There are many music lessons and videos online these days. It's amazing that we can see a video of a performance from just about anybody, past or present. And there are thousands of youtube videos from people of all levels from all over the world. I love it. Something the technology does well. A new, interactive way of learning over the web is happening at a site called ArtistWorks.com. I'm doing mandolin lessons with one of the great mandolin masters of our time, Mike Marshall. The thing about this site is that, we the students, send in videos of what we are working on and the teacher sends a video back in a few days with a reply. It's so cool! I just sent in my first couple videos the other day. It takes a bit to get comfortable sending yourself out there with mistakes and all, but that is the beauty of it, the teacher can really know where you're at and actually help. There is a whole group of video lessons as well, to build a good foundation. Just the first response from Mike has opened some doors in my thinking that I've been struggling with for years. If you are into learning music I suggest checking out: artistworks.com
Instruments of Unsurpassed Beauty and Tone
Sam,
I saw your Artistworks interview and it took me to your web page,
The school is helping me a lot, but i wanted to ask you something different …
I’m a pretty good house carpenter, have a lot of inherited tools and a lot of wood, and I would like a really good mandolin, I’m wondering what your thoughts are on how many I would have to make before I got one right? and maybe how you would advise starting out on building one, e.g. a kit or plans or what?
PS I live just a bit east of you, across the Idaho line.
Steve
Steve, thanks for the note. I love to figure out and study something by actually making the thing I’m learning about, and then fine-tuning my design over time. I still play my first mandolin. If you like a challenge, have some woodworking skills and desire then go for it. The geometry of the mandolin is very important and you’ll need one (or more) of the drawings available to get the basic structure correct. The angle of the neck, the curves of the top sets the “brake angle” over the bridge and that is very important. I’d recommend getting the book “The Mandolin Project” by Graham McDonald at. It’s well written, with enough information to make a nice instrument. Dive in and let me know how it turns out. Come on by the shop and say Hi.