In this video, Magnus Zetterlund and Karl Tiren 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. Our mandolin arrangement includes a melody part and a harmony part that can be played on both mandolin and octave mandolin. Thanks to Academy member Jane Gregory for her contribution

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)
• Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
• How-to-play-instructions

Click Here To Watch Video

Happy New Year, my mandolin friend!
The first video out in 2023 is a golden memory from the previous summer. 

We are playing a traditional Scandinavian dance tune on the mandolin, octave mandolin and fiddle. This is the Silkesvalsen (the Silk Waltz), a traditional dance tune from Älvdalen, Sweden.

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

Click Here To Watch Video

 In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

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

In this video, we play a traditional Nordic dance tune on the mandolin guitar and fiddle. This is Polska after Juringius, Sweden.

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

If I could do ONE thing for the rest of my life, it would be this; playing Swedish fiddle tunes with musicians like Hayes and Ondra in my studio. I enjoy this 100 %!  

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 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.

Click the link to watch video

In this video, Magnus Zetterlund and Hayes Griffin are playing the swing standard, “Avalon” by Al Jolson, Buddy DeSylva, and Vincent Rose. Magnus is playing a Phoenix Neo Bluegrass mandolin and Hayes is playing a Red Diamond A-style 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

Back on Mandolin Mondays this week, we have Swedish mandolinist Magnus Zetterlund with us playing a beautiful Swedish fiddle tune called "Halls Lilla Vals" written by Jon Erik Hall (1877-1948) from Bergsjö in Hälsingland.

Magnus is playing a sweet electro-acoustic Phoenix Jazz mandolin.
Click the link to watch the video

You can grab a free copy of the sheet music and tabs at:
https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/mandolinmondays

New single, released August 24th, 2021. This is a Nordic folk, mandolin original called “Waltz of the Dreams” by Magnus Zetterlund. The instruments played are mandolin, octave mandolin, and double bass.

Listen to the tune and add it to your streaming service: http://www.mandolinsecrets.com/waltzofthedreams

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

In this video, I show how I play the octave mandolin accompaniment for Murphy’s Hornpipe. It’s a traditional Irish tune I learned 17 years ago but still love to play it.

For this accompaniment, I focus on playing a strong baseline. 
It suits this tune well with its forward-moving chord changes.

At the end of the video, I show you how to play the accompaniment on standard mandolin, and the chord voicings I prefer for that. 

In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find: 

• Sheet music/tabs
• Chord Charts
• Play-along track

 Click Here To Watch Video

Here’s my favorite tune from my e-book "Nordic Folk Mandolin - 10 traditional tunes". 

In this video it´s me, Magnus Zetterlund, performing a Scandinavian traditional polska on mandolin and guitar. This is Polska after Juringius, Sweden. I play a Phoenix Neo Bluegrass mandolin and a Collings OM2H guitar. This is a series of videos that I see as a introduction to Nordic folk music played on mandolin and guitar.

Click here to watch the video.

Check out e-book with Sheet Music and TAB
"Nordic Folk Mandolin - 10 traditional tunes"

In this vlog style mandolin lesson I’m showing you my best warm up exercise for mandolin. The Fast Finger Bounce is great to develop control, precision and speed. 
I take you backstage at a concert with Nordic and Musica Vitae, Växjö January 2019.

Click Here to watch video

Click Here to download FREE exercise for a Solid Mandolin Technique