12 Bluegrass Tunes That Say It All--Mandolin Edition

**JonZ** · Jul-22-2012, 11:46pm

I came across this list from the Manhattan School of Music:

Twelve tunes say it all: “Blues,” “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “Cherokee,” “Sweet
Georgia Brown,” “Indiana,” “How High the Moon,” “Out of Nowhere,” “Perdido,”
“Honeysuckle Rose,” “Whispering,” “All the Things You Are,” “Night and Day,” “Lover”!!

I think the idea of this list is that these 12 tunes cover a lot of the musical territory that you are likely to encounter in jazz standards.

What would be your list of tunes that would give a mandolin player a broad exposure to what he or she is likely to encounter in Bluegrass?

**courses** · Jul-23-2012, 4:53am

I think "Killer Joe" and "Funny Valentine" belong on the jazz list.

My bluegrass list would have to start at the beginning - with anything by Big Mon!

**sarai** · Jul-23-2012, 8:04am

Looking forward to the responses

**AlanN** · Jul-23-2012, 9:17am

Thinking of a suitable response to this (not sure there is one).

Personally, I'm often asked to pick Rawhide at jams, so suppose that would be one. Also, get requests for Rebecca, so that would be another. Another might be Daybreak In Dixie. These seem to be among the short list of most popular bluegrass mandolin tunes. More modern numbers might be Tucker (Wayne B.), Fanny Hill (Dawg), Natcip (Wrank).

But, my true answer is learn as many fiddle/mandolin/instrumental tunes as you can and pick away.

**JeffD** · Jul-23-2012, 10:02am

Originally Posted by JonZ

What would be your list of tunes that would give a mandolin player a broad exposure to what he or she is likely to encounter in Bluegrass?

An aspiring professional or a jammer?

**dasspunk** · Jul-23-2012, 10:12am

I would suggest the following 12 tunes... which also happen to a top ten Bluegrass record of all time: Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. You wanna play Bluegrass mandolin, learning these tunes would help get it done...

1. Road To Columbus
2. Brown County Breakdown
3. Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
4. Jerusalem Ridge
5. Monroe's Hornpipe
6. Cheyenne
7. Big Sandy River
8. Stoney Lonesome
9. Mississippi Waltz
10. Wheel Hoss
11. Fiddler's Pastime
12. Ashland Breakdown

Originally Posted by JonZ

I think the idea of this list is that these 12 tunes cover a lot of the musical territory that you are likely to encounter in jazz standards.

What would be your list of tunes that would give a mandolin player a broad exposure to what he or she is likely to encounter in Bluegrass?

**JonZ** · Jul-23-2012, 3:16pm

Just a reminder--this isn't about best or most popular. It is about a representative group of songs encompasing techniques, chord progressions, licks, positions, or whatever, that would be useful in understanding bluegrass mandolin.

So I am thinking you would need tunes in G, D, A, E, something with a lot of Blues in it, some tunes that show typical up the neck playing...

I'm not sure what else.

That Kenny Baker album is a good one.

**Alex Orr** · Jul-24-2012, 12:27pm

Originally Posted by dasspunk

I would suggest the following 12 tunes... which also happen to a top ten Bluegrass record of all time: Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. You wanna play Bluegrass mandolin, learning these tunes would help get it done...

But those are all fiddle tunes. There's a lot more to bluegrass mandolin than fiddle tunes. At least around here, there are really only about a dozen fiddle tunes that get called at open jams. I'd say about two thirds of all tunes called at jams around here are vocal tunes, and IMO, learning how to improvise a solid bluegrass break on a vocal tune requires a large and additional skill set to playing fiddle tunes.

I'd say "Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms" is essential because the melody and chord pattern are common to a lot of standard BG vocal tunes. Learning some licks and the feel for that melody and those changes sets you up for a number of other tunes.

Also, perhaps a standard blues number, maybe something like Deep Elem, just to get a feel for vamping to that kind of tune, which can also show up a lot.

