Re: B, Bb, F and all that
Symmetrical fifths tuning of the mandolin is your friend, or at least helpful. You can play in C, where the "tonic" or "do" note is the third fret on the second string, and the fifth fret on the fourth string. Move to the key of F, and the tonic note's the third fret of the third (D) string, and you can work from there. B flat, the tonic note's the third fret of the fourth string. In G, the tonic note's the third fret of the first string.
So you have a not identical, but similar fretboard layout to work with. You will at least find large parts of the relevant scales "familiar territory," and as you have to expand your fingerings to encompass the different keys, you won't be totally breaking new ground.
Anyway, that approach has helped me. I'm still pretty simplistic in the key of B, and notes at the sixth fret still require more concentration than frets one through five -- which is pretty sad, after 40 years of playing -- but I can get through breaks in any key thrown at me. They may be just licks and tremelos, but they're there...
Allen Hopkins
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