Mandolin
Mandolin Lesson: Improvising Over the “Janice” Chord Changes
One of the most prolific songwriters, composers, and performers in the history of acoustic music is the great mandolinist, David “Dawg” Grisman. Combining elements of bluegrass, folk, and jazz, Grisman has crafted a unique boundary-pushing sound over his nearly 60-year career that he has dubbed, “Dawg Music.” As a band leader, Grisman has released over 50 albums to date and has collaborated with some of the biggest names in acoustic and electric folk, rock, bluegrass, and jazz music including Doc Watson, Stephane Grappelli, Tony Rice, Jerry Garcia, Martin Taylor, and many more.
Bluegrass Mandolin Lesson: Playing with Speed
Classic bluegrass repertoire is historically packed with fast, uptempo songs, often presented in the form of danceable fiddle tunes that feature a flurry of playful sixteenth-note melodies. As a result, students of bluegrass music often focus heavily on improving their playing speed and ability to play quickly while retaining accuracy. Mandolin players are no exception to this trend and often look for methods to help increase their playing speed.
Mike Marshall & Caterina Lichtenberg’s Mandolin World Retreat in Sicily, Italy 2023
We’re excited to announce that world-renowned mandolinists and ArtistWorks master mandolin instructors, Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg, will once again be taking their “Mandolin World Retreat” to Sicily, Italy this autumn. Hosted in the beautiful city of Siracusa on the island of Ortigia off the coast of Sicily, the retreat will feature four days and four nights of immersive mandolin music and fun-filled Italian vacationing from September 4-8, 2023.
Mike Marshall & Caterina Lichtenberg’s Mandolin World Retreat 2023
We’re excited to announce that world-renowned mandolinists and ArtistWorks master mandolin instructors, Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg, will once again be hosting their annual “Mandolin World Retreat” in Benicia, CA. This coming year, it will be over an extended, 3-day weekend from March 3-5, 2023.
Bluegrass Mandolin Lesson: An Introduction to Improvising
For many of us, the concept of improvisation can feel daunting and a bit intimidating, especially if we’re approaching this musical technique for the very first time. Improvisation requires confidence, a certain level of understanding of your preferred genre’s musical vocabulary, and often taking the spotlight in the form of a solo. This puts many, especially those that are just beginning to tackle this method, outside of their comfort zones. But, remember, we improvise every single day throughout various facets of our lives.
Classical Mandolin Lesson: An Introduction to Vibrato
Instruments are designed, for the most part, to emulate the sonic capabilities of the human voice. What’s beautiful about the human voice, particularly in the context of music, is its ability to convey a vast array of complex emotions by using subtle inflections and intricate nuances within a musical passage. These nuances can be as simple as slightly wavering the pitch of a single note up or down, a technique referred to as vibrato, which can completely alter the emotional character of a performance.
Mandolin Lesson: An Introduction to Mandocello with Mike Marshall
Believe it or not, the mandolin is actually part of a family of instruments that all feature four sets of paired strings. The instruments that make up the mandolin family come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and tunings. As such, they offer a diverse palette of tones, covering registers ranging from soprano to bass and everything in between. Among these instruments are the mandolin, mandola, mandocello, octave mandolin, and more.
ArtistWorks Community Donates Mandolin to Fellow Student
On December 30, 2021, a wildfire broke out in Colorado that would grow to become the most devastating in the state’s history. Over the course of just a few short days, the fire, which became known as the Marshall Fire, burned nearly 6,200 acres, destroyed over 1,000 homes and buildings, and required the evacuation of roughly 35,000 people. Causing over $500M in damages, the Marshall Fire was absolutely devastating and impacted the lives of thousands of Coloradans.
Bluegrass Mandolin Lesson: Learning Your Chord Scales with Sierra Hull
As you continue to progress on the mandolin, it’s important that you not only exercise your dexterity and improve your physical technique but also understand the basic music theory that supports the mandolin notes, scales, arpeggios, and chords you’re playing beneath your fingers. This will make learning new tunes easier, improvising simpler, sitting in at jam sessions more enjoyable, and make you a more well-rounded player.