I'd also suggest something in the I-IV-V family, which makes up a lot of standard BG tunes. I dunno, "Don't Give Your Heart To a Rambler" randomly comes to mind, bu there are many others that follow that format.

**JonZ** · Jul-24-2012, 4:31pm

I was thinking the same thing, but I don't know the tunes that Kenny Baker plays that well. Taken apart into their components, they may well encompass a lot of what a mandolin player is likely to encounter in various variations. There is some great picking on Kenny's recording.

I like your suggestions too.

The question seems easy at first, but you need to have a good understanding of the BG genre before you can decide on representative tunes.

**sarai** · Jul-25-2012, 9:12am

I would suggest the following 12 tunes... which also happen to a top ten Bluegrass record of all time: Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe. You wanna play Bluegrass mandolin, learning these tunes would help get it done...

1. Road To Columbus
2. Brown County Breakdown
3. Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
4. Jerusalem Ridge
5. Monroe's Hornpipe
6. Cheyenne
7. Big Sandy River
8. Stoney Lonesome
9. Mississippi Waltz
10. Wheel Hoss
11. Fiddler's Pastime
12. Ashland Breakdown

I am listening to some of these now... I like the 2 waltzs on here.

**Turnip Mountain Picker** · Jul-26-2012, 2:35pm

1. Wall of Time
2. Bluegrass Breakdown (Skaggs)
3. Dueling Banjo
4. Uncle Pen (Monroe or Skaggs)
5. Why did You Wander (Monroe or Skaggs)
6. Foggy Mountain Breakdown
7. Dooley
8. Little Cabin Home on the Hill
9. Clinch Mountain Backstep
10. Whippoorwill (IIIrd Tyme Out)
11. White House Blues
12. On and On

Dang, that was hard, so many good songs to narrow down, must have changed the list 12 time.

**Turnip Mountain Picker** · Jul-26-2012, 2:39pm

And cant believe I didnt put Toy Heart (Scaggs) on the list

**farmerjones** · Jul-26-2012, 3:21pm

Jam/Setlist
1. Uncle Penn
2. Sunny Side of the Mountain
3. Bluebirds Singing for Me
4. Walls of Time
5. Lonesome River
6. Foggy Mountain Breakdown
7. Dooley
8. Little Cabin Home on the Hill
9. Long Black Vail
10. Rollin My Sweet Baby's Arms
11. Footprints in the Snow
12. Ol Slew Foot
Also, Fraulien

Mandolin-centric -
1. Wheelhoss
2. Get Up John
3. Frog on a Lillypad
4. Rawhide
5. Southern Flavor
6. Monroe's Dusty Miller
7. Mule Skinner Blues
8. Brakeman's Blues

As mentioned, Bluegrass is about the High Lonesome, not nes. the mandolin.
BTW that's WSM pickin with Kenny B.

**JonZ** · Jul-26-2012, 9:33pm

Now I am all curious as to what each tune "covers".

**lenf12** · Jul-27-2012, 3:14pm

Everybody's list should to include some Jesse McReynolds cross pickin' tunes imho.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

**Alex Orr** · Jul-27-2012, 3:42pm

Originally Posted by lenf12

Everybody's list should to include some Jesse McReynolds cross pickin' tunes imho.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

I'd say that's more of a style. You could play any song with crosspicking if you wanted.

Good call on "Sunny Side of the Mountain" Farmerjones. I think if you were doing 12 songs, one of them should be a song that heavily features "Jimmy Time", meaning that there is an acceptance that for that tune, there aren't strict measures per se, but more an understanding that you're following a vocalist's lead. "Doing My Time" could be considered another. If the vocalist wants to hold "time" for 30 seconds, then he'll do it, if he wants it for two beats, then so be it. "Lonesome River" is also a geat call because it's an archetypal bluesy waltz; you'll find dozens of similar tunes in BG. Also worth including a banjo breakdown to get a feel for how to handle it as a mando player, or, if you're like me, you just wait for it to end

"Walls of Time" is also great because it's a common mid-tempo, two-chord bluesy tune, which is another standard style in BG. I'd also add "On and On" since it features the standard I-IV-I-V / I-IV-I-V-I pattern, which also is quite common in BG. Learn some licks for the structure of "On and On" and you can fake a number tunes.

