About This Course
Learn great traditional and original tunes in a variety of styles—old-time, bluegrass, Latin, jazz, and more—from a modern mandolin master.
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Itzbin Reel
“Itzbin Reel” is one of the first tunes John wrote. It’s basically a fiddle tune in the key of A, although the form is AABA rather than the standard AABB form of most fiddle tunes, and the B section has ten measures instead of the standard eight. John starts by showing you the A major scale and a couple of scale patterns to get used to the key of A major. And then he starts taking apart each section slowly, phrase by phrase. He also talks about keeping a steady up-and-down motion with your picking hand so you stay in time even when you’re not sounding a note. This is helpful in “Itzbin Reel,” because it has a few syncopated phrases that emphasize offbeats.
