Archives 2023

The Richter Mandolin Camp is scheduled for July 10th through July 13th, 2024. Registration page live and camp 2/3rds full. If interested in attending, please reach out to me!

Sorry because it sounds so cliche, but 2023 Richter Mandolin Camp for the Rest of Us was magical. Yes, I said it, magical. We had a tight-knit supportive community of mandolinists who encouraged each other in a way that produced moments of joy, poignancy, and sublimation. From classroom work to student recital, this cohort of students was incomparable.

And, speaking of incomparable, having Mike Compton, Don Julin, and Laurelyn Dossett on staff was nothing short of remarkable. Don has been my compadre going back to 2012. His voice is very much in the fabric of this camp. But so is Mike’s, as Mike is really the only person I could site as a mandolin mentor–someone who I actively sought out to learn more about this wonderful 8-string instrument. And the breakout star was Laurelyn. Campers were very appreciative of having a break from the male mandolin know-it-all instruction to have time with her for harmony vocalizing and songwriting. Plus her performance of Zeppelin’s “Rain Song” at the concert left individuals speechless.

The concert. Wow. From the Banister Family Bluegrass Band (Roger Banister, Denise Kocur, Daryl Jones, and yours truly), to Laurelyn, Mike, Don, and Gordon Bonham, we covered a wide array of mandolin music in a little under 2 and 1/2 hours.

So where are we for 2024? The 11th Annual Richter Mandolin Camp for the Rest of Us will be Wednesday July 10th through Saturday July 13th, 2024 in Bloomington Indiana. You can learn more at the information page. Registration is live.

The Jim Richter Blues Mandolin podcast captures all of the Mandolin Blues Lick of the Day series and any other blues-related videos that I post. Consider subscribing to it for weekly, if not daily, content!

Tickets are now available in the Shop for the faculty concert to be held Friday 7/14/2023. More information here on the Concert page.

After 15 years I revisited one of my favorite Zeppelin tunes and one of my earliest Zeppelin YouTube videos (my first I believe). Ten Years Gone is a beautifully composed and harmonically complicated Jimmy Page piece on Physical Graffiti. At the time I did my YouTube video, I was still figuring things out both in terms of arrangement and transcription. I was discovering new sounds and trying to marry my blues technique and my love Mike Compton’s playing into an approach that was truthful, authentic, reflective of the original source material, and easily accessible (as I’m not the most complicated player). In terms of transcription, I hated Tabledit and was so happy when I moved to Progression and then Notion.

With the development of this new site (the 4th iteration of the jimrichter.com website in 20 years), I’m going back through old Tabledit transcriptions and updating. As I started working on Ten Years Gone, I knew it needed some work overall. I have now rearranged it, have it closer to the original (though mando-centric), and have included the accompanying guitar tab (not exact, but meant to serve as a practice track). I’ll be doing this with some other older arrangements. This is one I’ll make available to all, as it really is a testament to serious adaptation of rock guitar to mandolin.

Typically such arrangement/transcription would only be available to Tab Members or those who receive instruction from me. But, I think it’s important for people to expand their ears and consideration of rock on the mandolin. This is not a Pickin’ On Zeppelin version, an early “Great Balls of Fire” NGR style, or high octane Billy Strings. I love all those I mentioned, but those are much more bluegrass-based than rock-oriented. This is truly trying to envision how Ten Years Gone would have been played by Page had he written it for the mandolin. For those who are interested in other such arrangements, please consider becoming a Tab Member. 

At Mandolin Camp North and Richter Camp, I’ll be teaching how to play this and other Led Zeppelin and classic rock tunes.

Below you have PDFs for mandolin only and mandolin w/ guitar (I arranged the guitar to capture the main guitar theme, but also realize that it is layered throughout), as well as Notion files for both mandolin only and mandolin w/ guitar.

Notion for mandolin only; Notion for mandolin and guitar; mandolin only PDF; mandolin and guitar PDF

The 2023 Richter Camp for the Rest of Us is excited to announce that Laurelyn Dossett has been added as an associate instructor. Laurelyn (https://www.laurelyndossett.com/) is a brilliant singer/songwriter from North Carolina whose original material has been recorded by Levon Helm and Rhiannon Giddens. Laurelyn will be available for singing/songwriting help before and after mandolin classes. She’ll also help with with evening jams, the student recital, and will perform at the faculty concert. Laurelyn has taught songwriting and singing at the Augusta Heritage Center and the Monroe Mandolin Camp, as well as at many universities, workshops and festivals. She is the recipient of the Betty Cone Medal of Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship for songwriting, the Chris Austin songwriting contest at Merlefest, and has been a fellow at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. You can learn more about her on the Instructor Bios Page.

Due to high demand, the 10th Annual Richter Mandolin Camp for the Rest of Us featuring Don Julin and Mike Compton is near capacity! We’re so excited that the mandolin community is excited by this celebration of alternative mandolin. If you’re interested in attending camp, please email Jim at [email protected] to confirm availability. Jim will start a waitlist when capacity has been reached.

We are getting closer and closer to the summer, which means the 10th Annual Richter Mandolin Camp for the Rest of Us with mandolinists extraordinaire Don Julin and Mike Compton. Both of these guys mean a lot to me as musicians, mentors, and friends. More than a camp, this is a reconvening of friends and I always strive to ensure that the camp is imbued with that spirit.

Fun things for the 10th camp:

• A third instructor: the master, Mike Compton!
• A community-based concert that will be opened to select additional attendees. Confirmed musicians:
  • Banister Bluegrass Band
  • Don Julin
  • Mike Compton
  • Jim Richter and Gordon Bonham (blues)
  • and more to come!
• Swag from GHS Strings
• Individual and classroom instruction
• Wednesday meet and greet, camp orientation
• Late night jamming every night of camp
• AND, our requisite bourbon and whiskey tasting of fine spirits

This camp is always one of the highlights of my year. And, given the 10th anniversary and seemingly out of the pandemic, attendance is already very high with less than a handful of spots left. If interested in attending, please email Jim Richter at [email protected]