Best Mandolin Method Books

[DavidKOS]

Exploring Classical Mandolin: Technique & Repertoire
by August Watters (a member of this forum, no less)

"Exploring Classical Mandolin Technique and Repertoire" by August Watters, Berklee Press (2015). Music notation, no tablature. Not for beginners though.
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True, but after learning the basics of fingering and reading music, the Watters book is a wonderful way to learn many mandolin techniques, that can also be applied to other styles of music.

[JonZ]

Bluegrass
Mandolin Pickers Guide to Bluegrass Improvisation
https://www.amazon.com/Mandolin-Pick...+improvisation
Clear. Easy to follow. Thorough.

Blues
Blues Scales: Essential Tools for Jazz Improvisation
https://www.amazon.com/Blues-Scales-...ssential+tools
This is not mandolin specific and presents some standard notation, but once you understand how the "two blues scales" work together, you can generate a lot of soloing ideas that work for blues and jazz blues.

Jazz
Jazz Guitar Soloing
https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-...oloing+Elliott
This is a guitar book, but the system can be translated to mandolin.

Chords
Chord Builder for Fifths Tuned Instruments
http://www.calgaryuke.com/ukerichard...nstruments.pdf
Explains how to build chords, and it's free!

Jazz Chording for Mandolin
http://www.petimarpress.com/pdf%20fi...20Mandolin.pdf
Explains how to use jazz chords in various jazz styles.

All of my choices are about improvisation. You would need to apply the information in them to tunes you like. So, you will also need need books or recordings to learn repertoire from. I also highly recommend the IRealB app to play along with.

My Blues and Jazz choices are not mandolin books, but I think most people can figure out how to apply the concepts in them to mandolin. Take the concepts and apply them to slow simple tunes, and you are on your way. There is simply a lot more to choose from in these genres when you go outside the mandolin world, and I think the usefulness of the approaches these books take makes them superior to mandolin books in the genre.

Learning Theory
Make it Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
https://www.amazon.com/Make-Stick-Sc...=make+it+stick
A lot of books on how to learn or practice are based on unproven theories. This book provides a good explanation for laymen about what research has actually proven works best.

The Bulletproof Musician
A good site for keeping up with useful research.

[sonic]

I’ll add another one for Mandolin for Dummies.
But no one seems to of mentioned Jim Richter’s book.
Richter Mandolin, blues thoughts and junk. Written on his approach to blues Mandolin it’s got some good exercises and various things including pentatonic boxes double stops and movable chords. Written in standard notation and tab there’s even an interactive iPad version.

[John Flynn]

I think people warm up to different books based on a lot of factors, like what level of player they are, what kind of music they are in to and what kind of learner there are. I have a LOT of method/tune books, some unused. The three that I've gotten the most mileage out of are:

• "Bluegrass Mandolin by Jack Tottle, already mentioned. It was the first method book I bought back in the early '80's and I probably would not have kept playing to this day if it were not for that book. The first few chapters are golden for a beginner. The later chapters will even challenge an experienced player.
• "Teach Yourself Bluegrass Mandolin" by Andy Statman: A really easy book to warm up to, especially for a beginner. Has both basic and intermediate approaches to a good cross section of old-time/bluegrass tunes.
• "Developing Melodic Variations on Fiddle Tunes: Mandolin Edition" by John McGann: Despite it's high-falootin' title, it has some great intermediate to advanced approaches to a good cross section of old-time/bluegrass tunes. It gets the reader/player to experience several possibilities on each tune so you can come up with things on your own.

[Steve L]

I would suggest anyone interested in "Celtic" music with the aim of playing it with other people to think twice about the Kaufman Celtic Workout. The musicianship is beyond reproach, but stylistically it's a very "Americana" take on the tunes and wouldn't go down well in the Irish trad world, although there does seem to be more interaction between those styles among younger players.

[crisscross]

For classical mandolin music, I prefer to work with L'art de la mandoline by Silvio Ranieri.
Here are two threads about it:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...hlight=ranieri
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...hlight=ranieri

[crisscross]

[JeffD]

In addition to many of the above methods, and especially the Raneri, and Marilynn Mair,
I really like these:

[Stacey Morris]

Marilynn Mair's "The Complete Mandolinist"

http://www.marilynnmair.com/books/20...e-mandolinist/

I agree with Jeff. I really like Marilynn's book.

[Geoff w/a G]

The best mando method for me has been discovering the Ranieri, The Art of the Mandolin. I had been playing guitar and double bass for quite awhile before stumbling into mandolin. I was in London at the Clifford Essex music shop filing through the stacks and I discovered and purchased volumes 1 and 2 of the Ranieri. I started my study and liked the books because they are graded with thought, having a smooth challenging connection of note reading, technique, interesting etudes, correct fingering, great music and duet opportunities throughout for student and teacher. This series is all business, everything counts and is explained, there is no waste of lumber (pages of big print and pictures and tab) There is even more to do in volumes 3 and 4. I was coming from guitar and bass, tuned in 4ths to the mando in 5ths and I started on page one with my metronome and learned mando fingering, no regrets.

[Brian Harris]

About Greg Horne's books -- I don't want to spend much time practicing and learning his unknown, original material. That gave me cause to put the book down.

I think there's enough public domain popular material that he could replace his originals with something you could learn and subsequently take to your local jam.

I'm a minority voice, but I'd avoid his series for this reason alone.

[JeffD]

For classical mandolin music, I prefer to work with L'art de la mandoline by Silvio Ranieri.
Here are two threads about it:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...hlight=ranieri
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...hlight=ranieri

I second that opinion.

[Manfred Hacker]

About Greg Horne's books -- I don't want to spend much time practicing and learning his unknown, original material. That gave me cause to put the book down.

I think there's enough public domain popular material that he could replace his originals with something you could learn and subsequently take to your local jam.

I'm a minority voice, but I'd avoid his series for this reason alone.

I only know Books 2 and 3. I don't remember (m)any "originals" there. I have learned some very nice versions of popular tunes from these books that I have often played with others.

[Guitfiddle Mike]

Trying not to steal your thread but could someone tell us the difference between The Jack Tottle book from 1976 and the book from 1992.

Looking on Amazon they appear to have the same cover. They are asking around $60 for the 76 version.

Thanks,

[domradave]

3 volumes of the William Place, jr. Mandolin Method published by Belwin-Mills. Marilyn Mair endorsed them in an old Mandolin World News so I went over to the Belwin-Mills plant about ten minutes from where I was living and got them. Covers everything except improvisation: duo style, position playing, lots of Place original pieces.
Hope one day to get a Bacon and Day mandolin signed by Place!

[Jim1hays]

I found Hal Leonards Mandolin Method Book 1 to be a great beginner book. It is not genre specific. Also Bert Caseys, Mandolin Primer for beginners is an excellent one.