Hendrix’s “Castles Made of Sand” is now available on the Tablature page for site members. The PDF and Notion files are both included.
There will soon be an instructional video of this arrangement on Mandolins Heal The World.
Archive for Tablature
New tab and video: The Needle and the Damage Done (Neil Young)
One of the requisite tunes that one learns as a young guitarist. This arrangement, though simple, is a challenge due to the double stop that is maintained on the high A and E strings while the walking bass is done on the low G. This is to keep the tonality of Neil’s acoustic guitar arrangement.
Tab is for subscribers in the Tablature section.
Free: All Right Now — Arranging Classic Rock
Here’s the first part of a series of 70s guitar anthem rock tunes I’ll soon put up. Everyone knows this tune by Free from the album Fire and Water. No more formidable duo than Kossoff and Rodgers. Clean stripped down blues based British classic rock that was the blueprint for everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd (who owed a lot to Free) to AC/DC.
Besides transcription of the tune for mandolin, I’ve also included another lesson on my process for moving a guitar classic to the mandolin.
Both of these are available on the tabs page. Remember, $5 per year gets you full access to my tablature!
Freddie King “Heads Up” on Tablature Page
I’m sorry about how long I’ve been away. Between a job promotion and helping a 17 year old go through the college application and scholarship process, I haven’t touched a mandolin much.
Here’s another installment in my blues series: Freddie King’s “Heads Up” I love this tune and it’s a jam favorite out in these parts. I love King’s guitar playing and writing and have spent many hours learning King licks and studying his phrasing. This is the head to the tune–afterwards, jam away using major pentatonic with some nice blue notes.
The Heads Up tablature is on the tablature page. Remember, a yearly subscription to the tablature page is only $5 per year!
Video YouTube Lesson for SRV’s Pride & Joy
Yesterday I posted a 15 minute YouTube lesson for last months’ tab of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Pride & Joy. Tab is available to Tab Subscribers to this site. Enjoy the lesson.
New Blues Tab/Lesson: Killing Floor by Howling’ Wolf (Hubert Sumlin guitar)
The quintessential crossover blues riff made famous in the rock world by Jimi Hendrix. Classic riff that is chord-based. Video to follow.
Available through the tab subscription through this website.
New Blues Series: SRV “Pride & Joy” (Intro) added to Tablature page
It’s been awhile since I’ve focused on blues, so I will spotlight great riffs or tunes over the next few months. The first is SRV’s “Pride & Joy,” the quintessential Austin Tejas big balls roadhouse blues tune. This is the introduction to the first verse. YouTube video to follow shortly.
It is available on my Tablature page. This month celebrates the one year anniversary of my subscription tablature page (the low low price of $5 for 12 months access). To find out more information as to how to get the Pride & Joy tab, as well as existing and upcoming tabs, you can check out more here.
Coming in the next few months:
Freddie King “Hideaway” & “Heads Up”
John Lee Hooker “Dimples” riff
Magic Sam “I Just Need A Little Bit”
Howlin’ Wolf “Smokestack Lightnin'” & “Killing Floor”
Memphis Slim/Eric Clapton (Bluesbreaker vintage) “Steppin Out” (main riff)
Also coming: triumvirate of seventies class rock shuffle anthems
Steve Miller “Rock N Me”
Bachman Turner Overdrive “Takin’ Care of Business”
Free “All Right Now”
New arrangement: Jethro Tull’s Aqualung (part 1)
Jethro Tull is one of my all time favorite rock bands. Ian Anderson and Martin Barre have been very influential in how I conceive of the confluence of light and dark (acoustic & electric; flute & guitar; etc.) in a rock setting. Most directly, Ian’s acoustic guitar playing heavily influenced how I play acoustic guitar and octave mandolin. There’s a uniqueness to his strumming style that has become a core of how I approach acoustic.
In many ways, I think Tull were much more successful than Led Zeppelin in incorporating acoustic tones into rock music (Zeppelin’s IIIrd album has received much credit for bridging the acoustic and rock worlds, but Tull–and Fairport Convention before them–were the true pioneers in doing this). It’s unfortunate that Ian dismantled Tull 3 or 4 years ago (though he continues to tour as “Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson”). I saw Ian last summer when he toured for the Thick as a Brick 40th anniversary tour. Ian’s voice was the best I had heard it in many years, but it was very disappointing to not have Martin Barre there. Unfortunately, I came to Tull in the late 80s after Ian’s voice had already peetered out, so never had an opportunity to see Ian live in the fine form you would have found him in the 70s.
An arrangement of the head of Jethro Tull’s Aqualung has been posted to the Tablature page. This is the 1st section of the tune up to the acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar section and solo will be posted at another time soon to come.
New arrangement: Wanted Dead or Alive, Bon Jovi
Per request of tablature subscriber Barry Hines, I’ve arranged Bon Jovi’s Wanted Dead or Alive for mandolin. It’s a great choice for mandolin. This is not an arrangement of the full song, but all the parts are there. Love Sambora’s playing on it and the solo, though not a note for note transcription, pays homage to the style of the original. The opening riff of the tune was made for mandolin, as it uses doubles stops (based around Dm/F) and crosspicking to full effect.
Tablature available on Tab page. Remember, you need to be a tablature subscriber to reach that content.
Richter Mandolin PDF formatted book now has linked video and audio
Richter M
andolin 3rd Edition PDF (sold through this site; digital interactive version sold through Apple iTunes bookstore for iPad only) has been updated to include links to audio and video of the book’s lesson. For sale for $10 through this website’s store.
