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Secondary dominants (II-V-I) are very common. The chorus of Uncloudy Day and the usual way of playing Further Along have them. Learning to hear the II-V-I is important because it comes up quite a...

In terms of memorizing chord progressions of jazz standards – it's helpful to be aware of the "mini progressions" found within these structures. Within most any 8 measures of a standard tune you'll...

That would depend on the style and period of the music in question. For styles of mandolin that I play, tremolo expresses something even when used as a default technique - it expresses how long notes...

I’ve noticed a lot of Italian mandolinists use |DDDD DDDD| and fast.
It does affect the rhythm when the melody is ‘non-standard’ and there’s an urgent, agitated, staccato feel to the rhythm, (love...

I totally endorse what TX2Ak just said and wish I could have expressed it as concisely and courteously. I had been trying to frame a reply about singing but found it too difficult to express - as in...

There's a lot of good stuff to work on there. It will take me a lot of practice before I am able to put up any kind of half-way decent attempt.

Hope you don't mind, Perry, but I had to put them...

I took some correspondence lessons form John way back when. I recently came across the original sheets he mailed me. They were done in pencil. I decided to re-scan them and share here. Some nice...

I think both methods are OK for Gigues or Tarantellas.

Ultimately, you are quicker with pure DUD UDU DUD UDU, but you have to know to put the accent on the U when it has to be there.

So I do...

Hmmm… Am I doing this wrong? I do own a capo for my guitars. I have never used it. It all started when I first started three years ago. Let me inject here that all of my learning has been self...

I didn't see that question as trolling. If you come from a classical mandolin POV, there is no use of capos. She may have honestly not been aware.



Capo use is much more common in the folk...

Here's some mandolin music from Iran by Onik, for an example of Uncommon genres:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47sMM9K4zYs

I really like the ornamentation, it is often similar to Persian...

Somehow I assume neither of you wants to play in a mandolin orchestra!

I'm curious, what styles of mandolin music are y'all playing?

Their progress was not hindered by learning to read music and tab. Their progress was hindered by not listening and paying attention.

Based on....? I can see that as being potentially applicable to TAB, as it typically just shows this-fret-on-this-string. In reality, we all know about different positions on the fret/finger...

Not that it is a terrible thing to have TAB but most of the Bach repertoire is available for free download from sites such as IMSLP.org. If you can read notation you are at an advantage for a couple...

You should be able to read music without moving your lips. :grin:

I didn't see that option in the poll.

1st course to 2nd course is E5 to A4, which is a descending FIFTH, not a fourth. Octaves matter!

A - D - G - C should be called a circle of fifths progression because each chord functions as the fifth (dominant) of the next chord. Am - Dm - G - C is a diatonic (within the key) circle of fifths...

As a performing orchestral musician, I find this attitude very condescending. Orchestras can make wonderful music with everyone reading charts. Many big band and jazz groups also use charts while...

A minority of us never use a strap when playing mandolin, sitting or standing, including bowlbacks.

Even then, the left hand merely supplies a small part of the support that also comes from the...

One of the main things that make the mandolin the greatest instrument in the world is it's symmetrical layout. By virtue of being tuned in fifths, patterns are consistent up, down and all around the...

A friend of mine always says "there are no hard keys, just unfamiliar ones". He's right. If you spend time in a key, you will get comfortable there.

I'm obviously not getting it. What's unusual about how she holds the mandolin?

First, I somewhat agree with your concept of leaving the rhythm section work to the rhythm section - I tend to use a mandolin in jazz more like a sax, clarinet or violin than a piano or...

Hi. Thought I’d answer a few questions. Roger is probably on tour.

Tuning: Roger tuned the instrument G/D/G/D for these tunes. We made a special set up to accommodate tuning down the top two...