Mandolin Improvisation – Colin Blair
Most new (and even some experienced) mandolin players feel constricted by the higher register of the instrument and tend to play only in the open position. Playing or improvising in the second or third position can be a challenge, but there’s a simple method…
Whistles, Flutes, and Fifes! Oh My! – Melanie Jones
Whistles, flutes and fifes are all members of the simple system six-hole flute family. They are tuned so that when all holes are covered, the lowest playable pitch is heard-the first scale note of the key. They have all been used in a variety…
If it Looks like a Mandolin….
Or, maybe it’s a mandola? Or could it be an octave mandolin? Or even a cittern? Let’s try to clear up the mystery here… Descended from the lute family of instruments, the modern mandolin was born during the early stages of the Renaissance. The…
Guitar in the Early Jazz Age – Rich Simmons
In the dawn of the jazz age, the guitar was not a player. The generally accepted instrumentation in New Orleans in the earliest 20th century was trumpet or coronet, clarinet, trombone, and a rhythm section of banjo, drums, and either bass or tuba. The…
All That Twang, What is That Thang? – Steve Meier
Though many people think that the banjo is the all-American instrument, born and developed in the good ol’ U. S. of A., they’re only telling you a partial truth and a very small part of the whole story. What they are thinking of is…
