Mel Bay's Jethro Method Book

[Rroyd]

For whoever might be interested, Mel Bay's Jethro Burns Mandolin Method book had a number of transcriptions of some of the tunes he had recorded, including "Back Up and Push." I suspect it may be out of print, but copies could be available through some of the usual sources for used and out of print books. (I have had had some luck in years past contacting Mel Bay Publishing directly regarding some of their offerings that were not currently being offered.)

[swampstomper]

This book is a treasure trove of Jethrology. Not just the Country Fiddlers tunes, but many of his signature tunes like "Flicking my Pick", "Jethro's tune". Chord melody. Jethro's approach to 3-finger chords. Exercises for right and left hands. As a teaching book it would be hard to follow but as a storehouse of Jethro's thinking it is invaluable

[re simmers]

Highly recommended! I've had that book for a long time. Wow, it is tough. Every couple of years I get it out to see if I am getting good enough to tackle it. I got some of it, but not much.

Bob

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

The book is still in print and available from Mel Bay. Some slightly tweaked settings of common tunes, and good transcriptions of Jethro's own. My only gripe is the teensy tab size for Boll Weevil--you need a magnifying lens to read it. I ended up re-tabbing the whole tune in a much larger font with TablEdit

The accompanying CD helps give the feel for the tunes and is very faithful to the book's tabs.

[Rroyd]

Well, there you go, albaker, both a recording and transcriptions, still available. The cafe comes through again.

[timv]

Just curious... I see "Mel Bay's Complete Jethro Burns Mandolin Book" and I see "Mel Bay's Complete Mandolin Method." Two different books, one with "Jethro Burns" in the title and the other with "Method" in it. Both can be previewed at books.google.com.

The Jethro book looks really good. The Mel Bay book looks a lot like what I had when I started learning guitar as a young lad, which I truly despised. Then there's "Mel Bay's Tenor Banjo Melody Chord Playing System" which might be interesting. Also tuned in fifths...

[swampstomper]

I just ordered something from Dix Bruce today, and I notice on his web site Musix (http://www.musixnow.com/) that he sells the "Jethro Burns Complete Mandolin Method" (click on the "books" link to see this). This is the one I was referring to, and which I have. Dix's description is right on:


Jethro Burns was one incredible mandolin player. Whether he was playing jazz, country, pop, solo chord melody mandolin, or bluegrass, he took his mandolin and his music to new heights with incredible flights of imagination, creativity, and virtuosity. His technique was stunning and seemingly without limit.

Beginning in the late 1970s, Jethro wrote three groundbreaking and progressive books on his playing for Mel Bay Publications. They were packed with exercises he recommended for improving control and speed, fiddle and folk tunes as only Jethro could have arranged them, arpeggios, scales, chord theory, original compositions and solos by Jethro plus transcriptions of some of his finest recorded solos. All designed and organized by Jethro to teach students his complete approach to the mandolin and to the music he was famous for.

Now all three of Jethro’s books have been collected and reissued in one volume as Jethro Burns’ Complete Mandolin Book along with, for the first time, two CDs with recordings by the master himself playing pieces from the book! Jethro Burns' Complete Mandolin Book will stretch your knowledge of mandolin beyond what you thought possible. Worth the price for the transcriptions of Jethro's famous and revolutionary recorded solos on "Back Up & Push," "Mississippi Sawyer," "Tennessee Waggoner," "Old Joe Clark," "Soldier's Joy," "Hell Amongst the Yearlings" alone.

So to answer the above question, there were several books, all published by Mel Bay, now all in one package here -- get it!

[timv]

Not that it's a big deal or anything, but I just checked and Dix correctly calls it "Jethro Burns Complete Mandolin Book." No "Method"--only madness? :)

I assume that's ISBN 0786665378, which is really the way to keep them straight. The books have such similar names sometimes.