Re: Sight reading ideas
Originally Posted by
Carl23
... any ideas on what a mandolin focused sight-reading book might look like?
Even before I finished reading the list of possible topics, my reaction was that most of those, for good but maybe not exhaustive coverage, could be a book on their own.
As something of an informal "teacher" recently (that is, w/ absolutely no certification or externally-recognized qualification), I've come to realize that such books need to come in several varieties: one for the absolute beginner, maybe one for the musician new to the instrument but who has some base of musical knowledge, and one or many for the advanced student looking to pursue specific topics. Attempting to cover all of those in one swipe may well lead to frustration and/or loss of interest.
As good examples of "generalist" texts, that are not genre-specific AND that treat beginners gently without insulting (or boring too much) the more accomplished, I'd look at Don Julin's "Mandolin for Dummies", and at the 3-book series "The Complete Mandolin Method" (beginner, intermediate, & advanced), the first two by Greg Horne, the last by Wayne Fugate. Each nicely touches on needed subjects in not-too-exhaustive depth before filling in other knowledge that's needed before real advancement can occur. In their totality, they do address "sight reading", or at least assume that's part of why you're reading them, even if not as an independently-specified subject.
I guess what I'm thinking is that a =specific= sight-reading book necessarily has to be aimed a students who are somewhat beyond the pure beginner stage.
- Ed
"Then one day we weren't as young as before
Our mistakes weren't quite so easy to undo
But by all those roads, my friend, we've travelled down
I'm a better man for just the knowin' of you."
- Ian Tyson
Bookmarks