I attend a Blues Jam regularly and play guitar. I would like to play a a mandolin song from time to time. Any suggestion for songs that might work at a Blues Jam.
I attend a Blues Jam regularly and play guitar. I would like to play a a mandolin song from time to time. Any suggestion for songs that might work at a Blues Jam.
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"You have to go out on a limb, that is where the fruit is"
Have a look at the posts entitled "Blues, Stomps & Rags," #1-50 down the Forum Page under the heading, "Jazz, Swing, Blues, Bossa, Choro, Klezmer, Ragtime."
More blues than you can shake a stick (or perhaps a back cat bone) at .
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ps-amp-Rags-50
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
Check out Rich Delgrosso, Gerry Hundt and of course Jim Richter for ideas and inspiration.
Almost any song will work on mandolin, it will just be different. Depending upon your proficiency, what key you choose might make a difference. There are lots of songs that are blues based, but not in the "blues" genre: "Route 66", "Chains", etc. Lots of Western swing music is blues: "Milk Cow Blues", etc.
You can even do songs which are not blues form, but do them in a blues style. David Bromberg does "900 Miles" in a very bluesy style on his album,"The Blues, the Whole Blues, and Nothing but the Blues"
...
I have a few favorites lately in different styles on mandolin, Green River (CCR), Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning (Rev Gary Davis) and Diving Duck Blues (Yank Rachell). All are a lot of fun on mandolin.
Yank played mandolin on Diving Duck. I worked out a cool mandolin version of Keep Your Lamp based on Larry Campbell’s guitar arrangement, it’s a favorite with the worship band I play in. I worked out Green River on mandolin, based on my own finger style guitar arrangement, during my first year of mandolin, and made a video tutorial of it - before I could even play it fluidly. When I play it on mandolin now, I still use the same licks and forms that I showed in that video. It works. I’ll put a link to that here, in case you’re interested.
https://youtu.be/JWMmAJ0cevo
WWW.THEAMATEURMANDOLINIST.COM
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"Life is short. Play hard." - AlanN
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Ry Cooder doing Brownsville Blues....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdHXqAvOfXg
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
Anyone have any good sources of tab books for Blues? So far they've eluded me.
Here's one I like.
THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!
One for the holidays....
Any blues tune is fine. Just learn it on mando. Some good artists for inspiration are mentioned above. Yank Rachell and Johnny Young are a couple of early practitioners, and there are a few Memphis Minnie tunes that include mando.
Even though I don't remember any mando associated with them, you can do some playing along and get some great song selections from Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers and the Memphis Jug Band.
For minor-key blues, listen to some Rich DelGrosso. And to this:
PS - Once you have the hang of it, a blues jam is a great place to bring a mando, because it'll be the only one there.
"Bluegrass Stomp"..
Vol Steven was an impressive mandolin player who played with the Memphis Jug band.
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ps-amp-Rags-20
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
- Ed
"Then one day we weren't as young as before
Our mistakes weren't quite so easy to undo
But by all those roads, my friend, we've travelled down
I'm a better man for just the knowin' of you."
- Ian Tyson
WWW.THEAMATEURMANDOLINIST.COM
----------------------------------
"Life is short. Play hard." - AlanN
----------------------------------
HEY! The Cafe has Social Groups, check 'em out. I'm in these groups:
Newbies Social Group | The Song-A-Week Social
The Woodshed Study Group | Blues Mando
- Advice For Mandolin Beginners
- YouTube Stuff
These books all are good, and include tabs tabs. All come with either a CD or a link for MP3's.
Carr, Joe. School of Mandolin: Blues. Mel Bay.
James, Steve. Roots and Blues Mandolin. Acoustic Guitar Private Lessons, String Letter.
Delgrosso, Rich. Mandolin Blues: from Memphis to Maxwell Street. Hal-Leonard.
Carr's is good for someone fairly new to either mandolin or the blues, providing rhythms, blues scales, and such. James's is more intermediate, with plenty of good, sometimes well-known, tunes. Delgrosso's is for a more experienced player, who already has a blues background. His book has plenty of information in it, and is a must for anyone interested in the history of blues mandolin. Steve James also has two teaching DVD's On Homespun Video.
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
https://youtu.be/NLxW_Ndqmec
Here’s a track I recorded a year ago on a five string mando.
Waterloo WL-M
Blues Mando Social Group - member
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
Mike Compton hasn’t been mentioned? Check out his 'rotten taters' album. There are some lovely blues, which you can simplify if needs be.
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I stick in G when I'm doing songs if possible, easy chords which sound good & the possibility of a solo.
I like "Can't be satisfied" (Muddy Waters)"Monday morning blues" ( MIssissippi John Hurt) Hellhound (Robert Johnson) & sneak in a few more country ones like like "White Freightliner" and "Catfish John". "Love in vain" is good too. Keep the mando part simple, don't compete with yourself.
WWW.THEAMATEURMANDOLINIST.COM
----------------------------------
"Life is short. Play hard." - AlanN
----------------------------------
HEY! The Cafe has Social Groups, check 'em out. I'm in these groups:
Newbies Social Group | The Song-A-Week Social
The Woodshed Study Group | Blues Mando
- Advice For Mandolin Beginners
- YouTube Stuff
WWW.THEAMATEURMANDOLINIST.COM
----------------------------------
"Life is short. Play hard." - AlanN
----------------------------------
HEY! The Cafe has Social Groups, check 'em out. I'm in these groups:
Newbies Social Group | The Song-A-Week Social
The Woodshed Study Group | Blues Mando
- Advice For Mandolin Beginners
- YouTube Stuff
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