Customer Reviews

Bluegrass Mandolin

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Tottle starts with some musical fundamentals -- general points like reading TAB and musical notation, time signatures, rhythm, etc., as well as mandolin-specific issues like tuning. If you have another instrument under your belt, this makes quick reading and then Tottle immediately starts you on learning simple pieces. Since I already play the guitar, for instance, I opened this book and almost immediately learned my first rag.

After you have half a dozen dance numbers under your belt, Tottle breaks out a small chord dictionary and introduces the idea of the structured bluegrass song, with instrumental breaks in between verses. Starting with "The Banks of the Ohio", he then demonstrates how to construct a mandolin break around a song's melody. As he adds numbers, Tottle increases in complexity, and it pretty quickly adds up to an impressive repertoire.

Tottle's writing is clear and straightforward. All music is presented in standard notation and in tablature. Occasional charming photographs of mandolin greats add a nice touch.

The book I have does not have the CD, but the CD can only add to what is a great instructional book.

When I started playing mandolin 15 years ago this was the only book I could find. It turned out to be a great investment. Easy to read, easy to follow. The music is timeless and jack has a very unique style. For beginners or experts alike theres a lot here I'd highlt recommend it

This book is the gold-standard for learning mandolin. I was trying to teach myself and getting nowhere (I was trying to play it like a guitar!) He really caters to students of all skill levels, particularly with his song choices and arrangements. They're simple enough that even a beginner can play them slowly, yet more intermediate players will have difficulty playing them fast without practice. Tottle provides tips for potentially troublesome sections in each song, as well as general advice when learning a new skill. They're bluegrass songs, but the skills learned can be cross-applied to whatever genre you wish to play.

The songs are presented in both tablature and musical notation. Tottle gives about the most concise, informative primer on reading tab that I've ever read. The tab includes written-in chord changes, so you won't be completely unaware of the notes you're playing if you don't read notation. This book is a great place for learning that, too, as it teaches you how to count the note lengths, which are the same as for notation, and give you the chord names, making it easier to figure the notes.

I actually borrowed it from the library, but I intend to purchase it, as I feel it will be a great source to refer back to. Very helpful book, even if you don't want to play bluegrass.

I was searching for a really comprehensive instruction book for mando, and I have found one: "Bluegrass Mandolin" by Jack Tottle. While I realize there are many styles for playing, I think this is a really good way to get started. The lessons are presented in both standard notation and tablature, and they graduate in complexity as you get farther along.

My only complaint is that this doesn't come with a CD. But this is a slam more towards myself than towards the author. I am ashamed to say that, with the exception of a few songs, I am woefully unfamiliar with most of these beloved folk and bluegrass standards; and the majority of my learning procedure in the past has been by ear. But I am looking at this as a challenge and a way to exercise my ability to read and play along with sheet music. Still, hearing the actual song would help me play more fluid-ish. A check of the copyright page tells me that it first went to press in the late 70s, so CDs were far into the future.

This is one of my favorite Mandolin Books. I taught myself with just this book. Mine came with a flexible record so I could play along with some of the songs after I learned them. I can't tell if this current edition has anything like that. I learned from the "Tabs" which is fine, but I did start to use them as a crutch. I recommend learning how to read notes if you want to advance beyond this book. The songs are very fun to play, starting out very easy and getting into some more difficult pieces. I can't remember if the book mentioned the up-down picking. My music teacher told me that much later, which helped me "pick" even faster. I wish there were a Volume II with more Bluegrass songs.

Well written, good tunes, and well organized. Much better than other "how to play..." types of texts. Having a bit of familiarity with the tunes helps, but that is always the case when learning music.