Colonel John Irwin is an Air, composed by Turlough O’Carolan. There are two parts to the tune, in the key of D and this arrangement is played in the chord melody style. With a very pretty melody, the chord melody structure adds another layer to the mix, giving it great depth and is a tune well suited to the advanced picker. Go to lesson...
The Maid Behind The Bar is a traditional Irish reel, with a 2 part form, in the key of D. While an easy tune to pick up with a sweet melody, the tempo is fast, making it a great tune for the advanced picker wanting a challenge! In the lesson, we’ll cover the important techniques to focus on to help you get the tune up to speed. Go to lesson...
Da New Rigged Ship is a traditional Scottish reel, with a 3 part form. Part A & C are in Am (dorian), while part B modulates into A Major. There are two variations within the arrangement, the basic melody and a more advanced variation, featuring some great rhythm ornamentation. While the basic melody is easy enough to pick, this tune would suit the advanced picker due to the tempo and will be a great addition to your repertoire. Go to lesson...
Riding On A Load Of Hay is a fun polka (2/4) in the key of Em (Dorian Mode), played at a fast tempo, and suited to the intermediate picker. There are two parts to the tune, with the rhythm structure well suited to the intermediate picker in helping to develop speed, without the need to play too many notes. Go to lesson...
The Kid On The Mountain is traditional Irish slip jig (9/8), played at a fast tempo, in the key of Em. There are five parts to the tune, each containing some excellent picking passages that require us to accent the 3 beats found in each measure, whilst ensuring we apply an appropriate picking technique. Go to lesson...
O’Carolan’s Draught is a tune, composed by Turlough O’Carolan and this arrangement is in the key of G. The tune has a very sweet melody, played at a medium tempo giving us the opportunity to be expressive while playing the melody with some dynamic contrast. Containing some excellent picking passages that include a little cross picking, this tune will be a really lovely addition to your repertoire. Go to lesson...
The Connaughtman’s Rambles is a great jig in the key of D, played at a medium/fast tempo and suited to the advancing intermediate picker. During the lesson we’ll focus in on the picking technique required to suit the 6/8 time signature, while also working on the grace note slide and pull off. Go to lesson...
The Monaghan Jig is an awesome tune in the key of Em, played at a fast tempo and suited to the advanced picker. There are four parts to the tune, each presenting their own challenges; arpeggios, picking technique, 16th note rhythms plus ensuring the 6/8 feel is accented. Spend some time on this tune, it will certainly develop your picking and will be a great addition to your repertoire! Go to lesson...
In this lesson for Joy To The World on the mandolin, we’ll take a look at a fun arrangement of the Christmas Carol played in a bluegrass style, for the both the intermediate & advanced picker.
In the key of A, there are 2 versions inside this arrangement. The first is a basic version of the melody with plenty of space in the rhythm & a little extra bluegrass flavour added. Go to lesson...
‘We Three Kings of Orient Are’ is a beautiful Christmas carol and in this lesson we’ll learn two verse variations, perfect for an introduction or solo. In the key of Am, we’ll cover a pretty tremolo version of the basic verse melody for the advanced beginner, then, moving in to a great chord melody verse variation suited to the advanced intermediate picker. Go to lesson...