The mandolin is a very versatile instrument. You can play any genre of music on it and it has an expressive range that is incredible. But, I think it has somewhat become stuck in a rut. My issue with much of modern mandolin instruction is that, too often, the beautiful and versatile mandolin is pigeonholed as an instrument almost exclusive to bluegrass, old time and Celtic music. Historically, this has not been the case. The mandolin was once broadly utilized in classical music, chamber music, popular songs and blues... well, a little in blues – see Yank Rachell and Willie Brown. A few well known mandolinists such as Dave Grisman and Sam Bush, play rock, reggae, blues, jazz and everything else on their instruments. But, most mandolin instruction is oriented toward bluegrass and fiddle tunes. And, why not? There are few artists as iconic as the legendary Bill Monroe, and few instruments more synonymous with one specific genre. You simply cannot have a bluegrass band without a hard driving or melodic mandolin, and I doubt anyone who has played mandolin in the last (nearly) 100 years has not tried to imitate him. So, most instruction focuses on memorizing solos.
My system is not about memorization. It is about learning to play the music in your head. It is about being able to play anything as effortlessly as you can breathe. It will take some time and study, and commitment to practice. But, you can do it. You can be a mandolin virtuoso, and if you are creative enough, maybe you can even be the next Bill Monroe and take bluegrass in some new direction that only exists now as potential within your heart and soul. Or, maybe you'll do something entirely different. I am going to give you the tools and show you how to use them. I will provide you over 30 years of what I have learned in a practical system that will probably take a year to learn. After that, it is up to you. Your passion will decide how far you go. I am merely removing the impediments. I can teach you to walk, but I cannot teach you to run or even fly. That is up to you, and it will take hard work. I am not going to teach you to play like me or anyone else. But, if you practice this system and stick with it, you will be able to play like you.
The goal of this book is to teach you to play the mandolin in any genre, in any key, sight read or improvise, play any chord in any position and play the music your way!
My system is not about memorization. It is about learning to play the music in your head. It is about being able to play anything as effortlessly as you can breathe. It will take some time and study, and commitment to practice. But, you can do it. You can be a mandolin virtuoso, and if you are creative enough, maybe you can even be the next Bill Monroe and take bluegrass in some new direction that only exists now as potential within your heart and soul. Or, maybe you'll do something entirely different. I am going to give you the tools and show you how to use them. I will provide you over 30 years of what I have learned in a practical system that will probably take a year to learn. After that, it is up to you. Your passion will decide how far you go. I am merely removing the impediments. I can teach you to walk, but I cannot teach you to run or even fly. That is up to you, and it will take hard work. I am not going to teach you to play like me or anyone else. But, if you practice this system and stick with it, you will be able to play like you.
The goal of this book is to teach you to play the mandolin in any genre, in any key, sight read or improvise, play any chord in any position and play the music your way!
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