Customer Reviews

Mandolin Primer (Book & audio CD)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We have one music store locally that focuses mainly on traditional music with traditional instruments (guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, bass) and they suggest this book as the best book to start off with. After working with it for a while I'll have to agree.

I starts with very basic information on how to hold the instrument and proper left and right hand position. You then start to learn basic picking technique and the notes of the strings. I like this because many books teach you how to read tabulature but don't spend any time trying to teach you the actual notes both on the fingerboard and on the music staff.

As you progress through the examples you'll learn the basic scales in G, C, D, and A. This will cover most bluegrass tunes. The book also covers hammer ons, pull offs, and triplets so you pretty much get a full technique workout.

Then the book really starts to shine. There are 12 songs to add to your repitoire. Each song is on the CD in a slow, medium and up to tempo example. In fact, every excercise on the book has an audio example.

Note, there is also a video tape version and a DVD version of this book. The book is the same for each version, however, there is a bonus song in the book that only the CD has as an audio example. That song is not included on the DVD or Video version. So that's another nice bonus.

If you want to learn to play mandolin then take the same advice I did. Get this book and work all the way through it. I think you'll enjoy it.

I have never played the mandolin or any stringed instrument before, but I feel like I'm learning quite a bit through the use of this book. The Bert Casey video makes it easier to see how to place your fingers so you should get that as well as the book/CD.

This is an excellent first book for aspiring mandolin players. It doesn't assume or require any preexisting knowledge of the instrument or musical notation since, as pointed out by a prior reviewer, it provides visual scores or tablature of finger placement. The book also provides very helpful practical tips on such things as tuning, recommending, for example, the purchase of an inexpensive electronic tuner. I followed that advice and bought a Korg CA-30 and used it not only to successfully tune the mandolin but also my guitar which I had for years previously tuned "by ear" with varying degrees of success. Mr. Casey is also straight-forward in making it clear that learning the Mandolin takes a lot of practice and, at least until you develop some callouses on your finger tips, sometime painful practice. However, if you are diligent in following his lesson plans, you will learn to play the mandolin to an extent that will amaze not only your friends but yourself.

Very good as a beginners course. It has both the standard music notation and tablature, which allows you to choose how to study. Tablature is easier and quicker to learn. This book is about the bluegrass style.
The cd has all songs from the book. It's a pleasure to learn to play the mandolin with this book.

Highly suggest this book. Out of all the other books I've played with, I felt I got the most out of this book. Plus, there's a CD with it!

Awesome book. Should be playin' with the pros here in about a week......;)

I bought this book at a friend's suggestion. She plays several bluegrass instruments and said the video was all she needed to learn mandolin. She took no outside lessons but had been playing guitar and some other instruments prior to picking up the mandolin. The book is helpful to accompany the video so that you can follow along and not have to pause every few seconds. Also, it is useful to have for practicing when you don't really need to see the video but need to see the music. Be aware that this book comes with a MUSIC CD not the DVD. The DVD is sold separately! I recommend the book. It is working well for me for practicing and I am slowly improving!

This is an excellent book that works you through step by step. I actually lost this book and had to reorder another one, I wouldn't think of ordering a different book.

This book is geared toward the beginner who plans to make the mandolin their primary instrument. There is a great deal of instruction on basic scales and fretting. I'm a guitar player of 30 some odd years...I was kind of looking for something that would touch on the basics AND have details on chording so I could get up and running quickly. Only the last three pages cover chording. Good otherwise.

I love playing the mandolin and I played it and it sounded great.

I love that book Mandolin Primer by author Bert Casey.

Theres a CD of it inside the book.

This is My favorite book of Mandolin Primer and I learned how to play it.

The songs I love in the book is Oh! Suzanna, Worried Man Blues, Cripple Creek, Red Haired Boy & 8th of January.

I learned how to play the mandolin.

This book reminds me of Rodeo: Ropers and Riders by author Josepha Sherman.