mandodan1960]

How is the content of the lessons. Camera angles, lighting etc..., Can you slow it down ?

[Nancyf]

I am loving it! Lesson content is excellent - anywhere from 3-10 minutes. I can breeze through them or watch one over and over, I can go back to the beginner level to cover some of the holes in my knowledge and technique, or move ahead to more advanced lessons to learn a new tune. Lots of tunes to learn with back up tracks at various speeds for practice, plus printable (or just look at it online) sheet music. Exercises. Many (all?) lessons are presented with a slow motion version. Lighting excellent. 3 or 4 angles provided, which aren't as good as in-person, but suffice. One favorite is watching other people's videos and Mike's feedback, because there are all sorts of things to glean from that - not only critique on mechanics, but he also gives a half dozen or so licks to add on to the version being played, so I'm able to learn those too. Well worth the price. And addicting. I'm wanting to do it all the time! :-)

[sachmo63]

I'm confused, how large are these downloads? If they are downloads, the site is pretty vague on the subject. Also what is "intermediate"?? " Advanced"

Thanks in advance.

S

[Marcus CA]

The downloads are pretty basic: a pdf of tab or an MP3 of a practice track.

In the intermediate and advanced section, the opening video addresses that question, and basically invites you to send Mike a video of a tune that you do well in order to get his perspective of your level. Personally, I felt that I was intermediate, but went through a bunch of the beginners' lessons anyway. Most of them were review for me, but most of them had a nugget or two that made me glad that I watched them.

The lessons are really meant to be done in order. Mike often refers to theory or techniques that he presents in the earlier videos. Usually, you can skip around if you want to, but there may be a couple of things that you are expected to know from those previous lessons.

All in all, I think that it is an incredible program. The lessons are put together thoughtfully with clear explanations and great camerawork. Mike doesn't just show a tune; he presents the hows and whys behind it.

[rwmanos]

In my opinion Academy of Bluegrass is a great learning tool . There are no extremely advance things but mike said he is going to upload more advanced videos in the mean time. When you send him a video he answers pretty fast with another video explaining what you did wrong . I think that this is a huge advantage. What I really miss is lesson on other genres except bluegrass , there are some but the content is quite limited.

[SternART]

And most times Mike also says what you did right.......before he adds a critique, or suggests what to try next, or shows some hot licks to take what you did further. Seems he has a good ability to see where a student is and show them where to go. He is a good teacher, and the more student videos and responses there are it will keep getting better in content. Both Mike and Darol recently wrote they are open to other genres of music too, and those guys can play it all. I've been digging it, but just getting started. Seems like a good value to me, compared to the cost of private lessons, or skype. You get out what you put in.........you could sign up for 3 months & there is enough to keep you busy long hours every day......even if you didn't have hardware to make your own videos to send in..........put some time in on the numerous video lessons on there & learn away!

[Buddah]

Signed up for Bryan Sutton's guitar course at the academy of bluegrass, and have been quite impressed with the content and the quality of the videos. Haven't been able to locate any tab downloads at the site yet though, which would be helpful to have for those times when I don't want to sit in front of a computer while practicing. Do Mike's mando lessons include tab downloads for some or all of the content?

[Marcus CA]

I'm about 1/3 of the way through the intermediate set of mando lessons, and I'm guessing maybe half of the tune lessons have had downloadable tab. I don't remember any of the theory or philosophy (e.g. "How to Practice") lessons having it. Most lessons have mp3 downloads of practice tracks at a couple of tempos (usually 60 bps and 70 or 80).

[Schlegel]

Being a mostly self-taught folk music player I'm getting a lot out of the beginner material. The lessons are well made individually, and build on each other very logically. I'm quite happy with the value per dollar, and once you add the video exchanges, I don't see how you can't get your money's worth if you are willing to do the work.

[Amy Burcham]

As SternART says, Mike and Darol have both invited students to submit videos in other genres....or to use the forum to work on their own composition skills. This is a flat-out amazing offer from these two, who are so broad, deep, and essentially devoted to music across a number of traditions - and beyond tradition if that's your desire. The lessons already recorded will undoubtedly be supplemented by new ones in other styles as time goes on, but in some ways that doesn't even matter, because the fundamentals they are teaching work well across the board. It's a very, very happy place, this online school, just full of potential and encouragement.

