Customer Reviews

Mel Bay Master Anthology of Mandolin Solos, Vol. 1

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This book/CD (2 CDs) set would best be described as an introduction to various American and international mandolinists, their artistic styles, and the range of music that can be expressed with a mandolin.

As a practice/training tool, the book can be difficult as it contains very few "basics" and staples of typical mandolin repertoire. In addition, the works highlight the craft of various mandolin artists and masters, and as such can sometimes be rather complex or difficult for a novice or intermediate player to achieve ... though there's certainly no harm in pushing your limits.

If you are looking for a collection of music that covers the "basics" or roots music, this is not the book for you. If you are looking to develop a solid foundation of basic skills, techniques, and compositions this is also not the book for you. But if you are curious or excited about the variety of music that can feature the mandolin, this is the collection to get. If you are fan of listening to music featuring mandolin, this book can serve as a great springboard to discovering the work of talented musicians. Although the songs will not likely become a part of your regular repertoire, they serve a great role in inspiring you to explore your own sounds and push the limits of how expressive the mandolin can be.

This book/CD delivers exactly what it says: a huge variety of mandolin stylings and stylists, all on the CD and written out in notes and tab. The great majority of tunes are not standards (so this won't help you directly in your next bluegrass jam session), but interesting pieces which illustrate the range of the mandolin and the various approaches to it.

This is an anthology of solos written and performed by some of the most famous names in mandolin playing: past masters. For the most part, they are playing on the CD the exact notes you hear on the page, but the level of difficulty is beyond advanced.

Let's just say that I can't ever realistically expect to be as good at the mandolin as these guys are. For me, it's more of a museum piece.