9/28/17

My Mandolin Teaching Method

Brian Perkins

My approach to mandolin is intended is to prepare folks to make music with others. The repertoire and the skills I present are part of the common folk wisdom of our culture. . The most important skills involve right hand and left hand coordination used to produce and strum the most common chords.  These chords work together in specific pairs in order to support the melody of a song. The first lessons are directed towards giving students the practical experience of accompanying a melody.

I like to work with a repertoire of common songs that can be accompanied with two chords. These songs are simple enough so that students can focus on basic skills in a manageable way. This is the foundation of my approach. It gives my students a very strong basis with which to understand their own music and the music of others.

Professional experience:

I play mandolin professionally and have extensive experience playing contra dance repertoire, Celtic, Quebecois, Jewish, and Appalachian folk repertoire including bluegrass. This gives me knowledge and contacts useful to students wishing to break into the world of professional mandolin playing.

Teaching Experience:

30 years teaching privately in Burlington as well as group classes at YTV Trad Camp, Burlington Parks and Recreation, the Flynn Center, Meadowlark music camp, various dance and music camps, weekends and festivals and also as the director of the Celtic College in Burlington.

All private mandolin lessons are based on an individualized learning plan.

Concentrations include:

• Celtic or American fiddle accompaniment,
• Celtic or American ballad accompaniment (including bluegrass)
• Vermont fiddle tune repertoire on mandolin.
• Irish and Quebecois fiddle tunes on mandolin
• Song leading and social music making.
• Klezmer and Jewish traditional mandolin styles and repertoire
• Traditional Jazz accompaniment and improvisation.
• Introduction to Bach and Baroque mandolin styles and repertoire.

Method Books:

For students who wish to develop musical literacy I work with a huge variety of texts and recorded material including self published exercises and repertoire.

• I can Read Music: A note Reading Book for VIOLIN Students Vol 1 By Joan Martin 1991 Summy-Birchard Inc Dist. by Warner Bros Pub. $13
• Bluegrass Mandolin by Jack Tottle Oak Publications
• Music Theory for the Modern Mandolin Thomas P Ohmsen 1982 Flat Five Press ‘Roanoke VA $24 $40
• Suzuki Book 1-4 The Classic Children’s violin method
• The Complete Mandolin Method — Intermediate Mandolin: Greg Horne $20
• The Mandolin Chord Book: Compact Reference Library Paperback – 1992 by James Major
• Niles Hokkanen’s Guide to Mandolin Chords (and How to Use Them) by Niles Hokkanen
• Hot Solos For Bluegrass Mandolin Niles Hokkanen’s 48 Page Book / CD $21.45

For students working without notation:

• Rise Up Singing by Patterson et al. (Sing Out Publications)
• A huge array of supplemental material.