[Buddah]

Cool. I've gone through a handful of the intermediate guitar lessons, and have yet to stumble across any tab; at any rate, I'm really liking this way of learning from one of the best in the biz. Technology well-applied for sure!

[bgjunkie]

I went through all the beginner and about a 1/3 of the intermediate and I haven't seen the tab some are talking about. I have done well picking things out by watching/listening to the normal speed and viewing the slow speed if necessary, but in some cases it would be nice to have the tab as reference.

I think the site is very well done. Mike's videos are great. I keep trying to record a video to upload for Mike's review, but every time that little red light goes on I screw something up.

[Milan Christi]

I was skeptical at first but quickly overcame my skepticism. I've taken many lessons in my time where you go to the teacher's house on Wednesday night and by Saturday you've totally forgotten what he said. The bad habits kick in and off you - down the wrong road. The ability to go back over the video lessons as many times as one wishes makes this a great learning opportunity in my opinion. I've also learned a lot by watching the other students' videos and hearing Mike's feedback. I've been meandering my way through the beginner and intermediate lessons - frustrating at times cuz you just want to go 'rip into a tune.' but I'm staying dedicated to the slower tempos and I must say my tone and right hand have improved quite a bit - my biggest weaknesses. I'll be sticking with it remembering that development is measured in terms of months and not days. Oh yes, I'm finally learning the doggone notes on the fretboard - slowly but surely.

[HogTime]

I'm glad I came across the post. Had no idea this particular online instruction existed. Going to give it a try after doing some traveling this summer.

[Buddah]

Aha! Now I'm starting to get into some of the tabbed out material (in the Bryan Sutton/Guitar portion of the program). It kicks in once you've worked through the theory/scale stuff in the beginner and early intermediate lessons, and get into applying that to actual songs.
Makes a bit of sense, actually; work on your ability to figure out by ear and eye those note sequences that are (largely) predictable (i.e. scales), and introduce the tab/notation once the sequences become more complex (i.e. fiddle tunes).

[El Greco]

Cool thread. I was looking for this kind of information. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

[Barry Wilson]

I learned whiskey before breakfast then went and listened on youtube. man that song flies along. so I spent the night working on that song. I am new to BG music so if it's an old overplayed tune, that's news to me. it's a new song for me and I am loving it...

I think I just talked a buddy into signing up to learn the guitar stuff so we can jam these tunes. my first week and have spent many hours with the lessons. I am loving it.

[John Ritchhart]

I'm amazed that they have time to devote to this. It's a major undertaking for them. I have submitted three videos so far (.wmv) and Mike has responded to all three with five to ten minute critiques and encouragement. It's a good value for the money because you can also look at everyone else's submissions and see the critique Mike gives to them. So you get the benefit of watching people at all three levels.

[SternART]

Yeah, it is like a Master's class.........you can learn a lot just by seeing what Mike suggests to other students. He is really a good teacher! But there are guests too.....a student sent in some Bach on a video, and Mike introduces Caterina Lichtenberg to help with the response. How cool is that! There are students at every level sending in things, and some folks really get a thorough response from Mike, enough to watch over & over to try & learn all he has suggested. One student sent in an improvised version of Blackberry Blossom and I saw an up the neck lick he got into......I soaked that right up......you can learn from the other students too! Add Mike's response & there is a whole lesson of improvising ideas to learn on there. The more student videos with responses they archive, the better it will get! Just the video lessons contain massive amounts of great material, but these critique videos really add a lot!

[Toycona]

Can't wait to start!

[Barry Wilson]

ya I was doing the beginner thing about will the circle.... then I saw a student submission and mike was going into picking an apreggio with that riff. I spent the day learning to do that picking pattern while playing the simple riff. made a boring exercise a super big challenge.

I think I have learned a lot of useful stuff my first week. and go back pretty much every day to check or relearn/practice stuff. I want to dive in the higher stuff but I know I need to do the exercises and learn the good habits to break the bad ones... I have almost beat the flailing fan fingers now...

