A collection of our past Mel Bay Mandolinsessions Articles in PDF format:

Articles listed most recent on top, oldest on bottom.

• Tips on improvising from the Pros

• Tackling Tough Licks: Learning it all backwards

• Minor League: Making the Most of Minor Keys

• Static Changes: Beginning to See the Light

• Static Changes Maj7 Chords

• Static Changes: Connecting Chords

• Static Changes: V7 chords

• Minor Blues: Fresh patterns

• Moving up the fretboard: Getting Shifty

• What you can do with a V7 chord: Declaring Dominants

• Chord Combinations for the Lizard Ear, Cont'd From the Pros!

• Chord Combinations for the Lizard Ear.

• Another Dominant: Fresh Material for the V7 Chord.

• Something Old. Something New: New ways of looking at old scales.

• Part 2, Minor: Spelling out the Chords. Melodically.

• Part 1, Major: Spelling out the Chords. Melodically.

• Closed Fingerings: A review on the benefits of closed finger patterns (FFcP).

• Lydian Tracks Pt. 2: A Path to Modal Improvising.

• Lydian Tracks Pt. 1: A Path to Modal Improvising.

• In the Mode: Easing into Modal Jazz.

• Fresh Comp'n Part 3: 'Swing Turnarounds'.

• Fresh Comp'n Part 2: 'ii V7'.

• Fresh Comp'n Part 1: Bottom of the (Minor) 9ths.

• Enhanced Pentatonics: What Goes Up Must Come Down.
• "Sweet" Chords: Fresh chord voicings and their context.
• Alternate Fingerings Part 2: Incorporating the Four Pentatonic Fingerings.
• Alternate Fingerings Part 1: New ways to get around the fretboard.
• Developing Pentatonics for Jazz: A systematic approach to pentatonic mastery in all 12 keys.
• Thinking Good Tone Part 2: Using the picking hand to start Good Tone.
• Thinking Good Tone Part 1: What the Pros say about Good Tone.
• Leading Off Third Base: The benefits of third position fingering.
• Linear Leanings: Another look at spicing up bland chord progressions.
• Chords in Passing: Exploring Diatonic Chord Progressions.
• Keeping in Suspense: A look at "Sus" chords and variations.
• Chord Melody: Scratching the Surface.
• Reharmonization Secrets Part 2: Taking more "harm" out of Reharm.
• Reharmonization Secrets Part 1: Taking the "harm" out of Reharm.
• Three Four Pull: Foregoing the Fourth Finger Frack.

Hear it (mp3)! Three Four Pull

• Suspicion of Melodic Intent: Principles of effective improvisation and the creation of melody.
• Chord Commonalties: m6, m7b5, rootless 9th.
• On the Up and Up: Jazz Articulations.
• Line, Please? The importance of sustain.
• Jazz Ensemble Techniques
• Chicken "Nuggets": Afraid to improvise?...Don't be!
• Again the Tonal Centers: Understanding the 'ii V7 I'
• Extending your vocabulary: The Augmented 11th
• Some Minor Issues: 'Gravity' Notes in Minor
• Critical Decisions in Improvising: 'Gravity' Notes
• Understanding the 'ii V7 I': Tonal Micro-centers
• Understanding the 'ii V7 I' Progression