Masters Of The Mandolin

[MandoDano944]

Just received the new Masters Of The Mandolin tablature book yesterday. Time to learn some new tunes! Book has a lot of great tunes. I hope It will help me learn some cool new tunes. What is everyone's experience with this newly released book?

[Willie Poole]

I have never been able to learn any new tunes by reading a book or tabs, I play by ear and if I hear a tune that I like I listen to it over and over if I have to in order to learn it...I find that when pickers do learn from a book or by sheet music or whatever they don`t seem to have much feeling into their music, and of course I understand that not every one has the ability to play by ear BUT I bet if a lot of them tried they could do it...

Willie

[Bill McCall]

I have never been able to learn any new tunes by reading a book or tabs, I play by ear and if I hear a tune that I like I listen to it over and over if I have to in order to learn it...I find that when pickers do learn from a book or by sheet music or whatever they don`t seem to have much feeling into their music, and of course I understand that not every one has the ability to play by ear BUT I bet if a lot of them tried they could do it...

Some people have to learn by ear since they can't read, music. I think reading certainly allows a much faster mechanism of learning a tune, and many orchestras can attest to the fact the reading in no way impacts the 'feeling' that people can put into music. I'll bet even Chris Thile can read music and I would think he's learned Bach from scores, not from recordings. Bit of feeling in his playing.

And maybe nonreaders could learn, if they tried.

Just sayin....

[Denny Gies]

Got one too, can't wait to get Rebecca down pat.

[DavidKOS]

I have never been able to learn any new tunes by reading a book or tabs, I play by ear and if I hear a tune that I like I listen to it over and over if I have to in order to learn it...I find that when pickers do learn from a book or by sheet music or whatever they don`t seem to have much feeling into their music, and of course I understand that not every one has the ability to play by ear BUT I bet if a lot of them tried they could do it...

Willie

That's the key word - "pickers". Most play by ear, as part of a long folk tradition.

However, and this is not meant to be condescending, but when I was in music school (which already makes me suspect in the folk world) the "musicians" I met could read fly snot on paper AND play by ear, with great feeling AND technique.

It's not either or.

The musicians also studied ear training, which included taking music dictation, and that's pretty serious "playing by ear" to write down a 4 part piece just by hearing it once or twice.

You also may be surprised how many of those ear-playing pickers you know are hiding musical literacy.

[MandoDano944]

I can play some by ear, but I am not proficient by no means. I really like the book so far! I am working on Rebecca too, like Denny mentioned! A lot of great tunes in the book. I am glad Fred took the time to rerelease it, as I never had the opportunity to buy the original version.

[yankees1]

I think it would be ideal to be able to play by ear and read music notation !

[DavidKOS]

I think it would be ideal to be able to play by ear and read music notation !

My teachers thought that a "complete musician" could play by ear and read charts.

[MontanaMatt]

I have never been able to learn any new tunes by reading a book or tabs, I play by ear and if I hear a tune that I like I listen to it over and over if I have to in order to learn it...I find that when pickers do learn from a book or by sheet music or whatever they don`t seem to have much feeling into their music, and of course I understand that not every one has the ability to play by ear BUT I bet if a lot of them tried they could do it...

Willie

I'm with a Bill
I can read music at near full speed. When I memorize music, I see staff notation in my head. I've also learned hundreds of songs by ear, and I see the sheet music in my minds eye. Please don't suggest that we should approach problems from the same angle.
Try learning a five minute Bach piece by ear...

[MontanaMatt]

I think it would be ideal to be able to play by ear and read music notation !

As a note reader and dysfunctional tab reader, I hope this book gets translated into sheet music!