Michael Reichenbach

The Wisconsin / Vega Project – Exploring America’s Forgotten Tradition

The New Vintage Frets is an American mandolin ensemble based in Wisconsin. In 2018 this ensemble produced a CD titled: The Wisconsin/Vega Project CD This unique CD offers present day recordings of century-old mandolin ensemble arrangements thoughtfully selected from Wisconsin-based mandolin orchestra libraries. Pieces in the collection were published in either the 1890s or early 1900s. […]

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Tunefox – Learn to Play Bluegrass Tunes

Tunefox is a new web and app based learning tool for bluegrass instruments. I was asked by Bennett Sullivan to present tunefox in my blog. Tunefox is primaily a web and app based learning tool for banjo, mandolin, guitar and bass. To use all the features of tunefox you need to subscribe. As a subscriber

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Iona Fyfe – Scots Singer of the Year

In one of the recent episodes of the Folk Radio Podcast – Folk Radio Episode 51 – I have discovered a song that I did like immediately – especially because I could recognize a nicely played mandolin. This way I have discovered the music of Scottish singer Iona Fyfe. The song Swing and Turn is taken from the new

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Frank Zappa – The Yellow Shark

On April 7, 2019 I was at a concert of the SWR Sinfonie Orchester in Freiburg. The program was composed of works by Frank Zappa. It began with three pieces from the Yellow Shark project. In 1992 Frank Zappa worked together with the Ensemble Moderne to produce a concert with his works played by a

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Dave Apollon – The Mandolin Virtuoso – Short Movies

Dave Apollon was one of the most successful mandolin players in the 1930s. He produced many shows, and luckily some of his performances were also filmed and survived until today. So it is now possible to watch this great mandolin player. I have compiled some recent resources with films and music by Dave Apollon. Dave

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Bruno Helstroffer – Theorbo

My newspaper had a review some days ago about the album “Calling the Muse – Old & New Pieces for Theorbo” by the French theorbo player Bruno Helstroffer. Bruno Helstroffer has studied the guitar in Straßburg in France and has also started to play the theorbo, the lute and the vihuela. The theorbo and the

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Greek Music for the Mandolin

Last year I have made several videos with Greek music. I have recently been asked about where to get this music to able to play it. In this post I will give some sources for sheet music of Greek folk tunes. Playlist Greek Music for the Mandolin Sources for Greek music The book that I

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Cape Breton Sessions

Today I would like to present the website Cape Breton Sessions in Ottawa. Each week musicians meet for a session with folk tunes from Cape Breton. The music which is regularly played is available as a book of sheet music with today 52 sets of three to six tunes each. Recordings from the Cape Breton

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The best Mandolin Duets – Sheet Music and Videos

Some time ago I have been asked if I can recommend any mandolin duets. So I started to make some research and look for videos and sheet music for two mandolins. Duets for two mandolins are not so frequently found as duets for mandolin and guitar. Sheet music for two mandolins is more difficult to

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Florentino Calvo – An Important Mandolinist from France

Florentino Calvo is one of the leading mandolinists from France. He has studied mandolin and guitar at the concervatory of music and dance in Argenteuil with Mario Monti and in the masterclass of Alberto Ponce. Florentino Calvo is especially interested in contemporary music. Together with the trio Polycordes (mandolin, harp and guitar) he has premiered

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Author name: Michael Reichenbach