Mandolin with Simon Mayor
In a shift of emphasis from his mandolin courses over the last few years, Simon will be giving ensemble playing and playing by ear equal attention for a few days. So if you want to perfect that elusive ability to instantly 'play what you hear', alongside brushing up your music and/or tablature reading skills, this is the course for you. There'll be plenty of technique tips along the way, and a chance to talk through with Simon any of your own mandolin related questions.
Workshops will take place each morning, with afternoons free for personal practice, exploring the local area, delving into the library, or impromptu ensemble work.
Who is it for?
Mandolinists, mandola players, mandocellists and mandobassists (are there any out there?) are all invited to this group experience involving some ensemble playing (with easy parts to follow).
All ability levels are welcome, with the exception of complete beginners who may find themselves struggling. Ideally you’ll be able to get from start to finish of a fairly simple tune without stalling, and you’ll be able to read music or tablature to a reasonable standard (if you’re an experienced player but have only ever played by ear, tablature is very easy to learn). If you’re a guitarist or violinist trying a mandolin for the first time, you should be OK, but this is otherwise not going to be suitable for a beginner. Simon will send out PDFs of music/tablature and sound files in advance.
The Tutor
Simon Mayor is one of the world’s leading mandolin virtuosos and composers for the instruments. His many faceted career includes his own series on BBC Radio 2, an album in the Classic FM Top Ten chart and causing mayhem at a Canadian humour festival, but his most thrilling moment was a journey through the square window on BBC’s Playschool!
Simon moves effortlessly between classical, traditional folk, jazz & blues. His dazzling technical skills grace all the music he plays. He’s also a fine guitarist & fiddle player, with a delicious sense of humour & great teaching ability. In 2022, he and Hilary James were awarded honorary directorships of The Classical Mandolin Society of America.
“Sheer musical brilliance” BBC World Service
“Matchless playing and breadth of genres, from classical to ragtime. Superb.” Musician Magazine
“A master musician at his absolute best” The Living Tradition
Simon will be joined by Hilary James with her mandobass, she will bringing another instrument along for any aspiring mandobassists!