Author Archives: fretmentor

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About fretmentor

Born in Detroit, Michigan, David F. Jakubiak has been involved in music since the age of 7, beginning as a clarinet player and then at 9 turning his attention to stringed instruments. He earned trophies in group talent competitions while a student at the University of Michigan. The instructor earned a BA degree in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Public Administration at the University of Kansas. At college, he also studied classical music and music history. His passion is teaching music and in performing as a musician. In addition to on-stage performances, David has played in various venues from outdoor festivals to small nightclubs. He plays, performs and teaches various styles of music, including rock, pop, blues, jazz, classical, country and bluegrass styles. He performs and teaches acoustic and electric guitar, five-string banjo, and mandolin. His styles range from Scruggs, melodic, Reno and old-time style on banjo, to finger-style and flat-picking technique on guitar, to various styles of mandolin. For over 45 years, Mr. Jakubiak has taught all age groups, taking a personal interest in each student to ensure that they receive the attention and lesson plans that meet their needs and interests. His lessons and instructional materials place a strong emphasis on the practical use or music theory to ensure that the student understands the instrument and learns how to improvise to develop their own style. Mr Jakubiak teaches group and studio classes, webcam lessons over the internet, and individual private lessons to students of various ages. He has compiled and produced eight instructional books on CD as well as numerous instrumental arrangements. David has written for Banjo Newsletter, a monthly publication for the banjo enthusiast and has published an article in Issue #37 of the Fretboard Journal. He is the founder of www.fretmentor.com. To contact David Jakubiak, please feel free to e-mail him at david AT fretmentor.com (substitute the @ sign for the word AT)

Leo Fender – “Quiet Giant Heard Around The World”

A Memory-Filled Journey Into The Life Of Guitar Legend Leo Fender On November 1, 2017, a new book entitled “Leo Fender: The Quiet Giant Heard Around the World” will be released.  I have had the chance to briefly review this … Continue reading

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Country Music Hall of Fame

The Country Music Hall of Fame A Visit Down Memory Lane My wife and I spent the weekend in Nashville for our anniversary. We live an hour and a half south and believe it or not, had never been to … Continue reading

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Meeting Alan Munde

An Interview With Banjo Legend Alan Munde On the weekend of January 28th, 2012, I had the honor of hosting banjo legend Alan Munde at my Fretmentor workshop for banjo, guitar, mandolin and fiddle players.  Additional instructors at this event … Continue reading

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Tuning Your Banjo Head Using A Drum Dial

What is a drum dial and how can you use it to set up your banjo head correctly? Fretmentor student, Justin Lambert, explains the process of tuning your banjo head with a Drum Dial, in today’s guest blog. Drum Dial … Continue reading

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To Pedal or Not to Pedal – Part I

Experimenting with Pedal Boards Part I By Andrew Bauman After years of playing the acoustic guitar, I finally branched out a few years ago and bought my first electric guitar. My “starter” amp came with some built-in effects – distortion, … Continue reading

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Sierra Hull, Mandolin Virtuoso, Takes Her Trio to the Lyric

Sierra Hull’s Trio Is A Hit Sierra Hull introduced her newest music project “Weighted Mind” February 11, 2016, at the newly renovated Lyric Theater in Downtown Stuart. She was joined onstage by Ethan Jodziewicz (double bass) and Justin Moses (banjo, … Continue reading

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KT Tunstall & A Bahamas Cruise

KT Tunstall Concert & A Cruise To The Bahamas Talk about going to see a concert in style.   On the weekend of May 16-17, 2015, a very special woman in my life and I took a romantic two night cruise … Continue reading

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Meeting The King of The Blues

The Night I Met the King of the Blues I remember it as though it was yesterday.  On April 2, 1992, an old friend and I attended the BB King concert at the now defunct Carefree Theatre, located in West … Continue reading

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Serious Music Students?

Raise Your Hand If You Are A Serious Music Student I regularly teach community education music classes through the Palm Beach County School system.  The classes at Palm Beach Gardens High School are primarily for beginning students, many who have … Continue reading

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Jingle Jammin’

It’s Not Too Early … To Learn Holiday Tunes That time of year is right around the corner.  The Christmas holidays are fast approaching and while you may be asking why I am writing about it so early, it is … Continue reading

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Matchbox Blues

Matchcovers & Music What is the Connection? Over the past number of months, I have been busy working on a new blues instructional program for fretted instruments.  One of the songs incorporated in my lesson plan is “Matchbox Blues”, which … Continue reading

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Slowhand Still Up To Speed

The latest feature for Fretmentor’s Blog is to hear about the experience of other music lovers, students and performers .  Today,  I have invited a guest (Andy Baumann) to contribute his review of the Eric Clapton concert he attended recently.  … Continue reading

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First Time’s A Charm

A recent feature for Fretmentor’s Blog is to hear about the experience of other music lovers, students and performers .  Today,  I have invited a guest (Doug Cone) to contribute a story on his experience performing music for the time … Continue reading

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Music Festival Jammin’

A new feature for Fretmentor’s Blog is to hear about the experience of other music lovers, students and performers .  Today,  I have invited a guest (Chick Veenstra) to contribute a story about his attendance at his first music festival.  … Continue reading

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Road To Nechville

Have you ever been to Nechville? I bet you didn’t know it’s located in Minnesota.  Nechville, however, is not a Town but a wonderful toy store for the banjo enthusiast like me.  Since 1989, Nechville has been manufacturing professional banjos … Continue reading

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