New Section: Mandolin Tune of the Week
Fri, 09/22/2017 - 11:01am
There's a new section we're calling Tune of the Week. There'll be new tunes added to this section regularly, so stay tuned for more coming soon.
Next up: Mike breaks down the Herschel Sizemore tune "Rebecca" in a 4-part lesson that includes a backing track and tablature. Find it in the Tune of the Week section or just click here!
Mandolin Lick of the Week: New Additions
Fri, 09/22/2017 - 10:57am
Good News: We've compiled all the great "Lick of the Week" videos that Mike has been teaching and put them into their own proper section in the Learn area. You'll now see a new tab as its own section and we'll continue to add more as long as Mike makes them.
This week's Lick of the Week addition has Mike getting you comfortable playing in the key of Bb with the great tune "Good Ol' Mountain Dew". Last week, we added a 2-part lesson where Mike demonstrates and sheds some light on the many mysteries of mandocello and how to effectively figure out simple bass lines across any key for those who would like to include this instrument into their playing. Find it the Lick of the Week section or just click here!
Bluegrass All-Stars Live at RockyGrass
Fri, 09/08/2017 - 2:44pm
Topics: andy hall, bluegrass, bryan sutton, darol anger, mandolin, michael daves, mike block, mike marshall, missy raines, Tony Trischka
Good News: We have some exclusive new videos for anyone in our bluegrass schools. It's the ArtistWorks Bluegrass All Stars performing live at RockyGrass 2016!
The two songs are played back to back: "The Puppy Belly Dance" and "Fox Chase". We also uploaded their performance of "State Line". There's a fun impromptu dueling guitar portion between Michael Daves and Bryan Sutton in that one, very entertaining! After that Mike Block leads the gang in "Johnny B. Goode". Next we have their performance of "Chief Sitting in the Rain". For anyone who plays mandolin, Mike Marshall teaches a great version of this in his school.
We added "I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome", a classic bluegrass tune that Bill Monroe wrote with Hank Williams a long time ago. Michael Daves teaches how to sing both the lead and tenor vocal parts in multiple keys in his intermediate curriculum for those interested in adding this to your jam list.
Next we added another classic: "Way Downtown" by Doc Watson*. It's sung here by Bryan Sutton and Michael Daves in this lively performance. For the fiddlers out there, Darol Anger teaches this tune in his Beginner and Intermediate curriculum. For Mandolin pickers, Mike Marshall teaches this in his Beginner curriculum.
Then Darol Anger kicks off a great fiddle tune titled "Cherokee Shuttle". There's some fantastic soloing by Darol, Mike, Tony, Bryan and Andy in this installment and another all around team effort from the All Stars as they rock another tune with only minutes of prep time before taking it live to a full house. Next we added the classic "John Hardy" - don't miss it!
Update: Thought the show was over? Not yet! After the crowd erupted in cheers and a standing ovation, the begging for one more tune convinced the Bluegrass All Stars return to the stage for this awesome encore performance of "Deep Ellum Blues" lead by Andy Hall on vocals (who also teaches this tune in his Intermediate Dobro lessons).
You can find all this great exclusive content +Music section of the Learn area!
Mandolin Tips for Right Hand Playing
Thu, 08/31/2017 - 1:56pm
You may know this, but it's worth repeating: the right hand is crucial for mandolin mastery.
Although our tendency as mandolinists is to focus on problems of the left hand, involving scales, patterns, fingering, and where and how to play a phrase, the true arbiter of one’s ability is often the right hand. Given that rhythm is of primary importance in music, our right hand is our timekeeper, as it were, which allows us to ornament and punctuate musical lines in various ways. The ability to control these shades and nuances is what distinguishes mastery from mediocrity in the world of mandolin.
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