**RobBob** · Aug-06-2012, 9:30am

Roanoke
Bluegrass Breakdown
Evening Prayer Blues
Mississippi Waltz

all should be on the list.

**Mandolin Mick** · Aug-06-2012, 9:53am

You know, music is such a subjective thing ... I'm always amused (or annoyed) at Rolling Stone lists like 100 greatest Guitarists, etc. They don't even consider anyone outside of the rock genre. And, nobody agrees with the list and has their own favorites.

Having said that ... Rawhide is the song in particular that I would say is a must for the mandolin arsenal. There are the other songs that it's good to know for jams like Salty Dog Blues and Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms, Cripple Creek and Soldier's Joy, but everybody does their own licks or a combination of other people's licks. But, Rawhide is the one that comes to mind that you need to know most of the solo, not note-for-note, but a reasonable facsimile.

**SincereCorgi** · Aug-06-2012, 1:49pm

Originally Posted by JonZ

Now I am all curious as to what each tune "covers".

This is a great idea (thanks for that jazz list, too...). I agree that it would be nice if people would maybe offer an explanation for why a tune was included. For example, yesterday I crashed and burned on:

Foggy Mountain Special (which requires this weird and very distinct sub-category of blues harmony for the breaks to sound right, and you have to swing pretty hard)

and

Sunny Side of the Mountain (machine gun rhythm, unintuitive phrase lengths, verse lengths can change to accommodate the lyrics)

**AlanN** · Aug-06-2012, 2:07pm

. Rawhide is the song in particular that I would say is a must for the mandolin arsenal. There are the other songs that it's good to know for jams like Salty Dog Blues and Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms, Cripple Creek and Soldier's Joy,

Agree with Rawhide, but the other tunes mentioned are not mandolin tunes, per se. Sure, you can solo on them, but for pure mando-goodness, I would add:

Bluegrass Breakdown
Kentucky Mandolin
Southern Flavor
Tennessee Blues
Big Bug (J. Reischman)
Catnip (Wakefield)
Daybreak In Dixie
New Camptown Races
Vandiver (Bibey)
Tucker (Benson)
Quicksburg Rondezvous (McCoury)

These start and end with the mandolin.

**mandolirius** · Aug-06-2012, 2:58pm

Tennessee Blues
Bluegrass Stomp
Bluegrass Breakdown
Wheel Hoss
Kentucky Mandolin
Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
Evening Prayer Blues
New Camptown Races
Rebecca
Stoney Creek
EMD
Flatbush Waltz

**Mandolin Mick** · Aug-06-2012, 3:02pm

Though I play and love most of the tunes mentioned above by Mandolirius, I would only give "Rawhide" the distinction of being "required.' IMHO ...

**mandolirius** · Aug-07-2012, 2:32am

Originally Posted by Mandolin Mick

Though I play and love most of the tunes mentioned above by Mandolirius, I would only give "Rawhide" the distinction of being "required.' IMHO ...

I left it out because I think "BG Breakdown" covers the same territory, from the perspective of technique. "Rawhide" is a great tune and I love to play it but I think the idea that it's essential or the ultimate bluegrass mandolin tune has become a bit overblown. For certain it way a showpiece of Monroe's, but the techniques involved in playing it aren't unique to "Rawhide".

**Mandolin Mick** · Aug-07-2012, 8:36am

I'd say that Rawhide is in a class by itself. It's played with incredible speed. The original studio recording is really a showcase of Monroe's virtuoso ability on the mandolin. If you look at Grisman's transcription of it in Mandolin World in the late `70's (the most accurate that I've found), when he gets to the high break, he throws in all of these open notes that are almost inaudible but are used more like rests. He really throws everything in there but the kitchen sink, and further investigation may reveal that's in there too ...

It's the type of instrumental that you can keep on learning from as a musician, yet you're able to add your own licks to it and personalize it.

Another opinion recorded ...