[D tide]

For those of you that are doing this how quick of feedback do you get when you send in a video?, I'm doing it on another instrument and want to compare

[Rosemary Philips]

For those of you that are doing this how quick of feedback do you get when you send in a video?, I'm doing it on another instrument and want to compare

I've only submitted one so far and Mike responded in about a week. I think it varies depending on his schedule.

[OldSausage]

Mike has said on the site it's usually between 7 and 10 days. I have found that typically if you submit one before the weekend, you'll get a response one day in the following week, so that's about right.

[Barry Wilson]

I haven't submitted a video yet. I've taken the beginner songs, downloaded the fastest bpm backing tracks and made myself a jam usb stick. Trying to play them at real speeds and they are fun/challenging. old joe clark is a lot of fun to me. once I have about 10 of these tunes figured out, I am going to hit the local BG drop in thing.

[bfc]

What recording gear is needed to send a video, does a camcorder do the job ok?
Thanks, Bruce

[OldSausage]

Yes, a camcorder would be fine - anything as long as you can produce a digital file to upload.

[dorenac]

Is this project growing ? That is, is anyone well along the lessons to a point that more will be needed to keep on progressing? Or is the body of lessons substantial enough that if one conscientiously sticks with the program there's more than enough to keep you busy for a good while?

[Rosemary Philips]

Is this project growing ? That is, is anyone well along the lessons to a point that more will be needed to keep on progressing? Or is the body of lessons substantial enough that if one conscientiously sticks with the program there's more than enough to keep you busy for a good while?

I believe there is definitely more than enough to keep most anyone busy for a long while, particularly since, with the video exchanges, Mike can make things as advanced as you'd like to go.

[SternART]

There is a ton of stuff already in the video lessons, that are grouped beginner, intrermediate & advanced. Then there are all the videos students have sent in that Mike has responded to, with another video lesson. One student sent in a nice version of "Sweet Georgia Brown"...........Mike's response video is quite long and detailed, he showed how to swing the chords, in several places on the neck.......moves from melody into improv ideas, etc. It is like a basic lesson, but with enough nuance and detail that you can go back again & again to get more info and other ideas for how to think while playing ...... concepts an advanced beginner can handle, but more involved ideas that get a more proficient player thinking......it is fabulous that this remains on there as a tutorial for the tune.

These videos have something for every level player, even if just to see what you need to start thinking about as you gain more experience. There is everything from the Beatles, to Bach, to Bluegrass, as well as traditional fiddle tunes, and on to the frontiers of New Acoustic music on there........add in some complex jazz chord lessons & swing tunes......are you into Choro?.....or bigger mando family instruments? ...whatever students have sent in Mike has given a thoughtful, well taught response, in any genre.

[George R. Lane]

I tried it for 3 months and did enjoy his lessons. I just wish he would include TAB for all the songs he demonstrates. I made it almost through the intermediate but, when he got into music theory I lost interest. I am too old to try and learn theory. But if you are starting out or have a good understanding of music theory, then it should work great for you.

[Newmexmandoboy]

I've been a user for around 6 months, having only played for about 4 months before that. I can't even imagine where I'd be without AOB. I simply love it.

The one question I would have liked to see asked in the recent interview (got to the request for questions too late), is what Mike thinks the student capacity of the site is, purely based on his available time to respond to videos. There has to be a practical upper limit ... and who doesn't want to take lessons from Mike Marshall!?! To me AOB almost seems too good to be true and it seems the current state can't last forever. I hope I'm wrong. Also, do they have a plan for if/when they near this upper limit? Meantime I'm learning everything I possibly can and trying to treat it like it won't last forever.

It seems like this might be an elephant in the room question among the students and I'm a little reluctant to pose it to Mike directly, though maybe I shouldn't be. He's an incredibly helpful and friendly guy. Have any of the other AOB students on this thread thought of the same question?

[SternART]

Now this is just speculation on my part.......If there starts being a lot of repeat info........Mike might do shorter responses, and refer students to longer responses of the same info he has covered previously. It is like a growing organism & will evolve as necessary. I think Mike will do a good job managing everything.

