# Music by Genre > Orchestral, Classical, Italian, Medieval, Renaissance >  Classical Music Song Book

## ajm2qc03

Hello MC,
I am longing for a classical music escapade. I recently learned Bach's cello suite no. 1 in G major: prelude, and loved it! this was really my first classical song i learned (on mandolin) and now i am eager to learn more. My question is, what is a good song book that will keep my adventure down this avenue fruitful? 
I don't necessarily HAVE to have Bach, though i do adore the compositions. I would like both Tabs and Notation. I don't have a preference on cello vs violin pieces, though i did like the composition of aforementioned cello suite (i like violin suites too but can't name any off of the top of my head). 
I look forward to hearing what good resources are out there. thanks for your help

Edit: i am also listening to Chris Thile's Bach: Sanatas and Partitas on repeat...i like ALL of these songs and would love to learn them too, if that encourages suggestions

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## Scot63

Mandolin cafe member August Watters has an excellent book, much discussed in various forum pages, called Exploring Classical Mandolin, that I've found extremely useful as someone who came to mandolin as a second instrument (no financial interest). It has excellent technique-development exercises and a very nice collection of repertoire (including the oft-played Bach prelude you've learned) developed from the deep study of the instrument. While Mr. Watters's approach is clearly steeped in years of learning about the instrument and its history, he wears all this lightly, and the book's focus is very practical (note: it does not have tabs). It also has links to videos of every exercise. All in all, a bargain for around $18 on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Cla.../dp/0876391625

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ajm2qc03

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## crisscross

If you are interested in Baroque music, you might like "Favourite Mandolin Solos from the 18th Century", which is downloadable from Astute Music. https://www.astute-music.com/store/p...h_century.html
There are pieces from Bach and Telemann as well as original compostions for mandolin in it.
The pieces were edited by Alison Stephens, they have pick direction markers and dynamic hints, but you'll find no tabs.
But anyway, if you want to approach classical mandolin, you'll do no wrong becoming a fluent sight reader...

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ajm2qc03

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## Maczart

You might want to pick up a copy of _'J.S. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Mandolin_' edited by Daniel Sellman. It contains the 3 Sonatas and 3 Partitas for solo violin in both notation and mandolin tab (but no playing hints). It's available from Barnes and Noble for around $20 (NFI).

These pieces have been described by some as _'the Mount Everest'_ of solo violin playing. They certainly present a lifetime of challenge for the average player. I agree with the previous poster that becoming proficient at reading notation is a huge advantage if you wish to play classical music pieces. The Petrucci Music Library (http://www.imslp.org) is a treasure-trove of classical music scores and transcriptions (unfortunately it's notation only, as is the standard for classical music). Best of luck.

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ajm2qc03

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## ajm2qc03

Thank you all so much for your suggestions. I'm glad to see 3 different routes to take! 
I am eventually going to get around to becoming proficient at site reading...it's one of the exercises i've been meaning to get around to for years. Mandolin is my second instrument, to guitar, and while i've taken a few years worth of lessons for that back in the day (that's where I learned to read notation), the remaining 13 years have primarily been self taught by ear. i feel comfortable picking up an guitar or mandolin and playing what i hear, however classical music posses obstacles by numbers...THERE ARE TOO MANY NOTES FOR MY BLUES TRAINED EAR TO COMPREHEND!!! 
Previously when learning classical pieces i've had no problems learning and committing to memory...for better or worse, i'm in the camp of play by ear and memorize. Having said that, i want to be the most well-rounded musician i can and desire to eventually learn to site read. that will involve a complete overhaul of my way of thinking about music, and i'm down for that.

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## Jim Garber

There is absolutely nothing wrong with memorizing a classical piece. In fact, I believe that if you can do it it only would enhance the playing and performance of the piece. BTW mere notation reading and sight reading are actually different levels of the same thng. Real sight readers can play a piece up to speed if not proper nuance at first sight whereas you only really need to be a good notation reader to work on the music.

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ajm2qc03, 

crisscross, 

MandoNina

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## Maczart

Yep, Jim is right on. There is a difference between being able to read notation and sight reading. Fluent sight reading ability is not really necessary for learning a piece. Just being able to get through the piece, measure by measure if necessary, is usually good enough when you are working up a new piece. Once you have the piece under your belt, then just a glance at the score is usually all you need because you've probably memorized it anyway just through repetition. Reading and memorizing are not mutually exclusive. Most classical players practice a combination of both.

Again, there's nothing wrong with memorizing a classical piece. Professional classical performers, especially soloists, do it all the time. They have a number of pieces in their 'repertoire' at any given time that they perform regularly. These pieces are memorized and honed to perfection for performance. This way they can give 100% of their attention to expressing the music. The only downside to memorization (at least for me) is that after spending a lot of effort to learn a piece, if I don't play it regularly, I tend to forget parts of it. But a quick look back at the score is usually all it takes to refresh my memory.

