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Thread: Old Time Mandolin method book for beginner? With Notation and cd

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    Default Old Time Mandolin method book for beginner? With Notation and cd

    Can anyone recommendation a good beginners book to Old time music for the mandolin. I would like it to have music notation as I am learning it now and also an accompanying cd with the tunes on it.
    Thank you

  2. #2
    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Old Time Mandolin method book for beginner? With Notation and

    I haven't bought many books, but I can highly recommend the Homespun Video series The Mandolin of Norman Blake.
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    Default Re: Old Time Mandolin method book for beginner? With Notation and

    If you really are a beginner, consider Wayne Erbsen's Bluegrass Mandolin for the Complete Ignoramus. I know it says bluegrass in the title, but I think Wayne Erbsen is an Oldtime guy at heart, and for the beginner, the difference is unimportant. It has notation and tab for simplified versions of the tunes, and comes with a CD. Tune choice is different than you might pick for Oldtime.

    What I like about it for beginners is that he has his own version of tab that used the note names instead of fret numbers, which will make you to learn the notes on the fingerboard faster than traditional tab. If you already know your way around the fretboard, that is not as helpful. The other think I like is that he talks about variations in playing from the very beginning, not really improvisation, but little things you can do to change things around as you play, which I also like.

    Note that I did not come across this book as a complete beginner, but I would have liked these features when I was.
    Last edited by A 4; Oct-06-2017 at 10:29am.

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    Default Re: Old Time Mandolin method book for beginner? With Notation and

    Said to be more intermediate and advanced but you might want to get the music of Adam Tanner on your radar. He's the author of a book we've heard very good things about and is a highly respected voice in traditional music: The Shuffle of the Pick - 12 Old-Time Fiddle Tunes. Adam is an important and respected early mandolin stylist, teaches music at East Tennessee State Univ and various camps. Always good to have some inspirational listening material.


  5. #5

    Default Re: Old Time Mandolin method book for beginner? With Notation and

    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Gunter View Post
    I haven't bought many books, but I can highly recommend the Homespun Video series The Mandolin of Norman Blake.
    Thank you for the suggestion. Will check it out!

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by A 4 View Post
    If you really are a beginner, consider Wayne Erbsen's Bluegrass Mandolin for the Complete Ignoramus. I know it says bluegrass in the title, but I think Wayne Erbsen is an Oldtime guy at heart, and for the beginner, the difference is unimportant. It has notation and tab for simplified versions of the tunes, and comes with a CD. Tune choice is different than you might pick for Oldtime.

    What I like about it for beginners is that he has his own version of tab that used the note names instead of fret numbers, which will make you to learn the notes on the fingerboard faster than traditional tab. If you already know your way around the fretboard, that is not as helpful. The other think I like is that he talks about variations in playing from the very beginning, not really improvisation, but little things you can do to change things around as you play, which I also like.

    Note that I did not come across this book as a complete beginner, but I like these features.
    Thanks for the suggestion. Was checking it out earlier. I’ll give it a shot!

  6. #6

    Default Re: Old Time Mandolin method book for beginner? With Notation and

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandolin Cafe View Post
    Said to be more intermediate and advanced but you might want to get the music of Adam Tanner on your radar. He's the author of a book we've heard very good things about and is a highly respected voice in traditional music: The Shuffle of the Pick - 12 Old-Time Fiddle Tunes. Adam is an important and respected early mandolin stylist, teaches music at East Tennessee State Univ and various camps. Always good to have some inspirational listening material.

    Thank you for the suggestion. I love discovering new players. I will certainly check him out!!

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Old Time Mandolin method book for beginner? With Notation and

    Thanks for reminding me to get the Adam Tanner book. Hopefully I will be able to print the sheet music so it will be easier to see than the e-book version, but it looks pretty interesting; I also look forward to hearing the sound files.

    But it does not look like a beginner book to me. Much like the Ignoramus (hate that title) book is really for "maybe I will learn to play the mandolin" beginners.

    However, Adam Tanner has a bunch of Youtube videos to watch. I really like the Twilite Broadcasters ones.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Old Time Mandolin method book for beginner? With Notation and

    Hello to all those reading this thread.
    Yes "The Shuffle of the Pick" is designed for intermediate players.
    I wanted to put out a book that might appeal to experienced bluegrass players who love fiddle tunes and have been bitten by the old time bug!
    I am hoping that readers will see the beauty ,complexity and depth that the older music has and not just think of old time music as a more primitive version of bluegrass.
    Since I am an old time fiddler as well ,I thought it might be cool for mandolin players to have access to techniques and ideas that some of the great fiddlers used and experience the fun of trying to transfer them on to the mandolin.
    I can provide those who buy Shuffle of the Pick with a PDF of the book to print out and I now have some Youtube video's featuring me playing many of the tunes ... if folks want to contact me ,I will gladly send them a link.
    Thanks Scott T. and Cafe readers for supporting my effort!
    Adam

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