Join Magnus Zetterlund and Hayes Griffin as they wrap up 2025 and dive into the real work happening in practice rooms across the mandolin community. In this candid conversation, Magnus and Hayes get technical about pick slanting and escape motions—the breakthrough technique that's transforming their playing after decades of double-escaping. They also tackle practical questions from the community about practice routines, gear choices, and how to stay motivated on your musical journey.

Whether you're a beginner finding your way or an experienced player refining your technique, this episode offers honest insights into the practice process and what it takes to keep growing as a musician.

Topics Covered:

Pick Slanting & Single Escape Technique

• Magnus shares his breakthrough moment with pick slanting after 30 years of playing
• Understanding supination vs. pronation and rest strokes vs. escape strokes
• Why this isn't just about speed—it's about efficient, powerful single-note picking
• Practical demonstrations of two-note and four-note per string patterns
• How to build vocabulary from mechanical exercises

Practice Priorities

• Hayes on the importance of tracking your practice (and his 20-month tracking gap)
• Magnus's focus on right-hand technique and melodic adjustments
• Community members share their goals: learning scales, memorizing the fretboard, and diving into Nordic folk tunes

Gear Talk: Cases & Gig Bags

• Finding the right fit for different instruments and situations
• Hard cases vs. soft cases: when to use each
• Magnus's search for the perfect electric octave mandolin case (spoiler: Strandberg guitar bags might be the answer)
• Community recommendations including Colorado Case Company, Blue Heron, TKL, and Northfield cases

Looking Ahead to 2026

• Magnus's new Octave Mandolin Course now available
• Plans for a Nordic Folk Guitar course coming in spring 2026
• Hayes's upcoming European tour in May (details TBA)
• New Guitar Club content and guided courses on the horizon

Community Insights

• How joining Mandolin Secrets Academy increases practice frequency and commitment
• The power of putting "skin in the game" for your musical development

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Mandolin Secrets Academy (mandolinsecrets.com)
• Previous podcast episodes at mandolinsecrets.com/podcast
• Hayes's tour with Beppe Gambetta
• Magnus's collaboration with Johan Eriksson Rapp

Connect With Us: Watch the video version of this episode exclusively inside Mandolin Secrets Academy, or find all previous episodes at mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

Here are the weblinks mentioned in the show.

Visit our website for more episodes:

https://mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

Beppe Gambetta website:

https://beppegambetta.com/

Master the Mandolin Fretboard! - Join us for the webinar

https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/webinar

In this month’s episode, Magnus Zetterlund and Hayes Griffin are discussing:

• What are the best practice advice or helpful tips you have learned?
• Did you attend any good concerts this summer?
• Magnus biggest take aways from the workshops at Grenna Bluegrass Festival with Tristan Scroggins
• Magnus’s new video lesson for pinky power.
• Hayes’ new video for Northfield Signal Electric Guitar.
• Hayes’ new Bulas two-point mandolin.

Here are the weblinks mentioned in the show.

Visit our website for more episodes:

https://mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

Bulas Instruments

https://bulas.pl/en-us

Northield Mandolins

https://www.northfieldinstruments.com/

Master the Mandolin Fretboard! - Join us for the webinar

https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/webinar

In this month’s episode, Magnus Zetterlund and Hayes Griffin are discussing:

• When getting started, were you mostly self-taught or did you take lessons?
• What got you to pick up the mandolin the first time?
• Magnus is sharing videos of himself testing out the entire mandolin family: mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin, and mandocello.
• Hayes is sharing info and details about his new beginner course “Play Bluegrass Guitar in 30 days”.

Here are the weblinks mentioned in the show.

Visit our website for more episodes:

https://mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

Master the Mandolin Fretboard! - Join us for the webinar

https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/webinar

In this month’s episode, Magnus Zetterlund interviews one of the young mandolin stars in the bluegrass scene, Tristan Scroggins. He is a musician based in Nashville, and we recorded this episode while he’s on tour with Missy Raines’ band.

The episode is full of good tips from a professional music maker, and there is an exciting discussion about:

• Being on the road
• Women in bluegrass music
• Learning from other instruments like banjo and fiddle
• How to get the most out of camps and workshops
• + Much more

Here are the weblinks mentioned in the show.

The website of Tristan Scroggins
https://tristanscroggins.com/

Grenna Bluegrass Festival 16 August 2025 Workshops 13th-15th.
https://www.grennabluegrass.se/

Visit our website for more episodes:
https://mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

Master the Mandolin Fretboard! - Join us for the webinar

https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/webinar

In this month’s episode, Magnus Zetterlund and Hayes Griffin are discussing:

• What are your thoughts about the electric mandolin?
• Hayes’s new video lesson about The OTHER mandolin scale you need to know
• What is the most stupid comment you got when you said you play the mandolin?

Here are the weblinks mentioned in the show.

Jonathan Mann, Electric Mandolins

http://www.manndolins.com/

Visit our website for more episodes:

https://mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

Master the Mandolin Fretboard! - Join us for the webinar

https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/webinar

In this month’s episode, Magnus Zetterlund and Hayes Griffin are discussing:

• Learning a new instrument.
• 5 Tips for Jam Sessions
• The great online resource for learning the bass guitar, Study Bass by Andrew Pouska
• Things to consider when purchasing an instrument.

Here are the weblinks mentioned in the show.

Study Bass, Andrew Pouska

https://www.studybass.com/

Visit our website for more episodes:

https://mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

Master the Mandolin Fretboard! - Join us for the webinar

https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/webinar

In this podcast episode, I(Magnus Zetterlund) am chatting with my student, David Betcher, from Michigan, USA. A few of the subjects we touched upon are:

• Taking one step back to take two steps ahead.
• Learning to play the mandolin as an adult differs from learning to play as a kid.

Visit our website for more episodes:
https://mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

If you want personal guidance from Magnus, you can follow this link to book an intro call:
https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/apply

Master the Mandolin Fretboard! - Join us for the webinar

https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/webinar

In this month’s episode, Magnus Zetterlund and Hayes Griffin are discussing:

• What is your biggest struggle when it comes to fretboard knowledge?
• How do you visualize scales on the mandolin and guitar? Boxes, finger patterns, etc.
• Is there a book you’ve read that was valuable for your music playing?
• Magnus’s new video lesson shows a hero lick from Sierra Hull.
• The upcoming Fretboard Success program, in April 2025.
• Hayes’s one string guitar solo.

Here are the weblinks mentioned in the show.

Visit our website for more episodes:
https://mandolinsecrets.com/podcast

Fretboard Success - Master the mandolin fretboard
http://www.mandolinsecrets.com/fretboardsuccess

Master the Mandolin Fretboard! - Join us for the webinar

https://www.mandolinsecrets.com/webinar