Having a good ear is a great tool for any musician to have, but as you have discovered, it doesn't work as well for classical music as it does in other genres. Take Bach's 'Chaconne' from the D minor Partita (which is roughly 13 to 15 minutes long, depending on the player) for an example. Although I'm sure it's possible, I can't imagine how tedious it would be to try to 'figure it out by ear' and keep it all in memory when I could just look at the score. Neither way is necessarily 'better' but one sure is a lot easier.  :Smile: 

Anyway, don't get too hung up on sight reading and don't forget to have fun.

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ajm2qc03, 

crisscross, 

MandoNina

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## HeatherM

Some sites I know are http://mandolintab.org/category/classical/ and https://www.8notes.com/mandolin/classical/sheet_music/.

The letter one contains some pieces from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Handel and a few more.

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ajm2qc03

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## crisscross

Jim and Maczart are certainly right, you just have to be able to make sense of standard notation, no need to become a fluent sight reader, but I think your ability to sight read will increase with the hours spent reading standard notation.

If you want to try the combination of tablature and standard notation to achieve this goal, there's a number of books with tabs and staff notation on Bach https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...Abach+mandolin
ang Baroque music in general. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...roque+mandolin
The Bach violin Partitas look way beyond my modest abilities, but Cafe member John Goodin's Teleman transcriptions seem quite nice and playable!

Just remember to not entirely rely on the tabs, but have a look at the staff every once in a while... :Wink:

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ajm2qc03

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## Jes Woodland

+1 for August Waters "Exploring Classical Mandolin". I've had this book for about 8 months and it is simple enough for a beginner(like myself) but detailed and varied enough to hold your interest and plenty of pieces to get your teeth into of various skill levels. Plus you have the advantage of having the man himself on the forum if you get really stuck.

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## ajm2qc03

CRISSCROSS, that is exactly why i eventually would like to have site reading under my belt eventually...because it is arduous work transposing each measure, especially on classical pieces. it took me a couple days to really understand "air on G" by Beethoven on guitar, and that's a pretty simple piece! 
This thread has actually answered an age old question i had about classical players and site reading in general. I always wondered how someone could possibly pick up a piece a music and play it so beautifully and with such emotion so flawlessly. I understand it's a different kind of training, but hadn't considered that they do probably have that piece memorized. 
By the way, I ended up ordering the Bach's P+S for mandolin. Thanks for the great resources

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## Bob A

The IMSLP archive, which incorporates the old Icking archive, is a huge public domain resource. Print out pdf scores at home.

http://www.imslp.org/

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## Jim Garber

Sorry to be a stickler but the proper spelling of this is *sight* reading. _Site_ reading is reading the theads on the Mandolin Cafe. In any case, the more your read notation the more you will become accustomed to it and eventually you will become a sight reader. It is not something that happens overnight, but if you do depend at all on tab it won't help you to read notation much tho there is not too much wrong with tab except that it is instrument dependent. 

Also, bear in mind that many classical pieces are edited so often the fingering will be that indicated by the editor who is very often doing this many years after the composer and is often the editors choice and may not work out as the best for the mandolin. I prefer urtext (no or minimum editing) and by trial and error find my own fingerings and dynamics.

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ajm2qc03

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## ajm2qc03

Thanks for the grammar correction...I should've known that

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## John Dough

Great thread, with great answers.
I'm a guitarist who uses Cakewalk Sonar multitracking software. It can print sheet music from midi files and provide tablature as well.
The plus is you can play the track back slowly to practice your speed and tempo, and slowly build it up.

I've recorded a couple of violin pieces using electric guitars and bass. 1st movement of Vivaldi's Winter from the 4 Seasons, Bach's Air on a g string, and Pachelbel's canon among others. I like Pachelbel's canon because you only need to learn one violin part, and you have all three parts, since they come in staggered.

I picked up electric mandolin (Mandostrat reissue) to learn the parts in their native fingerings, which is much more natural than guitar. I'm currently working on a piece from Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico Opus 3, using electric mandocello, mandola, and mandolin. 

Anything notated for violin (almost) can be played on mandolin. The caveat for ensemble pieces is intonation is not infinitely adjustable as it is on the violin. This is why mandolin orchestras always sound somewhat out of tune, since they're stuck in equal temperament at best, and fretless instruments in ensembles are free to hit those nicer just intervals, such as 3rds, which sound harsher in equal temperament since they're 14 cents sharp, if tuned perfectly.

I want to build a mandolin like this fellow's guitar, http://www.tolgahancogulu.com/en/microtonal-guitar/ with sliding individual frets, and at least dial in the equal temperament more perfectly. 

I know I drifted slightly off topic, but for me mandolin is a violin for those who never learned bowed instruments.

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## August Watters

> +1 for August Watters "Exploring Classical Mandolin". . . Plus you have the advantage of having the man himself on the forum if you get really stuck.


Thanks -- there's also a Facebook group for ECM!

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