In this video lesson, I show you how to play the chords for a traditional Swedish fiddle tune called Årepolskan. This dance tune is a triplet polska from the region of Jämtland.

Click Here To Watch Video

The melody is interesting, wandering from G-major to E-minor in a typical way for this tradition. The chords used are G, Em, D, C, and Am. It is a soulful and elegant fiddle tune and the chords ads a pleasant touch to it.

Our arrangement is a three-part arrangement with a melody and harmony part on the mandolin and the chords part on the octave mandolin.

I play the tune with my friend Lena Jonsson, a fantastic fiddle player from Sweden. 

 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 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 1959. This is an A-major melody, and it’s a charming composition in the music traditions of England, Scotland, and the Shetlands. You can also play this accompaniment on the mandolin.

In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

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

Click Here To Watch Video 

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 fully understand the waltz rhythm, I think it’s also necessary to check out the dance, so I’m also going to show you my magical moves on the dance floor. ;-)

 In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

• Sheet music/tabs
• Play-a-long track
• How-to-play-instructions

Click Here To Watch Video