[Patrick Bouldin]

I'm amazed that they have time to devote to this. It's a major undertaking for them. I have submitted three videos so far (.wmv) and Mike has responded to all three with five to ten minute critiques and encouragement. It's a good value for the money because you can also look at everyone else's submissions and see the critique Mike gives to them. So you get the benefit of watching people at all three levels.

True, Mike's not getting rich off of it, but he's probably making much more than standard lessons, and I would guess that they're getting pretty efficient behind the scenes. I'd think he sits down for hour or two or more at a time, with an assistant to queue things up. Mike takes VERY good notes. Just got my first video response back, it was a little errie at first having him look right at me (the camera) and say "Hi Patrick!, yeah, good 'ol Whiskey Before Breakfast!". The cool thing was, he found a LOT of stuff for me to work on, and I knew that he was exactly right. Some of them you already know about, but just need someone else to knock you on the noggin' and point it out. He checked my posture, arm movement, speed, strap length, left and right hand positioning. Heck, I've had complicated golf lessons and this was right up there - but it's what I need, no question about it.

I'm looking forward to spending a lot more time on it. Advice, don't spend hours sending up the perfect video, send what you play. Granted when the camera rolls you're a bit nervous, so just let the camera roll for 30 minutes and send the best 5 mins or so.

Have fun!
Patrick

[Mike Marshall]

Nice that you all are so curious and into it. Come jump in. It's a very cool new way to share info.
I'm not at all worried about having too many students. Hey, that's what were all trying to do here right? Spreading that good mando word.

[Rob Fowler]

Nice that you all are so curious and into it. Come jump in. It's a very cool new way to share info.
I'm not at all worried about having too many students. Hey, that's what were all trying to do here right? Spreading that good mando word.

And now we've heard it from THE MAN himself! Hope to be able to join all the fun on AOB sometime soon, Mike!!! Good to see you on here!

[jonny250]

I am just about to press the 'pay now' button for this, but can anyone tell me - are there any further costs involved?
thanks.

[Don Grieser]

Is there a way for the bandwidth challenged to use this? I live in a remote area with a satellite internet connection (faster than dialup, slower than dsl). Would love to try this out, but I assume I'd spend more time waiting for videos to buffer than playing/learning.

[Larry S Sherman]

I am just about to press the 'pay now' button for this, but can anyone tell me - are there any further costs involved?
thanks.

I'm a new subscriber to the AOB site (NFI).

Once you pay the subscription that's it...no other fees that I have experienced. You can go to any of the lessons, watch video exchanges, etc.

Larry

[Newmexmandoboy]

For me there have been additional costs, such as a new mandolin and a some recording equipment. But I can't put that on AOB! ;)

[greg_tsam]

Nice to see you on the MandoCafe, Mike. I love your work. Hope you stick around and post more!

:mandosmiley:


Nice that you all are so curious and into it. Come jump in. It's a very cool new way to share info.
I'm not at all worried about having too many students. Hey, that's what were all trying to do here right? Spreading that good mando word.

[Schlegel]

Is there a way for the bandwidth challenged to use this? I live in a remote area with a satellite internet connection (faster than dialup, slower than dsl). Would love to try this out, but I assume I'd spend more time waiting for videos to buffer than playing/learning.

The vids are short, so it might not be quite as bad as you think. But what about cell reception? if you have 3G towers in range you can use a smartphone to watch the vids as well.

[DSDarr]

Advice, don't spend hours sending up the perfect video, send what you play. Granted when the camera rolls you're a bit nervous, so just let the camera roll for 30 minutes and send the best 5 mins or so.

Thanks for the advice Patrick. I've been on School of Mandolin from the beginning and have gotten a lot of good out of it -- but have yet to submit a video because I've been unsatisfied with my attempts so far. What I have done is take short 2-3 minute segments and then try take 2, take 3, etc. I think your advice makes sense, just let the camera roll and then forget about it being there and edit out the best version from that...

-David

[Newmexmandoboy]

Thanks for the advice Patrick. I've been on School of Mandolin from the beginning and have gotten a lot of good out of it -- but have yet to submit a video because I've been unsatisfied with my attempts so far. What I have done is take short 2-3 minute segments and then try take 2, take 3, etc. I think your advice makes sense, just let the camera roll and then forget about it being there and edit out the best version from that...

