Tom Arri Ii — Elizabethtown, PA, USA

More About Me

Started out as a guitar flatpicker, following the likes of Norman Blake... and it was Norman's mandolin playing that got me to buy my first mandolin.

I wouldn't say that I'm a hard core bluegrass mandolinist, because very genuinely, I'm not...

I like all kinds of music, and I'm more interested in a given tune, than I am in a given style... so I play whatever suits me and typically work out arrangements in Tabledit for myself and my students.

I'm also not one to do note-for-note transcriptions...

I have my own style and figure independence brings more happiness than copying everyone out there note-for-note...

I believe I am probably more of a music therapist, than a teacher per se... What this means is that I always came home from my day job (not in the music field) and would play my guitar, mandolin or banjo to chill out from the day at work. I'd sit in the kitchen whilst cooking my evening meal and pick away...

For me, that means a whole lot more than being on a stage somewhere...

I've played in groups... it can be fun with the right people playing with you and supporting, but it can also be a huge drain on the spirit...

So, I spend my time working up arrangements, playing for my own fun... and when I can help someone else learn more about the instrument... I do!

In the early days, I had Jack Tottle's Mandolin book and liked it a lot...

Then I moved to the Jethro Burns books, published through Mel Bay... Man, that was a LOT of work!

What I learned from Jethro was chords and chord progressions...

Jethro got tired of the old, "Chop, chop, chop!"... He stated that right out front for everyone to witness..

He preferred to 'color' songs and melodies with great supporting chord work that could also become a nice solo... a chord-style solo...

My thing is being able to play with relative ease... and to have fun... so, the melody is important... I don't play jazz.. but I do like the sounds of major sevenths, minor sevenths, sus4 chords, diminished and augmented chords to spice up an arrangement.

I do read and write music, and did for years...

But I prefer to work things out in tablature... it's so much easier for everyone... and it really has become a standard language with more and more conventions as the years have gone by...

I firmly believe the more you know, the better a player you will be...

To this end, I advise obtaining a copy of "Edly's Music Theory for Practical People"...

The man has it going on!

Learning about music theory has never been made easier...

Here's a link to his site...

http://www.edly.com/mtfpp.html

Good luck, and I hope to hear from you...

Lessons with me are low key, easy going, no pressure... we're here to have fun!

Very Sincerely,

Tom