Mando Works

04/26/2026

Please join our Mandolin Forum Discord Server

https://discord.gg/mNNN9Bwhmv

04/09/2026

Spring always feels like a fresh start. The light comes back, the air softens, and after a long winter it feels good to pick up the mandolin again with a little more energy. But for a lot of us, especially as we get older, spring can also bring something less welcome. Tight hands, forearm fatigue, and those sudden cramps that seem to come out of nowhere.

https://mandoworks413.blogspot.com/2026/04/spring-season-brings-cramping.html

03/19/2026

Behind The Bush in the Garden: A Traveling Jig with Deep Roots

“Behind The Bush in the Garden” is one of those tunes that feels instantly familiar the first time you hear it—lively, rhythmic, and perfectly suited for dancing. Most often played as a single jig in A Dorian (or A minor, depending on interpretation), it has long been part of the shared musical language between Scottish and Irish traditional music. What makes this tune especially interesting is its dual identity....

“Behind The Bush in the Garden” is one of those tunes that feels instantly familiar the first time you hear it—lively, rhythmic, and perfectly suited for dancing. Most often played as a single jig …

03/19/2026

“Behind The Bush in the Garden” is a lively single jig in A Dorian/A minor that has circulated for a long time in both Scottish and Irish traditions, turning up in manuscripts, printed collections, and field recordings. It is associated with fiddle and pipe repertory and is often played for dancing or in session sets, for example on recordings by céilí bands and traditional fiddlers such as Mickey Doherty. The melody is closely related to older Scottish material (one strand of the tradition links it to the song “Wha’ll Be King but Charlie?”), and modern tune encyclopedias explicitly classify its core source region as Scotland with subsequent adoption into Irish playing, so it is more accurate to say it is a shared Scottish–Irish tune rather than purely Irish in origin.

03/19/2026

The Flatt Run is more than just a classic bluegrass guitar lick—it’s a powerful improvisational tool. In this post, I break down its origins, how it connects to “Shave and a Haircut,” and how you can use it to structure your playing on tunes like Tell Me Baby Now Why You Been Gone So Long.

03/19/2026

The Flatt Run: A Simple Bluegrass Phrase That Unlocks Improvisation

I’ve been playing bluegrass mandolin since 1980, when I bought my first instrument and started figuring things out the old-fashioned way—by watching, listening, and asking questions. One of those early questions came from something I kept hearing the guitar player do. At the end of nearly every vocal line, he’d play this short, punchy lick—clean, rhythmic, and somehow final. It tied everything together....

I’ve been playing bluegrass mandolin since 1980, when I bought my first instrument and started figuring things out the old-fashioned way—by watching, listening, and asking questions. One of those e…

03/18/2026

“Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” may sound like a simple, joyful bluegrass tune, but its roots run deep—from b***y British street songs to Appalachian folk and cowboy ballads. This post traces how the song evolved into the clean, major-key favorite we know today. Watch the video and hear the history come alive:

03/18/2026

“Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” — From B***y Roots to Bluegrass Staple

Few songs in the American folk and bluegrass tradition carry the kind of lived-in history that “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” does. On the surface, it’s a lively, feel-good tune—simple, catchy, and perfect for a jam session. But beneath that easygoing charm lies a surprisingly deep lineage that stretches back across continents and generations. A Song Without a Single Author…...

Few songs in the American folk and bluegrass tradition carry the kind of lived-in history that “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms” does. On the surface, it’s a lively, feel-good tune—simple, catchy, and…

03/13/2026

If you’re one of the few, the proud, the slightly unhinged players who love the **mando bass**, come join us.

The mando bass is the largest—and probably the most mysterious—member of the mandolin family, originally designed to provide the bass voice in mandolin orchestras. ([Wikipedia][1])

Because it’s such a niche instrument, it’s hard to find other players to compare notes, talk setups, share recordings, or just celebrate the weird beauty of this beast.

So I started a Facebook group dedicated to it. If you play mando bass, are building one, are curious about them, or just appreciate unusual instruments, you’re welcome.

Join the conversation:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mandobass

Let’s see how many mando bass players are actually out there.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandobass?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Mandobass"

The Mandobass is the largest (and least common) member of the mandolin family, sometimes used as the bass instrument in mandolin orchestras. It is so large that players usually hold it like a double bass—upright and supported on an endpin that rests on the floor. The neck-scale length on a full-si...

03/13/2026

I just posted a new mandolin video of the classic Irish slip jig “A Kid on the Mountain.”

This tune has been part of my repertoire since 1989 after I learned it from banjo player John Rough. It’s a five-part slip jig that moves between darker Aeolian sections and brighter Ionian passages, giving it a real sense of journey and contrast.

It’s a favorite session tune but also a tricky one because the phrasing and accents don’t always land where you expect.

To me, the melody tells a story. It introduces a theme in the first part. The theme comes back later. That's how I memorized it.

03/13/2026

A Kid on the Mountain – A Slip Jig Journey on Mandolin

I recently uploaded a video of myself playing the classic Irish slip jig “A Kid on the Mountain” on mandolin. Also known by the Irish title Bogadh Faoi Shúsa (and sometimes spelled Bugga Fee Hoosa), this tune is one of the most recognizable slip jigs in the traditional repertoire. It’s written in 9/8 time and is usually played in a…...

I recently uploaded a video of myself playing the classic Irish slip jig “A Kid on the Mountain” on mandolin. Also known by the Irish title Bogadh Faoi Shúsa (and sometimes spelled Bugga Fee Hoosa)…