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Well .... fiddlers have the same issue to a degree. Too much elbow not enough wrist. One fiddle trick is to trap your arm against a door frame or sit in a corner and trap your arm against a wall and...

Stand in a doorway and pin your right arm between your body and the door opening. Now move your hand up and down at the wrist to get the feel of how it should move.

I understand your frustration. I changed my pick grip about 10 years ago and felt similarly, but the payoff is worth the work. Unfortunately, the majority of the golf gadgets don’t really work,...

Hi Gina, I recently had to reset my right hand as I was getting too much arm into my playing. I just had to slow way down and remain aware of when I was doing it and work to quiet it down. I ran...

I did a podcast called Mandolin Heroes and am somewhat surprised by the lack of response. I thought, surely, that this would be right up the alley of the Cafe Crowd. But what do I know?

I...

A new issue of Grass Talk Radio Podcast has just been published:

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 164

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Western Red Interview

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Think you don't like country music? Well, considering what I...

I've been working on Chad Mannings theory for fiddle and mandolin on peghead nation and I think his 10 minute theory practice routine is great. In short, you pick a key and;
1. Run through the...

About 10 years ago or so I was attending an industry retreat in Massachusetts at which we were lucky enough to have Mike Marshall, along with a couple of young guys on violin and bass, play for us...

Nashville's original area code was 615. I couldn't resist, so I tried calling the number. The recording said that this number has been disconnected or is no longer in use. I guess they retired Bill's...

I had a similar situation, years ago, when I toured the James Dean museum in Fairmount, Indiana. Along with his Triumph motorcycle, photos, clothing, movie posters, etc. -- one item stood out --...

Speed is partly illusion. Yea the other part is playing fast, but playing fast ain't the whole thing.

So much brilliancy is good techniques. Techniques that can make everyone "play faster" without...

I have seen and tried the one and only mandolin produced by Troublesome Creek.
What do I think? Well, I built the thing so of course I like it a lot!
The mandolin is a prototype, made by me....

Never heard Mr. Monroe play it, but Mike Compton played a tune with John Heartford called Shove That Pig’s Foot Further in the Bed that had some similarities on the Down From the Mountain CD. I would...

This is by no means a new product, but I just strung up my first Straight Up Strings by Siminoff on my Pava, and i'm absolutely thrilled with the tone right out of the packaging.

I generally...

a few rambling responses to this interesting and challenging discourse on improvising, aesthetics, and life itself...
Let's start with the OP's question. Dear OP, you may want to use your...

This is probably going to be a little controversial, but it is my experience...

I remember as a very young kid, before I played any instruments, hearing songs and repeating them by whistling or...

Eric, I am not trying to be a wiseguy here. I am just curious to get more information.

In that spirit of discovery I would ask:

1. How many Bill Monroe albums have you listened to? You should...

When learning, whether a passage in a tune or a technique alone, you of course pay attention to the aspects you are working on. This could be technical or timing/phrasing. The eventual goal is to...

I have no formal musical education, but if I were to give a lesson I would teach you fundamental theory. It is important. Some instructors and students seem to gravitate toward simply teaching tunes,...

Make sure you get a teacher who will work with your goals. For example, if you want to play bluegrass, don't get a classical instructor.

Hey all! Hope y’all had a great weekend!

I’ve got a podcast staring up this Wednesday August 7th. The first guest you may be familiar with......David Benedict! Great guy and great conversation!...

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I was at Carters Vintage this past Tuesday. I was there to play a Nugget/Collings TOB #12 (I did buy it). I hear this great music coming from another area of the room and it was Mike...

I think I found this here in another context but it was the one thing that really made arpeggios come alive for me, because I found this exercise so much fun! (Your mileage will vary.) Now the first...

A new issue of Grass Talk Radio Podcast has just been published:

GrassTalkRadio.com - Episode 126

Song Structures

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The majority of bluegrass songs and tunes will fall into five categories...

Nice attempt callmegina, and a great idea. Unfortunately, this forum topic has very little to do with "Song and Tune Projects" and perhaps should be renamed to "Gimmie Gimmie" or "Freebies for...