Pentatonic Scales

[Neil in New Cross]

I'm looking for tabs for pentatonic scales on the mandolin. Just bought a piano for my daughter's birthday, on which you can have hours of fun just playing around on the black keys (pentatonic scale, used a lot in Scottish folk music). Now I want to work out same on mandolin. Any clues?

[tiltman]

I don't know where you are on the mandolin learning curve but Niles Hokanen has a book on pentatonic scales for mandolin. Geared towards intermediate players.
Kirk

[Joe Mangio]

Check out: Music Theory for Modern Mandolin,
by Thomas P.Ohmsen.

[M. Hollen]

Mel Bay's "Mandolin Scales and Studies"

[lindensensei]

I second Joe. #Ohmsen's book is the bible.

But on the other hand, they are not hard to figure out. #Remember to practice them by using ascending and descending doubles and triples. #Good luck.

[Staramouche]

Neil-
I thought a Pentatonic scale was something that weighed soda-pop until I went to this site:

http://www.free-guitar-tablature.com/p1.html

After that little tickle I RAN out and got a Scales and Study book by Ray Bell and now my leads have improved sooo much! Good Luck

~~~~~~~Joe

[mikeyes]

Any idea where to find a copy of Music Theory for Modern Mandolin?

[thistle3585]

Mike,
Bill Hamilton at midcontinentmusic.com has it, as well as Elderly.com. The best book I ever bought. My playing has greatly improved as a result of it.

[Staramouche]

Lookee here...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....63&rd=1 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43392&item=3749109363&rd=1)

This is the book I've used

~~~~~~~~~Joe

[mikeyes]

Thanks, guys.

[Neil in New Cross]

Thanks for all suggestions. Joe's link is much more useful than it might sound. Although it's on a guitar website, this article on improvisation is not instrument specific and does include tabs on pentatonic scales on the fiddle (and hence mandolin). Definitely worth a look:
http://www.free-guitar-tablature.com/p1.html