Octave Mandolin Lesson // Majblomman // Chords and Bassline
In this video, I show you how to play the chords, bassline, and rhythm for a mandolin original called Majblomman by me, Magnus Zetterlund. It’s a lively tune that is fun to play.
Majblomman (The Mayflower) is a waltz in A-major with three parts. In this lesson, we are focusing on the chords and the rhythm. Pay attention to the bass line that makes the foundation for this rhythm track.
There are also melody lessons for this tune.
In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:
- Sheet music/tabs (PDF)
- Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
- How-to-play-instructions
Mandolin Ragtime Chords Lesson // Sailor’s Hornpipe // Octave Mandolin
In this video, I will show you how to play the chords and harmony for sailor’s hornpipe on mandolin and octave mandolin. This melody is an iconic fiddle tune that dates back to the 18th century.
This traditional music is presented in Celtic, Bluegrass, and Scandinavian music. However, my duo arrangement has a little ragtime flavour to it.
The tune is sometimes referred to as "Jack's the Lad" and was also played in the animated cartoon series Popeye, so some people refer to this as Popeye's hornpipe.
In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:
- Sheet music/tabs (PDF)
- Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
- How-to-play-instructions
Octave Mandolin Lesson - Chords for Årepolskan - Scandinavian Folk Music
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.
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
Octave Mandolin Lesson // Margaret’s Waltz // Chords
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
Four Ways To Play the Waltz Rhythm - Mandolin Lesson and Octave Mandolin
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
Mandolin Secrets Academy
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