My sincere apologies and a heaping bowlful of embarrassment. I was testing some website styling and sent this out to you all by error. --Steve Horn … [Read more...]
Scarpology Testimonials from Seasoned Pros
Two Yaaaays and One Maaaay-be In case you haven't already heard, I wrote a book entitled Scarpology: a Mapping of the Fretboard and an Introductory Method for Improvisation on Mandolin or Other Instruments Tuned in Perfect Fifths. This is what has taken most of my writing time for the past year or longer. It was a huge amount of work and before I went public with it, I wanted to get some feedback … [Read more...]
The Idiomatic Rut
One man's groove is another man's rut...well, sort of. The term rut is hard to define and, even when defined, the term is hard to distinguish from other lesser or greater terms of the same nature. What is a groove and what is a rut? Or in worse case scenarios, what is a chasm, what is an abyss? Maybe our situation is not that dramatic but it could become that especially if we find ourselves at a … [Read more...]
Scarpology Book on Improvisation: a look into the book
Here are some pieces extracted from the preface of Scarpology: A Mapping of the Fretboard and an Introductory Method for Improvisation on Mandolin and Other Instruments Tuned in Perfect Fifths Who is this book for? This book is written to be read by novices or by well-versed musicians who want to increase their playable range to include the entire neck of their instrument* and to be able to play … [Read more...]
New Look and a New Book
MandoSimean Gets a Psuedo-Make-Over The MandoSimean website just got a re-vamp. However, if you look around, it looks pretty much the same unless you're on a phone. The major difference is structural and now MandoSimean uses a responsive design that adjusts and reformats for a better user experience on the phone and on tablets. There hasn't been much writing going on for the past year on … [Read more...]
Mandolin: A Prospector’s Dream
In a local cafe at mid-afternoon, unsuspecting ears suddenly perk up and heads turn towards a mandolin's chime. The sound commands attention. Perhaps this is due to its clarity or maybe because of the novelty of its sound, but whatever the root cause, the initial call of the mandolin unmistakeably piques the ear's curiosity. Continuing with a comfortable command of the instrument and a good … [Read more...]
About Chords for the Mandolin
Mandolin has a pitch range that starts from G below middle C and spans 3 octaves or more. It's short string length means a person's hands can spread over more frets than larger instruments. Moving up the neck, the player will notice a greater ease of reach counteracted by cramped spaces, crowding fingers into miniature shapes to play chords that are easier down low on the neck. This necessitates … [Read more...]
Fitting Into the Big Picture
The mandolin, as well as members of the mandolin family and many instruments that use the same tuning, offers a wide range of musical options. When compared to other instruments, the mandolin tends to focus its output more tightly or, perhaps better said, less broadly than some familiar and popular instruments such as piano or guitar. Is this a weakness in the mandolin's part? Not really. When … [Read more...]
Scales, Modes & Tonality
Modes have been around even longer than the mandolin. The illustration here is from the 1500's, from a manuscript of Spanish vihuela music. You can read for yourself, if you understand early Spanish and if you understand early Spanish music theory, that this music is for Vihuela in A (fa) using the second tone, or Dorian mode (I think!). So as cool and as new to some ears as this may seem, … [Read more...]
Gravity and Levity in Music
Readers please note that the purpose of this piece is to offer food for thought more than to define an element or draw a conclusion and your comments are welcome. This is a discourse in music theory although scientifically very soft. The point is simply to better understand the complex nature of what we hear in music. What is Gravity and Levity in music? Gravity/Levity, or the Gravity/Levity … [Read more...]
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