12 Bluegrass Tunes That Say It All--Mandolin Edition

[mandolirius]

I wouldn't either but even bluegrassers need to look outside the genre every so often.

[Alex Orr]

I wouldn't either but even bluegrassers need to look outside the genre every so often.

But the whole point is essential bluegrass tunes... I mean, if you're going that route, why not include Maggie May as an essential bluegrass mandolin tune?

I think the problem with a thread like this is that most folks read it as being "my favorite bluegrass tunes" rather than 12 tunes that cover the breadth of what you'll likely play in a bluegrass as a mandolin player. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" is not a favorite bluegrass tune of mine, but I'd include it on the list because the point was to try for 12 songs that cover all the bases in bluegrass, and banjo breakdowns are an intrinsic part of the genre, not just on recordings but at jam sessions...unless there are no banjo players at your jam

"Rawhide" is a tough one. It's a mando showpiece but I never hear it called in a jam. However, it's so intrinsically tied to the style of arguably the most important musician in bluegrass history that it probably should be included.

I'll also add "Freight Train Boogie" since "boogie" style tunes seem to come up often at jams. Learning how to do a basic sort of walking bass solo on one of these is a skill that can be applied to any of them.

[SincereCorgi]

I think the problem with a thread like this is that most folks read it as being "my favorite bluegrass tunes" rather than 12 tunes that cover the breadth of what you'll likely play in a bluegrass as a mandolin player...

Very well-put. It's hard to choose, though! Like, you probably wouldn't have Jerusalem Ridge and Lonesome Fiddle Blues because they cover a lot of the same ground, but Lonesome Fiddle is a good example of a very complete movement through a circle of secondary dominants in the B part, but Jerusalem Ridge has all sorts of other bluegrass tricks in a small space. Also, if you put in a clawhammer song like Pretty Polly, do you need Sunny Side of the Mountain, which is not all that different but poses its own problems?

[JonZ]

Here are some that I would pick:
Bluegrass Stomp--I IV V in D, Bluesy, Classic Monroe
John Hardy--I V II in C can throw off a beginner
Salty Dog
Evening Prayer Blues--G Blusey, crooked
I'm Just Here to Get My Baby out of Jail--I IV V in A, closed position licks.
Something in E--Because it is in E.

I don't know the repetoire as well as some, so there might be more commonly played tunes that fill the same rolls as the tunes I picked, but you get the idea.

I know any song can be transposed. I am trying to stick to the keys of the typical recorded versions.

[sarai]

6. Cheyenne

I think I'm in love - I downloaded the Tony Rice version...

[OldSausage]

John Hardy isn't I V II in C, it's IV I V in G

[JonZ]

John Hardy isn't I V II in C, it's IV I V in G

Still, throws some folks off.

[mandolirius]

I think I'm in love - I downloaded the Tony Rice version...

This is one case where I'd definintely recommend listening to the original. In addition to the great fiddle work, Monroe plays a truly inspired part on the mandolin. Don't miss it!

[AlanN]

Still, throws some folks off.

Obviously.

JH is

IV, I
IV, I
IV, I
Long V
I

and

HTGMBOOJ is

Long I, V, I
IV, V, I

[JonZ]

Obviously.

Overcompensating for something?

[AlanN]

If you say so.

Need to get the facts straight if a tune is to be laid out the correct way.

[JonZ]

How does sarcasm help that process?

[sarai]

Originally Posted by sarai

I think I'm in love - I downloaded the Tony Rice version...
This is one case where I'd definintely recommend listening to the original. In addition to the great fiddle work, Monroe plays a truly inspired part on the mandolin. Don't miss it!

OK I'll find it

[Mike Bunting]

I'm not sure about Salty Dog being relevant according to thread title. It became known through F & S's version which features the banjo, obviously. I thought we were discussing songs/tunes that for one reason or another were connected to the mandolin.

[ralph johansson]

The point of the jazz list is to cover various types of chord progressions. Usually Body and Soul is include. Incidentally, that song, along with All the Things and Cherokee covers all 12 major keys.

It's hard to devise a similar Bluegrass list, because so many songs use similar harmony. If you want to get good at improvising in Bluegrass I suggest you look for material that offers variety in that respect. You'll need to know the blues, in all keys, of course. A couple of fiddle tunes will help build a vocabulary. Trickier tunes like Brilliancy and High Level Hornpipe have the right balance between arpeggios and scalar lines. Some BG tunes with less common chord progressions are Rawhide, Moonlight Waltz, Crossing the Cumberlands, Salty Dog, The One I Love Is Gone (Monroe), Cheyenne (or Old Home Place). Then you could follow Reno&Smiley or the Country Gentlemen in including pop songs like Limehouse Blues, Heartaches, and (The World Is Waiting For The) Sunrise.

[AlanN]

Good points, Ralph.

And might include some of the rock/hippie grass things - Stones tunes done in the grass way (OAITW), Love Potion #9 (New Deal String Band), maybe some John Hartford off-the-track numbers.