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Using Metronomes Effectively – Part 1
Everyone knows you’re supposed to buy a metronome if you’re going to be a musician. It’s one of those pieces of wisdom that passed into our culture as an article of faith. Music teachers will all tell...
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Jay O’Hara of Bourne (tune)
(The recording is at the bottom of the page) Last night, I wrote a tune while practicing mandolin. The first bones of it just arrived in my head and the rest came quickly as I played. I rewrote a few...
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Making a new mandolin bridge
Making a new bridge for my Eastman MD504 oval-hole mandolin! (also check my Mandolin Pick Comparison article if you’re interested in sound comparisons) Why make your own bridge? Most archtop mandolins...
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Mandolin Picks Comparison answer key
This is the answer key for my Mandolin Picks Comparison article. If you haven’t read that already, please consider visiting that page first so you can hear the sounds without bias. To identify the...
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Mandolin Picks Comparison
When I did my post on making mandolin bridges, I wanted to make sound files available so readers could form their own opinions. Here’s the same thing for mandolin picks! Mandolin players seem to love...
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Mandolin Mic: Naiant X-R Hypercardioid
My Naiant X-R mandolin mic just came in the mail! Here’s a quick overview, a lot of pictures, and some sound files. Mandolin mics Mandolins are challenging to mic for live sound/stage performance....
View ArticleRF Interference Testing the Naiant X-R Hypercardioid Mandolin Mic
After I posted my report on the Naiant X-R hypercardioid mic, which I’m using as a mandolin mic, my friend Dan Richardson wrote in to ask a question about how well it handles RF interference. Dan’s a...
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Slow Tunes Down with REAPER for Learning By Ear
I play and teach traditional music, and I’ve found that students often struggle with learning tunes by ear—the music is really fast, it’s intimidating, and it’s hard to get started. Picking up music...
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Make Time for Short Practice Sessions
I encourage music students to practice as often as possible, rather than focusing on practicing as long as possible. Once your attention starts to fade or waver, practice sessions become less useful....
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