In this video lesson, I show you how to play the Minuet in G major (BWV Anh. 114) by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is a delightful tune to play on the mandolin and is a lovely introduction to classical and Baroque music.

Thanks to Academy member Jane Gregory for her contribution and wonderful playing.

Our mandolin arrangement includes a melody part and a harmony part that can be played on both mandolin and octave mandolin.

This piece was originally included in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (1725), which JS Bach presented to his second wife. The piece has long been attributed to JS Bach, due to its inclusion in the Notebook, but was actually written for the harpsichord by a contemporary of Bach's, Christian Petzold.

 In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

• Sheet music/tabs (PDF)
• Play-a-long tracks (MP3)
• How-to-play-instructions

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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. I

included an octave mandolin accompaniment, and we are using some powerful chord voicing suitable for Celtic rhythm playing. The chords used are Em, A, G, D in different inversions. 

The accompaniment can also be played on the mandolin or Irish bouzouki. My tuning is GDAE.

This tutorial is published with the kind permission of Simon Haines Music.

In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

• Sheet music/tabs (PDF)
• Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
• How-to-play-instructions

Click Here To Watch Video

In this video, we are playing the swing standard “Sweet Georgia Brown.”

This song is nearly a century old and has become a favorite jam tune in jazz, swing, Western swing, and even bluegrass circles!

We recorded a spontaneous jam session in Falun, Sweden early July 2022. The band is Magnus Zetterlund (Sweden) mandolin, Hayes Griffin (Ohio, US) mandolin, and Ondra Kozak (Czech republic) guitar. 

Sheet music, tabs, audio tracks and instructions for this tune you’ll find in Mandolin Secrets Academy.

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

• Do you use a rounded pick or one with more of a point?
• What are the top 3 qualities of your favorite musician?
• Do you record yourself practicing or playing? What gear and/or software do you use?
• Gear, software and musicians mentioned in the show:
  -     Olympus LS-14 hand recorder
  -     Jacob Jolliff Band - Outbound Plane 

Here are weblinks mentioned in the show:

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https://mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

In this video, we are playing a scale exercise for the Dorian mode.

This is a perfect 10 Minute Challenge if you want to improve your technique and experience more flow in your melody playing. I’m demonstrating the exercise to the jig rhythm, the 6/8 meter, but I will also show you how to adapt this sequence to the 4/4 time for a more bluegrass type of groove.

We will also uncover a bit of music theory behind the Dorian mode.

In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

• Sheet music/tabs
• Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
• How-to-play-instructions

Click Here To Watch Video

In this mandolin lesson, Hayes Griffin shows you how to play the melody to the Bill Monroe tune “Tennessee Blues.”

There are many ways that modern players choose to interpret this tune, but this lesson is focused on learning the unique “crooked time” signature of the original Bill Monroe version.

In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

• Sheet music/tabs
• Play-a-long and backing tracks
• How-to-play-instructions

Click Here To Watch Video

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 lesson.

This tutorial is published with the kind permission of Simon Haines Music.

In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

• Sheet music/tabs (PDF)
• Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
• How-to-play-instructions

Click Here To Watch Video

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 steady. 

 In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

• Sheet music/tabs/chords charts (PDF)
• Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
• How-to-play-instructions

Click Here To Watch Video

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 sound.  

In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

• Sheet music/tabs
• Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
• How-to-play-instructions

 Click Here To Watch Video 

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 DO want to read sheet music, you’ll find a handy quick guide to reading standard notation inside of the Guitar Club.

Click Here To Watch Video