Just ordered the pentatonic mandolin

[Alex Orr]

I'm psyched to start working through Niles' book. It gets mentioned over and over again on here, so hopefully it will live up to the hype.

I'm actually fairly familar with pentatonics, mostly from using them to "fake" solos on the guitar and more recently, on the mandolin. However, I'm looking forward to seeing what new windows (if any) the book can open up for me regarding this useful scale that I'm probably guilty of using somewhat lazily.

In the 18 months or so since I've had a mando I've finished the first two Horne books, have learned all the beginner and most of the intermediate versions of the fiddle tunes in Kaufman's PLP, Vol. 1, learned a number of tunes from the Fiddler's Fakebook, written and memorized about a dozen basic breaks for vocal songs, and just finished Butch's two-volume beginners' bluegrass DVDs. I'm looking for some things to help me really be able to improve my improv skills, so hopefully Niles' book will be a step in that direction.

I was also thinking about ordering Mike Marshall's DVDs from Homespun - they also seem to get some good responses on these boards.

[jim_n_virginia]

It's a great book. Took me a little while to work through it but maybe I'm kinda dense but I thought I was familiar with pentatonics. What I found out was I knew my pentatonics but only in a few keys that I tended to favor.
G, D and A

Niles's book took me to the areas I was uncomfortable with. Like E and Bb! Surprising how much info is packed in such a teeny tiny book.

Be sure to also get Nile's Bluegrass Up The Neck, that one will have you scratching your head for a while and then one day it all comes together.

I am pretty comfortable improving now and I think I credit both of those books pretty much for helping me get there but there is only ONE way to get improve down the best and that is to play with other folks a LOT! A don't just play with your friends who play the same songs every week at you local jam, but find people to jam with you don't know and don't know their tunes.

Personally I think that is the best way to learn, it's these things you cannot get from a teacher or a book.

If I had one suggestion for Nile's and that woiuld be to print bigger books for blind like me! There is some tiny print in there!
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[M Hollen]

I second what Jim said. I have both and it took a while for them to sink in. They both have a ton of useful info and compliment each other well. Good choice.

[sbarnes]

agree w/the other posters....i can play it note for note reading the music but to assimilate the knowledge that's in those notes takes a while....
just keep playing it and it'll sink in gradually...plus it's kinda fun to play

[RobP]

What I also like about Pentatonic Mandolin is that the CD has a lot of instruction recorded on it - it isn't just the exercises from the book. There were times when I listened to the CD over and over and over again during my commute.