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My girlfriend asked me, "Why not play guitar?" That is, why work so hard at this little mandolin thingy when I could just play that big thing everyone uses?

It is true that the world of popular and folk music is awash in guitars. It is also true that classical guitar is much more visible than classical mandolin. It is also true that jazz guitar is very popular. But I don't think in 4ths, I think in 5ths, and I was never able to feel comfortable with guitar tuning. So my ...

I am writing this entry to simply share my website with all of you. I would love to have more people contributing with comments, videos, and links of their very own.
http://www.jakecohan.com

The domain name is a little self serving, but trust me this site is by no means all about me. I want it to be a small community, and for like minded people, the more the merrier.

My site contains content of my own, as well as links to what I consider to be the best music ...

Looking to increase your knowledge of what's out there in the retail arena in the stringed instrument community? Ever wonder why we have access to a lot of information you read about here first? Do what we do and subscribe to the e-mailing lists of some of the top vendors in the industry. Most of these are infrequent with a weekly mailing being about as aggressive as they get. All have an opt-out link (or should!) in case it becomes too much for you.

Here's who we keep on top of and ...

I have heard on Youtube Carlor Aonzo play this tune written by his father. I am trying to figure it our by ear, but it would help to have the written music for it. Does anyone have it? Thanks.

I emailed Carlo through his website and he quickly sent me the sheet music! Really great to have it. Thanks for the tips.

Did you ever have a practice session when everything is “golden”? This happened to me recently. I was working on a particularly difficult piece of music and was getting very frustrated. Most of us struggle with voices in our heads that tell us “we don’t have what it takes” or “we’re just not going to get it, no matter what”. At times like that we take a nice, big mental stick and beat the dickens out of those thoughts. We remind ourselves “I CAN do this” and “everything worth having is worth the ...

Since my last entry, I've been continuing to experiment with picks, just looking for different sounds and textures to play with. Here are my latest observations, for what they're worth!
1. Dawg Pick- I'd heard this name for so long, been wanting to try them out, but everybody seemed to be out of stock for the longest time. Finally seemed to come back around, so I ordered a 6 pack. Got to say, that for me at least, these just don't work.The size and shape are fine, but the rounded tips with ...

Ever wonder why some images uploaded to the web appear sideways, clearly not as intended? That picture of the instrument you wanted to sell, you were so proud of the photo and it looked great and suddenly it's on the Classifieds or the Forum, or on Facebook or elsewhere and... "wait, that's not right! That's not the way my picture is supposed to look! Who rotated it?"

Example from our Classifieds:



Here's the problem: it's ...

A couple months ago, I was in a guitar store with my boyfriend, looking for a guitar for him, when I saw this beautiful mandolin on the wall. It completely stole my heart. Honestly, I didn't even know what kind of instrument it was when I first saw it. I just had to buy it though; it was probably the most random purchase of my life. It's the first musical instrument I've ever owned.

My initial goal was to learn one song. Well, I have accomplished that and more! I've learned "You ...

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I have a Gibson A-50 that the upper frets are worn and have grooves in them. I would like to get this repaired by someone reputable near the 93065 area code. I checked with Gibson in Ten. but they want a min. of $600. Any ideas?

Does anyone know the chords to Newgrass Revival's song "Revival"?