Essential listening for a beginner?

[chovie d]

Hi everyone, my first post..my first mandolin. I will try not to bother you all too much with my ignorance, but I could use your help. Ive been playing rock/punk/metal guitar for twenty years. My only exposure to mandolin has been John Paul Jones, Peter Buck, and the occasional Italian restaurant. I was hoping you good people could recommend to someone who is interested in learning country and bluegrass, (at least I think thats what they call it?), the essential players, albums, groups, etc. that every mandolin neophyte MUST hear? Thats probably a pretty broad question...maybe I should ask top five players a beginner should listen too, and their best or most emblematic works?

I have a DVD (Chris Thile?), and intend on getting some private instruction, but it would be great to get a better sense of what this instrunment is about and the history of it and its players as relates to country/bluegrass. Thanks for your help!!

[kudzugypsy]

i'd go to the acoustic disc site - Grismans site, and listen to the free cuts for something you find interesting.
honestly - if you are NOT from a BG background, some of that stuff might turn you off from the start - it is an aquired taste - i would say if you are into .alt stuff, then the acoustic disc site is going to give you a good overview

[wilded]

Now, I will ask a dumb beginner question. Who is Grisman and where is his site? Thanks, ET http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[grandmainger]

Now, I will ask a dumb beginner question. #Who is Grisman and where is his site? #Thanks, ET http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
There:

Grisman's bio at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Grisman) (not the best but a good intro nonetheless).

Acoustic Disc (http://www.dawgnet.com/) is his site and record label. You can listen to full track (2 per CD album). Very nice.

More people will surely contribute to this post, but that should get you going.

[fiddle5]

David ("DAWG") Grisman, you can do any search and find him. Its worth the look, or listen.

[wilded]

Gezz, it looks like I have committed blasphemy. Forgive me, I knew not what I was doing. ET http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[chovie d]

Heres the grisman site http://www.dawgnet.com/acd_html/dawgtracks.html
I'm looking for more trad stuff i think than what was there (tho i only listened to four songs). I should have been more specific. Tho i come from a rock background, rock or alt. is not what Im interested in learning on the Mandolin. Occasionally I'll hear what i think is mando on an old Hank Williams record or something...thats the sound I like, and am interested in (as far as I know???). From what little Ive been able to discern it appears Bill Monroe is "The maestro"?

If someone asked me the same question about rock guitar, I could easily answer...Hendrix-Electric Ladyland, Page-Zep 3, Young-Let There be Rock, Van Halen-VH1 (hehe...never thought of that as VH1 before), Richards-Exile. Hell I'd even burn em a cdr sampler..hehe. (cough... hint...)

Top five trad country/bluegrass players and their best works
that would be eseential for a beginner to hear?

[Eric F.]

Yes, Bill Monroe is where you ought to start, then. I really like Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. That's a great one, but there are plenty others.

Oh, and how about "Bluegrass Mandolin Extravaganza," which is available from Acoustic Disc?

And pretty much anything by Del McCoury.

[glauber]

Monroe is a vast topic... I think the Anthology (click) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008WI8K/qid=1133997068) is a good start, that's not too expensive. If you can get a hold of the sold-out album "Master of Bluegrass", that could be even better, from an instrumental (non-sung) point of view. But the Anthology will give you a panoramic view of his long career including songs and instrumentals.

There's also an enormous amount of non-commercial recordings (ala Grateful Dead - but the Dead were actually following Bill Monroe's example, not the other way around), which are usually better than the studio stuff. If you hang around this BBS, you'll get a bunch. There's a lot of CD trading going on too.

[mandopete]

You know, as I think about this, I think Ronnie McCoury is a good place to start for traditional bluegrass mandolin playing. #Nothing against Mr. Bill (he is the Father of Bluegrass fer cryin' out loud!), but I think he may be more of an acquired taste. #Ronnie's playing really hits the mark and I find it very accessable. #So pretty much anything by the Del McCoury Band (his dad) would be my recomendation.

[chovie d]

Thanks everyone. Lot to chew on there with Monroe and McCoury.

Are the great mandolin players kinda rare then?
Like i said if you asked this about rock guitar you'd have a hard time limiting people to just five players, and you'd have the enevitable shouting matches over whether Clapton was over-rated, or who has the besttone, etc.
So far i cant even name five mando players.