-David

Letting it roll is definitely the way to go. A large amount of learning goes on in that 30 minutes or hour or whatever, and that fact shouldn't be ignored. In fact it should be explicitly acknowledged and used to your benefit. This is just one of the aspects that I think makes this method of learning in some ways superior to an in person lesson. Being able to watch the response over and over being one of the other obvious ones. Not to mention being able to see the responses to other students .... If I had to choose between AOB and in person lessons with Mike, I'd choose AOB. Of course, I'd also love to be able to have in person lessons with him, but that's not in the cards.

[Toycona]

I'm a new subscriber, and I'm finding it very helpful. Watching Mike Marshall's response to others' videos is excellent. Be ready to check your ego at the door, though. You have to break things down to get better, for sure!

[SternART]

If I had to choose between AOB and in person lessons with Mike, I'd choose AOB. Of course, I'd also love to be able to have in person lessons with him, but that's not in the cards.

You might want to attend the Mandolin Symposium one year.......Mike is a fabulous teacher! And Santa Cruz, CA is the center of the Mandolin Universe for a week every June.

[jonny250]

Thanks Larry & Newmex, I have subscribed now, so looking forward to some new steps along this journey... :)

[andre66]

I'm looking forward to spending a lot more time on it. Advice, don't spend hours sending up the perfect video, send what you play. Granted when the camera rolls you're a bit nervous, so just let the camera roll for 30 minutes and send the best 5 mins or so.

Have fun!
Patrick
That is excellent advice. I just sent my first video exchange last night and i was trying to get the perfect one, so a lot of starting and stopping the camera. it got a little frustrating so, "Set it and forget it" is how i will shoot the next one.

I've had a couple of starts and stops with trying to learn the mandolin, no time for one on one lessons and this academy gives a good roadmap for someone who needs direction like myself.
Andre

[Toycona]

"...when the camera rolls you're a bit nervous...send the best 5 mins or so."

I spent two years submitting Song of the Week videos, so I know a thing or two about the 30th take, if you know what I mean. AOB just feels different. Knowing that you're going to get critiqued actually helped with the nerves. Mike's feedback was skill level appropriate, thoughtful, and helpful. I'm applying it to the next song I'm going to submit, rather than trying to perfect the first song. I feel that in order to progress, you have to progress. You can't take the chapter 1 quiz five or six times. Also, there is a quantum effect in watching is replies to others.

So, all in all, there's a lot there for everyone! Enjoy!!

[jmalmsteen]

I wish there was some kind of multi-instrument discount. I want to sign up for school of bluegrass but am debating between mandolin/banjo/fiddle. I emailed them regarding this and never heard back from anyone.

[Perry]

I tried it for 3 months and did enjoy his lessons. I just wish he would include TAB for all the songs he demonstrates. I made it almost through the intermediate but, when he got into music theory I lost interest. I am too old to try and learn theory. But if you are starting out or have a good understanding of music theory, then it should work great for you.


No offense meant George but here's a different take on it. I find that the lack of tab for the video responses to be be refreshing. (NOTE: There is plenty of TAB provided for the core curriculum)

The Academy has taught me to appreciate the simplicity and advantage of just listening and watching and trying to figure stuff out on your own without relying on TAB.

For example I picked up Mike's chord melody arrangement of the Beatles tune "Girl" in no time just watching Mike.

Don't let the theory scare you; you can skip it completely. Submitting a video to Mike and getting a 7 to 30 minute response is WELL worth $30 a month for the serious student of the instrument.

And if you just like watching someone play a mandolin mighty fine then there's plenty of that too.

[Perry]

Advice, don't spend hours sending up the perfect video, send what you play. Granted when the camera rolls you're a bit nervous, so just let the camera roll for 30 minutes and send the best 5 mins or so.

Have fun!
Patrick

Excellent advice Patrick. If I waited for the perfect take I'd never get anything submitted!

[Amy Burcham]

"Mike's feedback was skill level appropriate, thoughtful, and helpful....Also, there is a quantum effect in watching his replies to others."


Boy do I agree. I've gotten so much out of watching what people do and what Mike shows them in response. The master-class aspect of this approach is amazingly useful and especially so for those periods when you just aren't ready. for one reason or another, to submit your own work. You can still go to school and come away full.

