Customer Reviews

How to Play Mandolin

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I never played anything. With this book, it took only some days to start to play. It's excellent for the beginner.

While this is a decent book for a beginner, there is one major flaw, that being the fact that you have to be able to read music! Unfortunately I dont. Most beginners books are based on tablature, a method that is very easy to master and it allows you to play without knowing how to read music. I did learn a few things from this book and if you're interested in learning how to read music while you learn the basics of the mandolin, then you'll probably enjoy this publication.

I bought a family member a surprise gift, the black Rogue mandolin, and one of the first requests was for a beginner's book. I chose Jack Tottle's book because it's been in print for some time and has a good reputation. I definitely don't regret the purchase as the book is excellent, but I still think that private lessons will still be needed as this instrument is a bit more complicated that we realized. This book, however, is a perfect introduction to playing the mandolin.

The main premise of the book is to teach to student "the fundamentals of mandolin technique through familiar tunes which are enjoyable to play." In the front there is a photograph of a mandolin with lines pointing to all the parts so the beginner will know what is being discussed in the text. For example, if you've never held a mandolin in your hands it is handy to know what a fret is when you're asked to place a finger behind a particular fret. A line drawing indicates the numbers or names of the strings.

Things you'll learn about:

* The pick

* How to hold the mandolin

* How to use the brush stroke

* You'll learn the basics of tabulature

* You'll learn some basic chords and how to play them

* You'll learn about playing in rhythm and why it is important to playing well

* You'll learn how to play melodies

* You'll learn how to play using down-up strokes

* You'll learn about the slide

* You'll learn about double string melodies, mixed single and double strings

In the back of the book is a section on how to tune from a pitch pipe, a piano, a tuning fork, or the mandolin to itself. There is a brief section on "standard music notation on the mandolin," and a chord dictionary. There are numerous photographs and a few line drawings that are very helpful. One small caveat is that this book comes with the assumption that you can read basic music, but most people who will be buying this book probably already know how.

SONGS:

Hush Little Baby

Wildwood Flower

Woody's Rag

Blow Ye Winds In The Morning

On Top Of Old Smokey

When I Was Single

Red Apple Juice

New River Train

Cindy

Boil `Em Cabbage Down

Give me That Old Time Religion

Deep Blue Sea

Black-Eyed Susie

Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home

Lonesome Fugitive

Rocky Top

Make Me a Pallet On Your Floor

Mama Don't Allow

Walk Right In

I'm Looking Through You

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