[Mike Bunting]

learn Mike Compton's namemike compton (http://www.mikecompton.net/)

[glauber]

Are the great mandolin players kinda rare then?
Not really. There are quite a few in this board. Maybe they're less recorded than guitar players, but there are a lot of them. You wanted to stay with traditional bluegrass, and bluegrass is really Bill Monroe's creation. But just off the top of my mind: Mike Compton, Peter Ostroushko (sp?), Jethro Burns, Jesse McReynolds, Ricky Scaggs, Sam Bush, Butch Baldassari, are all outstanding players more or less in the bluegrass/country tradition (Jethro branched into jazz).

Than there are the Classical players (some awesome players there), the choro players (chorões), Irish music players, and the blues players, the jazzers, etc.

Oh, and Chris Thile, the enfant terrible of bluegrass mandolin. You'll have to deal with him sooner or later.

[glauber]

Oooh, thinking of it, the cheapest way for you to get started is using the Mandolin Cafe's MP3 page (http://mandolincafe.com/mp3/). That will necessarily be slanted towards currently active players, but it's all great stuff, and it's listed by style, so you can pick what you want to listen to.

[levin4now]

Bill Monroe
Jesse McReynolds
Frank Wakefield
David Grisman
Bobby Osborne
Ronnie McCoury
Sam Bush
Tim OBrien
Those are some of the more notable ones in the past/present, not including the younger and newest guys (other than Ronnie), like Wayne Benson, Chris Thile, etc.. etc..

But you're right, Clapton was overrated, and Rik Emmett and Alex Lifeson are undoubtedly at the top of the list as far as rock guitarists are concerned. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[chovie d]

"Oh, and Chris Thile, the enfant terrible of bluegrass mandolin. You'll have to deal with him sooner or later."

-I am dealing with Chris right now as he is my only instructor (via the DVD Essential Techniques for Mandolin)

Thanks everyone..great idea on the MP3 page ..I'll definetly be checking that out, as well as the other names mentioned in this thread.

As for Clapton...he just never moved me. I would never have thought of Rik Emmett tho for my top ten or even top twentyfive... Triumph right? hehe....Lifeson maybe, i was a fan as a kid and learned all the songs and solos, but I couldnt sit thru a Rush album now if you paid me...whereas I could hear every note hendrix did over and over and over until I die happy. But enough about the smelly old guitar...Its Mandolin time! Cheers!

[derekbyron]

check out "skaggs and rice". great mando and all around album. one of the must have albums for a beginner.

i've had "del and the boys" in the car the past few days. that's as good a place as any to start with del mcoury.

tony rice "manzanita" is an essential album. in terms of mandolin, you'll be able to hear bush, grisman, and skaggs.

"minor swing" gerry beaudoin trio w/grisman and duke robillard.

any of the classic monroe albums (blue moon of kentucky, bean blossom, etc...) there are plenty of compilations and best of the bluegrass boys type albums that are all quality tunes.

i'm just getting into classical mandolin, but maybe someone else could suggest some must have classical albums - i'd be curious as well!

[DryBones]

I agree on Skaggs, get hold of some Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for your now growing collection. Welcome to the insanity http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[DryBones]

oh and we might as well throw the Tone Poets at him too.... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[Dioptase]

1. Bill Monroe 2. Jesse Mcreynolds 3. Ronnie Mccoury 4. David Grisman 5. Mike Compton. Honourable mention for Jethro Burns though I like his jazz work the best. Hard to leave Tim O'Brien out as well... hard to keep it down to five!

I like everything Bill Monroe ever did, and everything Jesse Mcreynolds ever did without a drum kit. The Mccourys are constantly travelling, I reccomend a live show as your first exposure if at all possible. It's worth it! My favorite album David Grisman ever played on was the "Old and in the Grey" Cd, seconded by his "Shady Grove" album with Jerry Garcia. I like Mike Comptons work with John Hartford especially well.

Reguardless of mandolin content, I consider John Hartford, Doc Watson, Townes Van Zandt, and Tony Rice essential listens in the folk/bluegrass/country field.

[Loren Bailey]

If you have a little bit of computer knowledge go to bluegrassbox.com. There are thousands of live shows in .shn and .flac formats that can be downloaded and converted to CD or MP3 including some great old Monroe Opry shows. Best part is it's FREE. There are text files which describe each show.

Loren

[picksnbits]

One of my favorites on bluegrassbox.com is Doc Watson and Bill Monroe live 1969 at Bean Blossom Watson/Monroe (http://www.bluegrassbox.com/bgb-contents/bluegrass/doc+bill1969-06-21.shnf/)

Just guitar and mandolin so it's easier to hear what's going on.

[derekbyron]

kenny baker plays bill monroe is definately a must have.