Irish Mandolin Lesson - Wren's Nest - Jig Melody mandolin lesson youtube Oct 04, 2022

Here is a mandolin duo arrangement of the Irish tune called Wren's Nest.
This jig was written by the great fiddler Frankie Gavin of De Dannan.

It's a driving melody in E using the Dorian mode. I also included an octave mandolin accompaniment, but we are focusing on the melody in this video...

Continue Reading...
Bluegrass Chords // Gärdebylåten // Mandolin Lesson // Nordic Folk bluegrass mandolin lesson youtube Sep 27, 2022

Here is a traditional Swedish March called Gärdebylåten.

This is one of the most common fiddle tunes in Scandinavian Folk Music. I like playing it with an American touch adding some bluegrass chop chords.

In this video, I also show you a pro tip for keeping the backbeat rhythm rock...

Continue Reading...
Swing Ending Lick // Jazz Mandolin Lesson blues jazz mandolin lesson youtube Sep 13, 2022

Here is a swing lick that works well for ending a jazz tune like the pros!

We play the phrase in the key of A, Bb and C major. Then we demonstrate it for the songs Blues For Ike and All Of Me. It’s a must-know line for improvisers, spicing up a simple major scale with some blues...

Continue Reading...
Guitarists - Should You Learn to Read Sheet Music? // Guitar Lesson guitar guitar lesson Sep 09, 2022

In this video, Hayes tackles an age-old question for guitar players - should you learn to read sheet music?

By the end of the video, you’ll have some interesting points to help you decide whether or not it is worth it for you to invest the time in learning to read standard notation.

If you...

Continue Reading...
Podcast Episode #19 Magnus and Hayes Reunion podcast Sep 09, 2022
 

In this week’s episode, Magnus and Hayes are discussing:

Hayes’ and Magnus’ reunion after 7 years! Highlights include:

  • Swedish Midsummer
  • Torsåker Bluegrass Festival and Jimmy Sunnebrandt
  • Red Diamond Mandolins
  • Bingjsö Stämman
  • Ondra Kozak

 

Here...

Continue Reading...
Gärdebylåten Mandolin Lesson // Swedish Folk // Melody mandolin lesson youtube Sep 09, 2022

Here is a traditional Swedish march called Gärdebylåten. This is one of the most common fiddle tunes in Scandinavian Folk Music.

I like playing it with an American touch adding some Western swing and bluegrass element to it.

In this video I also show you how to use the legato style...

Continue Reading...
Luther Perkins Rhythm Guitar Lesson guitar guitar lesson Sep 02, 2022

In this guitar lesson, Hayes teaches you how to sound like those classic early Johnny Cash records by unpacking Luther Perkins' rhythm guitar style. 

By the end of the lesson, you will know how to play three variations of Luther's signature rhythm pattern. Hayes also gives you some tips for...

Continue Reading...
Roanoke // Monroe Style Melody // Bluegrass Mandolin Lesson bluegrass mandolin lesson youtube Aug 23, 2022

In this video, Hayes Griffin shows you how to play another variation of the melody to the Bill Monroe tune “Roanoke.”

In our previous lesson, Hayes taught the melody as fiddlers would typically play it, but here, Hayes shows you some tips and tricks for how to approach this melody to...

Continue Reading...
10 Best Mandolin Blogs and Websites Aug 23, 2022

Yes!  The Mandolin Secrets website was ranked #2 on this list for Mandolin Websites in 2022. We are very proud of this! 
Check out the complete list below.
https://blog.feedspot.com/mandolin_blogs/ 

On Feedspot you can also find other interesting articles, like the one listed...

Continue Reading...
Podcast Episode #18 What´s the worst musical advice? podcast Aug 19, 2022
 

In this week’s episode, Magnus and Hayes are discussing:

•   Take aways from the music-summer so far.

•   What is your favorite instrument that you own?

•   What's the worst musical advice you were ever given?

Here...

Continue Reading...
Octave Mandolin Lesson // Margaret’s Waltz // Chords octave mandolin lesson youtube Aug 16, 2022

In this video lesson, I show you how to play the chords for the fiddle tune Margaret’s Waltz. The octave mandolin accompaniment includes baselines and the typical waltz rhythm for major and minor chords like A, D, E, and Bm and C#m. The tune was written by Pat Shuldam Shaw (1917-1977) in...

Continue Reading...
Four Ways To Play the Waltz Rhythm - Mandolin Lesson and Octave Mandolin mandolin lesson octave mandolin lesson youtube Aug 11, 2022

In this video, we’ll look deeply at the waltz rhythm. We will play four variations of a solid accompaniment on the mandolin and the octave mandolin.

We are also going into some music theory, and you will come out of this with a better understanding of rhythm, swing, and groove.

To...

Continue Reading...