As for Mike's teaching technique - I have had many good private and classroom music teachers. I've never in my life had a one as perceptive and attuned to the student and his or her particular needs, nor one as willing to dig in and find out what those needs really are. It's transformed what it is for me to try once more, as an adult, to have a real relationship with music. He has whatever that combination is of heart and mind that can really see what's going on, and he's flat out honest with his advice. That honesty, combined with his intuition, wrapped in a genuine appreciation for what the student is bringing to the thing, is such a rare combination. And then there's what he's showing us - in video responses and the occasional uploaded message to all, I've seen some exquisite short performances, both solo and with other teachers. He did one just yesterday in response to Doc Watson's passing that just blew me away. There's not a player like Mike in the world that I know of - whatever you call it, tone, vocab, style, expression, I can't imagine a mandolin world without him. We all know what I'm talking about. This is a great artist who somehow has never forgotten how to share the fun.

[Hobo]

Not all great players are good teachers. I've had too many teachers that take up the whole lesson session with showing off their chops, making me feel like I was paying to hear them play. This type of instruction seems to be a way the get your money's worth. I'm anxious to begin Mike's mandolin course. The comments here are very helpful and inspiring.

[John Flynn]

Technical Question:

I just signed up for AOB Mandolin and so far I really like it. I have a technical question about the video uploads, though. This might have gone in the ""Equipment" section, but I am only interested in the AOB uploads, so I put it here. I would really appreciate some input on this and I figure some other people on this thread might be interested in the answers also.

I have an MS LifeCam Cinema camera, which really does super HD video, but the integrated mic is awful and the included software won't let you use another mic. Even the MS support site admits that and says you have to use third-party software. I also have a Zoom H2, which really does a great job as a USB input microphone when you put it in the I/F mode. So I have a good video input and a good audio input. What I want to do is get them work together. I got them work together, sort of, through MS Movie Maker, but the HD video quality of the camera does not come through and you can't adjust the brightness like you can on the LifeCam software, so the video quality is bad. Also, it is not as user friendly as I would like.

So I need a software package that:
1. Gets me both good video and audio from my hardware.
2. Allows for easy editing of the video, so I can "let it run" as was mentioned before and then cut it down the part I want to upload. It would be nice if I could splice segments together also.
3. Will save in the AOB preferred .flv format.
4. Is very "plug 'n play" user friendly.
5. Is affordable.

Any ideas?

[Newmexmandoboy]

I would check the Forums on the AOB site as this topic is discussed quite regularly. Hopefully you can get a solution out of the existing content, or post a new thread there.

[kidgloves2]

I'm joining tonight. I'm interested in both guitar and mandolin. So, do I choose Brian or Mike..... That's a REALLY hard choice. I think it's going to be Mike since I'm better at guitar and could use work on mando.

The real advantage is interacting with the teacher. Sometimes I might want to ask a simple question and not be bothered by making a video. Is there some kind of message board where you can connect with your teacher and ask questions?

[Newmexmandoboy]

Yes, there is an "Ask Mike" Forum, among a couple others. The forums aren't heavily used, but Mike usually does get around to answering questions posted in "Ask Mike."

[andre66]

I've used the forum to ask Mike a few questions and have received a response in a timely manner. The exchange of videos is really going to be of great use to you as well.

[Perry]

I'm joining tonight. I'm interested in both guitar and mandolin. So, do I choose Brian or Mike..... That's a REALLY hard choice. I think it's going to be Mike since I'm better at guitar and could use work on mando.

The real advantage is interacting with the teacher. Sometimes I might want to ask a simple question and not be bothered by making a video. Is there some kind of message board where you can connect with your teacher and ask questions?

I wish they had a dual membership for guitar and mandolin. I'm thinking about asking Mike some guitar questions. ;) He uses some beautiful chords the At Home and on the Range CD

[Newmexmandoboy]

I wish they had a dual membership for guitar and mandolin. I'm thinking about asking Mike some guitar questions. ;) He uses some beautiful chords the At Home and on the Range CD

They DO have dual membership! It just costs twice as much! :)

[Perry]

They DO have dual membership! It just costs twice as much! :)

:)

Indeed I wish I had the time to utilize even just the mandolin part. My new MO is to just submit my vids even if they are full of clams. It's the feedback from Mike where most of the learning happens anyway.

