Nordic Folk Music // Hultkläppens Am Polska // Octave Mandolin Lesson

In this mandolin video lesson, I show you how to play the chords and bassline for a traditional Swedish fiddle tune called Hultkläppens Am Polska (the A-minor polska by Hultklappen). This dance tune is from the region of Bergsjö, Hälsingland.

We are playing a bassline emphasising beat 1 and 3, the most important beats of the polska. It adds a driving rhythm to the music. In the B-part we also outline the chord changes for A, D, G.

The melody is archaic and energetic with an interesting twist. There are elements of both A minor and A major and the scales used are natural, harmonic, and melodic minor.

Our arrangement is a three-part arrangement with a melody and harmony part on the mandolin and the chords/bass part on the octave mandolin.

I play the tune with my friend Lena Jonsson, a fantastic fiddle player from Sweden.

In Mandolin Secrets Academy you’ll find:

• Sheet music/tabs (PDF)
• Backing and play-a-long tracks (MP3)
• How-to-play-instructions