View Full Version : Best book to learn
ed46464
Jul-09-2007, 9:34pm
I just bought David Grisman's book on how to play his style of Dawg music. What I did't know is that it is a book for someone who knows how to play the mandolin.
I would like to know which book you guys like the best as a good learning tool. Thank you in advance for all of your help!
Landon
Walter Newton
Jul-09-2007, 9:46pm
Jack Tottle's Bluegrass Mandolin (http://www.amazon.com/Bluegrass-Mandolin-Jack-Tottle/dp/0825601541) is the classic primer.
mando.player
Jul-09-2007, 10:04pm
Greg Horne has two books out, Beginner and Intermediate Mandolin that are excellent. I'm currently workign through Intermediate. I wish I had found these a long time ago. Like 15-20 books ago...lol.
The Tottle book is good also, although I think the learning curve is a little steep. The Horne books start pretty basic and each chapter builds onto the next. The CDs that come with them are also helpful to practice against.
Have fun learning...
I'm using Greg Horne's books and they're pretty great. I also have the Fiddler's Fake Book, which while not a primer, has plenty of additional material at various levels that would compliment any book.
C. Carr
Jul-12-2007, 10:26pm
Roland White's book. Absoloutely perfect!
Treblemaker
Jul-12-2007, 10:50pm
Roland White's Green Book is the best - it steps you through warm ups, then major scales, then double stops all the while making use of the last lesson in the next lesson. I taught about 30 people using this book as curriculum when I worked at a music store back in 2005... Highly recommend it.
Treblemaker
www.WorldWideTed.com
mandolin123
Jul-13-2007, 7:29am
Janet Davis " you can teach yourself mandolin"
very plain and simple to follow.
Tony Sz
Jul-13-2007, 7:37am
I got the most out of Niles Hokkanen's "Bluegrass Up The Neck", although I worked with it in conjunction with other books. Butch Baldassari's books are really worthwhile. Learning the fiddle tunes in Butch's books helps in a concrete way. This, combined with Niles' theoretical approach opens up a whole world of opportunities on the mandolin. Once you have some basics down, "BG Up the Neck" is like a revelation!
jjboone101
Jul-13-2007, 8:29am
I third the vote for Roland's book. Well done, good CDs, solid tabulature. A good starting point...
Joel Spaulding
Jul-13-2007, 8:32am
I enthusiastically agree with Treblemaker - Roland White's book is fantastic! I recieved a copy of Bert Casey's Mandolin Primer with my first Oscar Schmidt, but found Roland's book to provide arrangements and techniques that are much more "musical" sounding.
Treblemaker
Jul-13-2007, 9:34am
Here's the link to Roland's excellent Bluegrass Instructional Book:
http://www.rolandwhite.com/bluegrassmandolin.htm
Can't recommend it enough - though listening to bluegrass, playing along with your favorite recorded music and playing with others can't be underestimated as learning tools as well.
Treblemaker
http://www.WorldWideTed.com
mando.player
Jul-13-2007, 9:59am
I have both Horne's book and Roland's. I think they compliment each other more than they compete. Roland's book is a great collection of tunes that build upon each other. The Horne books are definitely more verbose, they unravel the logical beauty of the mandolin without too much theory.
If you're learning on your own, the Horne books are going to answer more questions. If you taking lessons or working another mandolin method, Roland's book would be a great addition. Or if you just want a great collection of tunes that progressively build on each other, you can't go wrong with Roland's book.
Greg Horne has two books out, Beginner and Intermediate Mandolin that are excellent. I'm currently workign through Intermediate. I wish I had found these a long time ago. Like 15-20 books ago...lol.
The Tottle book is good also, although I think the learning curve is a little steep. The Horne books start pretty basic and each chapter builds onto the next. The CDs that come with them are also helpful to practice against.
Have fun learning...
From the "shameless self-promoting plug department" ... Please don't forget about the third book in that series, "Mastering Mandolin". As it's author it occupies a special place in my heart and I feel that no library of mandolin instructional material is complete without it ... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
mando.player
Jul-13-2007, 12:12pm
Sorry Wayne...lol.
I've got all three books, it just that I haven't made it through Intermediate yet. So out of sight out of mind http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
When you do get to Wayne's Mastering book, you'll be laying a solid foundation for Jazz or any other genre of music for that matter. He provides the same well structured format that exists in the first two books.
brandt
Jul-13-2007, 12:33pm
I started out with 2 books by Dix Bruce (www.musixnow.com) - terrific content and very easy to get started and advance quickly. CD's are included and he has companion DVD's as well (I think)
His new book "Gypsy Swing and Hot Club Rhythm" is fantastic!!
Brady Smith
Jul-13-2007, 12:38pm
Add a vote for Roland White's book.
elvisNoir
Jul-13-2007, 7:28pm
I haven't seen the others mentioned, but I do have Butch Baldassari's Bluegrass DVD, which shows that he is a good teacher and covers useful material.
I would like to suggest a book that I got today:
Basics of Bluegrass Mandolin...and a whole lot more! #by Eddie Collins
112 pages, 2 CDs
I like it because it covers, almost literally, EVERYTHING one might need to begin playing a mando, and to learn bluegrass. It covers thing in a great deal of detail, and answers a lot of questions that I have had as I have worked through other materials.
It covers how to play a mandolin, how to play bluegrass songs, solo and rhythm, practicing, arranging, improving your playing, and more. He teaches how to use tab and standard notation, and presents both. He includes a lot of songs, many of which are standards that one should know.
Check out the website to see the entire picture.
http://www.eddiecollins.biz/eddie/bookmandolin.html