Does anybody have the guitar curriculum list? A similar mandolin list was posted here a while ago. Also does anybody know if Bryan is as open to other styles as Mike?

BTW the next time the question is posted on the Cafe who is the best mandolin player in the world is I finally have an answer! Mike does it all.

[kidgloves2]

I am officially a member of the Academy of Mandolin! Looks GREAT! I did the 3 month membership. Going to try and fill in some holes this summer. And going to pick Mike's brain for some more advanced stuff. The membership is so worth it!

[Newmexmandoboy]

:)

Indeed I wish I had the time to utilize even just the mandolin part. My new MO is to just submit my vids even if they are full of clams. It's the feedback from Mike where most of the learning happens anyway.

Does anybody have the guitar curriculum list? A similar mandolin list was posted here a while ago. Also does anybody know if Bryan is as open to other styles as Mike?

BTW the next time the question is posted on the Cafe who is the best mandolin player in the world is I finally have an answer! Mike does it all.

I'm signed up for the guitar school. I did it to get some basics for when I play rhythm for my kids. It's a larger curriculum than Mike's, and in some sense more "complete" as a reference I think. Not that I'll ever make it through much of it. I find the teaching styles of the two to be pretty different. I don't visit Bryan's school near as often as Mike's, but I don't get the sense that people are doing much by way of other styles, but I can't say for sure. I think the best place to get the answers to these questions is on the "Hub" forums on AOB itself.

[OldSausage]

I'm going to join the guitar school too at the start of July, so I'll be posting a full comparative review once I've got a feel for that area.

[Barry Wilson]

windows movie maker will record videos and you can assign the computers aux input as the sound source then plug the zoom or whatever in through the aux in and record

[John Flynn]

My technical solution to the dilemma I described in post #57 is as follows:

I tried a piece of software recommended by someone on the AAOB forum, called ArcSoft WebCam Companion 4. I does what Win Movie Maker does, only it has more features, is more user-friendly and gives you more control. It allowed me to get audio from the Zoom H2, but I was still getting a mix with the MS LifeCam mike, so the result only sounded marginally better. I realized that MS in its wisdom, will not let you shut off its microphone without shutting off the camera also.

After some online research, I decided to get a new webcam, a Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920. It has built-in stereo mikes which are not bad, but ironically, the Logitech software allows you to use another mike and it allows you control over the camera settings, even when using Movie Maker.

Bottom Line: While the ArcSoft software is nice, now I don't need it. I will not buy it after the 30-day trial. I am now using Windows Movie Maker with the Logitech software, which is resulting in a great picture from the webcam and great audio from the H2 only.

Another thing I did was mount the webcam on my music stand instead of my laptop. Now I can get far enough back from it to get the picture I want. I uploaded my first video to Mike on AAOB and it worked fine. This is probably "webcam 101" for most people here, but it was a revelation for me!

[Mo Soar]

Is there a way for the bandwidth challenged to use this? I live in a remote area with a satellite internet connection (faster than dialup, slower than dsl). Would love to try this out, but I assume I'd spend more time waiting for videos to buffer than playing/learning.

I have what is alleged to be 1 MB DSL, although it's very poor quality. I can play the lessons just fine. I'm still on the Beginner section, and the lessons are short enough (3-5 minutes; but it might be different in Intermediate or Advanced levels) that they generally play fine. I do have the occasional problem with buffering, but the other thing you can do is let the lesson play most of the way (and buffer when it needs to) and then move the slider back to the beginning - the lesson will be mostly buffered and should play without a hitch.

I'm still too beginner-y and "rhythm-impaired" (and camera shy) to be confident enough to send in a lesson, although I've played my way through about 2/3 of the Beginner section.

Try watching the "intro lesson" that is provided for free and see how that works for you.

[Hobo]

Mike Marshall gives thoughtful, detailed commentary on video submissions. He takes the time and effort to give helpful feedback tailored to your individual needs. I couldn't be happier with the mandolin course... it is well worth the money.