Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll be learning how to play along with a mandolin by creating an interesting and melodic lead. When only 2 instruments are involved you have to be very careful about not over playing and always remembering to compliment the other instrument. This lesson is a tribute to the late Levon Helm.
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Part 2 - For Premium Members
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Slow Walk-Through
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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Beautiful composition. And I love that its a tribute to Levon Helm. I was fortunate enough to have gone up to Levon’s place in Woodstock for the Midnight Rambles he used to host. Between him and Larry Campbell’s guitar and whoever else would show up it was always an an amazing evening. Thanks Brian.
Brian…. Lessons aside you have a talent is as a craftsman . There is something in that to learn as well. Thank you.
A lot of useful instruction in this Brain Thanks again ….. JohnStrat
Wow, Brian…You Sir are an inspiration! Thanks.
I’m at a loss for words other than to just say it’s beautiful. thanks Brian
What!!?? No FuzzFace distortion pedal or Marshall stacks!!!?? Kidding!! Very nice accompaniment and man…..don’t toss out that Alvarez but that Martin CEO surly sounds so sweet and full!! Saw The Band three times!! Great concert………..great vocals and drumming sorely forever missed!! Jim C.
Beautiful…and more nuggets too. Thanks for sharing your creativity.
Perhaps one of your best lessons yet! Is the mandolin just strumming the chords? Any chance of a micro lesson on the mandolin part?
Yes, just strumming chords on the mandolin
Lovely, Brian. At long last you have treated us to your mandolin. One of the sweetest combinations: mandolin and guitar. I look forward to hearing you with guitar and mandolin swapping lead and rythm playing.
Anton
Hi Brian , I really enjoy the lessons and think that you’re a great teacher that creates wonderfull lessons. In regards to viewing lessons has the format changed in the last few months as I use an iPad and used to be able to view the first lesson in full screen mode and now it tells me my browser doesn’t support it. All the other lessons are full screen. It’s slightly annoying. Any ideas??
Hey Brian. Emotional and Mellow. Outstanding piece of music !!!
Great Lesson Brian. The Hybrid Picking has become so useful I find myself using it all the time
Thanks
Ray P
Been a member over five years. Over and above. Just love this lesson. You are always full of surprises.
Brian – thanks again! This is a great lesson and a beautiful piece! Your teaching style is unique. Unlike anything else out there…. I took private lessons last year and I’ve learned 10 times more in the last 6 months being a member on Active Melody! Thanks!
Oh yes Brian love the sound of the two guitars sounds great
Hi Brian,
This is my all time favorite lesson ever! It is fun to play, very pretty, and the melody and timing feel very natural to me.
I have been subscribing to your lessons for about two years, and I have to say, that I really appreciate your approach to on-line lessons. All of the techniques and tips seemed to be aimed at building a well-rounded approach to playing and improvising on the guitar. Kudos indeed!
Thanks for all your work in providing this material,
Jason
Just got through part 2 for the first time and now I can say this is great stuff! Following the chords may be the sweetest acoustic guitar sound ever. This may be just whats needed to get giggy with it! Thanks Brian
Very nice! I heard a banjo and guitar duet played at the WOMAD festival, but not in the way you might expect. It was African music, and the banjo was a 6-string tuned like a guitar.
Thanks for this lesson Brian.Fantastic combination and I really like this style,hope you do more. David
Never heard of Levon Helm but will look him up also nice shout for the Beatles I love the intro and the historic tributes .A fantastic composition I never thought of the Cm like that chopped off by the nut nice example how to use chords to make a lead .Liked it lots and would not have complained if you ‘d have posted a mandolin rhythm section lesson aswell I would have gone out and bought one for sure lol
I play mandolin too so I’m going to learn this, record the mandolin part into my iPad, and play along! Nice composition Brian.
Thanks Brian, LEvon is an idol of mine, got to see him in Woodstock at the barn in 2007 – it was mecca.
Cool stuff Brian … You Said, that you also a Mandoline Player… ever thought about, also to present Mandoline lessons on AM? This would be Great,
There are non likewise teaching for Mandoline ore Ukulele in the Web.
My wife would Join immediadly
Growing up in Toronto during the 1960’s, Levon and The Hawks were kind of the soundtrack for a lot of us. High school dances, bars and other small venues…they played everywhere and they played a lot. Levon stuck to drums but he was an incredible singer. When Music From Big Pink came out, fans in Toronto were stunned. The earliest hint of that music can be heard in The Stones That I Throw, a Hawks record from 1964-65, a beautiful, gospel style piece written by Levon…available on YouTube. Vintage Richard Manuel vocal. Only thing missing is a mandolin.
Thanks for the inspirational lesson Brian; you’re a true Nashville Cat!
great video, thanks.
Very nice , great lesson Brian , thanks
This is now on my To Do list. Just wanted to say thanks Brian for your lessons! It’s been a great way to tie in the theory I’ve learned and actually apply it and have it so nicely explained. Your lessons are exactly what I’ve been looking for. Now if only I could master each lesson in a matter of hours instead of weeks. 🤔
Thanks, Brian. This is an interesting and welcome addition to your lessons. As a mandolin player myself, I wonder if you’d be able to add the mandolin TABs to the lesson, so those of us who play, or who play with mandolin players, might be able to jam together.
I second that 🙂
I had vaguely heard of Levon Helm before and of course I know The Band.
Anyhow, I went looking for instances of Levon playing the mandolin and from what I have discovered up to now he doesn’t play the instrument in the sense of playing solos and such-like. He strums, and very effectively too, I hasten to add, and he has an interesting voice but he is not a mandolin player in the sense that Brian is a guitar player.
For more sophisticated (blues) mandolinists, see Marc Woodward, Rich Delgrosso, Johnny Young, David Grisman, Sam Bush, Jazz Mandolin project, …
In fact there are tonnes of really good mandolin players (I have 170 recordings of mandolinists). I would think that the two that most approximate to Brian’s style would be Marc Woodward and Rich Delgrosso.
Anton
P.S. Thanks once again for the great lesson, Brian, with heavy hints of the Beatles. “In my life I loved them all,…”
I really enjoyed playing this beautiful melody on my Taylor. Definitely shades of early Beatles in there. I found it helpful to load the mandolin track into Audacity (free) and slow the tempo by 20%.
hey! wot a stirring sound dude! is there a backing track for this?
This is a great lesson, and a beautiful melody. I suppose it could be done with two guitars as well. Kind of switch off on the chords and melody lead. I’m inspired to try it.
Brian, On the acoustic guitars did I read you use .010 and what brand and alloy? David
Brian, Did this one at fall festival today with a friend who plays mandolin and everyone really liked this. Hope you do another one with mandolin.My friend wants to know if you do any mandolin lessons? Thanks for the great lesson. David