Hello, music enthusiasts!  My name is Jeff Belding, player of various stringed instruments.  Creating and making music as well as sharing it with audiences and students, has been my life’s work and passion.  In keeping with that sentiment, welcome to my website “Music Along the Way.”

My latest book is all about the octave mandolin! It’s titled Octave Mandolin Repertoire Builder – A Variety of Tunes for the Intermediate Player and is for sale on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle format – HERE! It comes with a video companion on YouTube to enhance your learning experience. I play through every musical example at a moderate tempo to illustrate how they should sound. There are 41 different videos on Youtube organized into a playlist that follow the book. Here is a direct link to that playlist:

You might ask, “Why the octave mandolin?” Ever since I was a “young’un” I’ve always gravitated toward lower-voiced instruments. In recent years, I’ve come across some amazing performances on Youtube of virtuosos like Lady Moon, Simon Mayor and Emma Borders. All of these musicians often feature the lower voices such as mandola, mandocello and, of course, the octave mandolin.

I was inspired by these kinds of players to pick up an octave mandolin for myself. Once I had my Eastman MDO-305 in hand, I needed to find some exercises and tunes that would acclimate me from the regular mandolin to the larger “landscape” of this new instrument.

I noticed that there weren’t many books in print that were specifically designed for the octave mandolin. So I began to write my own exercises and transcribe some old tunes like “Greensleeves” and other medieval and renaissance tunes.

Before I knew it, I had compiled enough material to write my own book for the instrument!

Since I had a variety of musical styles such as bluegrass, waltzes, ballads and even Christmas tunes, I decided to divide the book into chapters organized by time signatures, styles and various genres. This gives the player the freedom to pick and choose a chapter based on what kinds of tunes they’re lacking in their repertoire.

Perhaps more waltzes? . . . Chapter 3

Jigs in 3/8 and 6/8 time? . . . Chapter 5

Do you have a Christmas gig coming up? Chapter 8 can help you there.

All the pieces in the book are transcribed and fingered specifically for the octave mandolin.

I’d like to think I’ve found a need in music books and did my part to help fill it.

Happy Picking to ALL!

Here are my other books for sale on Amazon

Here’s a video to tell you a little more about it:

This book comes with a video companion to enhance your playing experience. I play through every tune at 160 BPM (beats-per-minute) so you can hear what it sounds like at a speed typical of an intermediate-level bluegrass jam. The link below will take you to the Youtube playlist of all the songs in the book.

Duets for 5 String Banjo and Guitar – 12 Songs of Christmas – available here on Amazon – this has become one of my more popular books. It’s never too early to start preparing for Christmas 2025!

and here’s a soundtrack for your listening pleasure –

All of the books shown below come with YouTube companion videos to enhance the learning process for you. There are links following each book or series to take you to the playlists on YouTube.

Bluegrass Mandolin – Solos, Licks and Tricks – Volume 1: Concepts and Tunes

Bluegrass Mandolin Solos, Licks and Tricks – Volume 2: More Tunes and Neck Expansion

Bluegrass Flatpick Guitar – Solos, Licks and Tricks – Volume 1 – Concepts and Tunes

Bluegrass Flatpick Guitar – Solos, Licks and Tricks Volume 2 – More Tunes and Neck Expansion

I’ve found a few mistakes in my first banjo book published 6 years ago. This video walks you through the corrections.

More information about the audio is available here.

If you prefer not to use YouTube for the audio access, I also have MP-3s of the audio companion for all 3 Volumes on Google Drive. Just email me (jeff.belding@yahoo.com) and let me know if you would like to use this access instead.

and why not order a handy sketchbook while you’re at it?

I welcome any of your questions or comments about my books or blog.  I would like to think of this website as a sharing of ideas rather than a one-way street.  

If you purchased any of my books I’d greatly appreciate it if you would post a helpful, relevant review on Amazon based on your honest opinion and experience.

You can contact me at jeff.belding@yahoo.com. 

Follow me on Facebook at “Music along the Way” and on Twitter at JeffBelding@Jeffsintune.

Also please visit my YouTube channel “Jeff Belding” for a variety of videos including performances, tutorials and just plain good pickin’ fun.

Thanks for visiting, and let’s start talking!