Mandolin Progressions Overview

  • 13 lessons teaching how to play 13 very popular Irish session tunes.
  • Progress at your own pace, pause & repeat videos.
  • Access on all your devices.
  • PDF sheet music & mp3’s to download & keep for each tune.
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BONUS:
  • Access our Entire Course Catalogue for Every Instrument.
  • Library of over 150 popular Irish tunes to practice along with.
  • Virtual Reality Sessions for the unique Irish Pub Session experience – a real treat for the Irish music lover.
  • Community Forum of students and teachers, all friends with a love of Irish music.

Mandolin Progressions is designed to follow on from Mandolin Basics, so you will already be able to play a few tunes on the mandolin and are now ready to take it to the next level.

By the end of this course, you can expect to have broadened your repertoire with a range of different tune types; have a thorough knowledge of various mandolin techniques; and have a deeper understanding of the Irish music tradition. The course has 13 lessons, broken into 3 to 4 tutorials each, where tunes are taught phrase by phrase.

Course Structure

In Mandolin Progressions focus is placed on slightly more challenging techniques such as: triplets, hammer-on techniques, pull-offs, flicks, cuts, slides, variation and the use of moveable chords. Some tunes are taught in more challenging keys as mastering complex finger shapes will mould you into a more flexible musician.

The popular Irish session tunes taught in this course are:

The Sligo Maid
Harvest Home
The Reel Of Sceachog
James McMahon’s
The Walls Of Liscannor
Molly Malone
George White’s Favorite
A Stór Mo Chroí
Wallace’s Cross
O’Keefe’s Slide
The Girl That Broke My Heart
The Valve Bounce Reel

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Sheet Music and Mp3s available to Download for each Tune

Sample Sheet Music

Download The Sligo Maid ABC Sheet Music.
Download The Sligo Maid Standard Notation Sheet Music.

Sample mp3 of The Sligo Maid

Download The Sligo Maid mp3.
Your Tutor
Paddy Cummins Banjo and Mandolin tutorPaddy Cummins was born and reared in Drimnagh, Dublin and began experimenting with music at nine. His first instrument of choice was the mandolin, as played by his father, then the guitar, before eventually being saddled with a banjo aged fourteen. Paddy attended some brief tuition at Comhaltas branches in Monkstown but is largely self-taught and spent his teenage years completely dedicated to his music practice. He holds a first class honours degree in Irish Music and Dance from the University of Limerick and was mentored there by John Carty. He also received masterclass tuition from established players such as Enda Scahill, Kieran Hanrahan, Cathal Hayden, Angelina Carberry and Brian McGrath. Read more.

Detailed questions and discussion on the course can be found in the Community Forum, available to paying members only.

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Mandolin Progressions Lessons

Level

The Sligo Maid

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 1

  • A Minor
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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The three note triplet.

Reel

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Harvest Home

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 2

  • D Major
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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In this lesson Paddy teaches the well known Hornpipe in the key of D Major ‘Harvest Home’. His …

Hornpipe

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The Reel of Sceachog

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 3

  • A Major
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Hammer-on Technique

Reel

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James McMahon’s

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 4

  • D Major
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Technique: Pull-offs, Flicks and Cuts

Reel

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The Walls of Liscannor

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 5

  • E Minor
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Slides

Jig

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Molly Malone

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 6

  • E Major
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Moveable Chords

Waltz

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George White’s Favorite (1)

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 7

  • EŠ_Major
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Challenging Keys: E Flat

Reel

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George White’s Favorite (2)

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 8

  • E Major
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Challenging Keys: E Major

Reel

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A Stór Mo Chroí

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 9

  • A Minor
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Slow Air Playing on the Mandolin

Slow Air

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Wallace’s Cross

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 10

  • E Minor
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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The Pulse of Polka Playing

Polka

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O’Keefe’s Slide

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 11

  • E Minor
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Slide Rhythm

Slide

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The Girl That Broke My Heart

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 12

  • G Mixolydian
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Melodic variation

Reel

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The Valve Bounce Reel

Mandolin Progressions Lesson 13

  • E Mixolydian
  • Level 2
  • Melody
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Onwards and Upwards

Reel

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