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There is no magic formula, just the combination that is optimal for each instrument. Optimal because technique also makes a difference, something the banjo players are learning.

I've found that...

I had the pleasure of taking Mary Coogan's advanced mandolin class at the O'Flaherty irish Music Retreat last week and it was an eye opener.

To my mind there is no consensus on how the mandolin...

Marla Fibish (who I consider to be my model Irish Trad Mandolinist) uses a triplet/treble in this slow tune, The Parting.


https://youtu.be/gK2ceda8hcg

She plays a Gibson Model A which has...

An historical note: the (most likely) first recording of an ITM tune with a mandolin was by Mick Moloney on one of the Johnston albums. Mick said that he saw a bowl back mandolin on the wall and...

Jeff,

That was not my experience and I have brought several Gibson mandolins to Ireland. Of course, they may have just been having fun at your expense or they may have really liked Jimmy Rogers,...

Here is a long youtube video that shows some of the chordal techniques from Mick.


https://youtu.be/mmmfH6Pjixw

Mike Keyes

I can't get enough of my Herb Taylor #173 either. Herb is a genius whose instruments call out to you once you play them. I had no intention of spending the money (I got a good deal and they are a...

Check out my latest blog entry at http://itmbanjo.blogspot.com/ I have a lot of videos on it, all banjo-centric, but you get the idea of what the concerts were like.

Mike Keyes

The mandolin class at the O'Flaherty Irish Music Retreat was a wonderful event. Mick Moloney has stopped teaching classes like this but he did so for Ken Fleming, the director of the retreat. We...

Mike,

Mick never teaches classes like this anymore. I suspect that his friendship with Ken Fleming (the director of the camp) has a lot to do with his being there. I've taken several classes...

Excellent advice!

After seeing Jill's comparison, I did one too. I don't have an AJr but I do have an early Gibson oval hole. The first pick I used was a Primetone and the "Clayton" Bluegrass pick is really a Wegen...

I don't see that there is a prohibition against tremolo in Irish music for mandolinists. There are so few (mandolinists, that is) to begin with and you can't hear them in a session (where the...

I don't think that tremolo is used very much and the mandolin players I know seem to favor other techniques that work well with the music. Here is a video of Marla playing a waltz using the natural...

Music therapy for dementia has been around for decades - at least 40 years in my experience - but the really interesting thing is that musicians tend to develop alternative pathways that help...

I believe every word of this, i am a musician after all, but there is a strong selection bias in the comparison studies. Testing brain function on musicians is a perfect amalgamation of university...

There is a recent thread by Roger Landes showing his Herb Taylor five string tenor guitar (that Roger designed) if you look for it. Very interesting stuff, I might add.

Mike Keyes

Flatt and Scruggs had a sponsored half hour on the Opry and a syndicated TV show at the time while WSM was playing backwater towns in the South. He was at the level of the Skillet Lickers compared...

I can understand your concern, but this is an Irish banjo tutorial after all and the tunes are there to illustrate techniques. Granted, you can learn new tunes, but one of the other criticisms I...

I've just published an article on Enda Scahill's Banjo Tutor on my blog that contains a number of videos of Enda teaching the basics from Volume 1. His tutor, at that level, is also very good for...

Roger,

I loved the design with the zouk and it looks great with the TG. Is it as loud as the zouk? I am sure the tone is great if it is anything like the rest of his tenor guitars.

To me,...

I just published an article on how to deal with stress when making your own youtube. It is based on some of the science with some help from Noa Kageyama Ph.D's Bullet Proof Musician

This has been...

Gan Ainm,

It's good to see that there is an acknowledged separation of banjo and mandolin. While a banjo tutor such as Enda Scahill's is helpful for a mandolin beginner, there is a quick...

We just got back.

If you are going to ride a motorcycle, then the west and southwest on the Wild Atlantic Way would be great. Ireland has developed these routes as a way to draw tourists, but in...

I'm surprised that no one has suggested your seeing a hand specialist as there can be a number of medical/mechanical issues causing your set of problems. This could be anything from mechanical nerve...