bluegrass listening to understand and learn the mandolin

[Pier_]

I guys, I'm a new user from Italy and *almost* owner of a mandolin (I'm waiting for it to ship from Thomann).
being a long time guitar and bass player, I recently decided to learn the mandolin after seeing on youtube a live concert of the Dave Rawlings Machine with John Paul Jones as a guest star playing the mandolin.

by now I'm more interested in learning the rhythmic and harmonic role of it, playing chords and rhythmic parts, and I already know that it will be a long journey due to the different tuning compared to the guitar (so different positions and fingerings), and I've always thought that the best way to learn a new instrument is by listening music played with it.

unfortunately I'm pretty uneducated in bluegrass music, but I've always liked it, and I'd love to expand my knowledge mostly starting with something related to the mandolin, so where the instrument is clearly used and audible.

so I'm here to ask for some help

Usually I like to "start from the beginning", so listening to old and less recent recordings, to timeless classics and then following the road to the contemporary days.

could you suggest me something to listen to?

a bunch of classic songs, some fundamental names... I know that it can be very vague, but I'm starting as a blank paper.

thanks for your patience!

PS: before someone asks (I know you will!) I ordered an Harley Benton HBMA-100 VS (this one: https://www.thomann.de/it/harley_benton_hbma_100_vs.htm).
I didn't want to spend much money, and I own an Harley Benton bass since almost six years, and It's one of my main instruments both live and recording, even if it's a 150€ bass.
so I've gone with a bit of faith in the brand, I also know how to setup and instrument, so I won't have problems with bad factory setup. :D

[CarlM]

When it comes to bluegrass mandolin the ultimate authority is the Father of Bluegrass himself, Bill Monroe. Listen to anything and everything by him. He set the standard. A fine contemporary mandolinist who follows in Monroe's footsteps is Mike Compton.

Sam Bush has as much rhythmic drive and energy as anyone. If you ever get the chance, see him live. He brings so much energy and joy to every single show. I watched him do a warmup up and soundcheck one time a couple of hours before a live outdoor gig. He brought as much energy playing for eight or ten people at soundcheck as he did for 50,000 at Merlefest. His early work with the Newgrass Revival brought rock and roll to meet bluegrass. He brought high energy to Emmy Lou Harris with the Nash Ramblers. His own band sets a high standard. He has a YouTube channel where he regularly posts from his living room with a lot of great players.

My own personal favorite is Jimmy Gaudreau. He plays sweet beautiful music then kicks it down to play as hard as anyone. I first encountered him accompanying Robin and Linda Williams. He first replaced John Duffy in the Country Gentlemen then went on to play with Tony Rice for a number of years followed by work with various people including Spectrum and Moondi Klein.

David "Dawg" Grisman is probably the finest player alive today though his music ranges far, far beyond bluegrass. His roots are still there though and he returns to it regularly. His duo work with Del McCoury is really great bluegrass music where it is just the duo and you can here the mandolin right out front, both rhythm and lead.

Those are just a few to start. Have fun!

[Pier_]

thankyou Carl! I've added everything to my Apple Music :D I can't wait to start listening to this artists!

[tmsweeney]

a few important records IMHO
Kenny Baker plays Bill Monroe - this is not a "mandolin" album but a quintessential set of Monroe instrumentals.
Tony Rice 58957:The Bluegrass Guitar Collection- a great collection of standards, however the playing is of the highest quality so not easy for beginners to play along with.
Tony Rice Manzanita- essential listening for modern bluegrass Sam Bush, Ricky Scaggs, and David Grisman all setting the modern BG mandolin standard here.
John Reischman Walk along John - this is a mandolin album, however all the tunes are modern originals and not Bluegrass Standards- any of Johns instrumental albums are very "Bluegrass Mandolin" but He tends to play his own compositions and not standards so much.
Norman Blake and the Rising Fawn String Ensemble Original Underground Music from the Mysterious South these are modern compositions featuring mandolin ensemble and string band.
Norman Blake Nashville Blues some fine straight up BG mandolin from Peter Ostroushko.
Bela Fleck Drive - no standards on this one but the modern BG mando style as stated by Sam Bush.

[Tom Hart]

The Skaggs/Rice album is essential. The songs aren't hard driving bluegrass so it may be easier to attempt to play along.

[Lucas]

Pier: welcome to the mandolin cafe forum. Youtube is your friend. Lots of free lessons and bluegrass performances. As a guitar player, I suspect you'll pick it up quickly.

[Bill McCall]

The Stanley Brothers recordings are a great place to start, I think better than most Bill Monroe recordings. Then Flatt and Scruggs.

Stuff past 1970 doesn't typically have the old time feel for me, but nevertheless there are many great recordings, Bluegrass Album Band and Nashville Bluegrass Band come to mind.

Red Wine, from Italy, is really good. redwinemusic.net

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Hi Pier, greetings from Northern Germany. Welcome to the MC. All of the aforementioned recordings are excellent to learn from. Bluegrass ist first of all Bill Monroe IMHO. And, what Bill said, try to meet Martino Coppo from the group Red Wine in Genova. Him and the boys are super nice fellows and know their bluegrass.

Ciao,
Hendrik

[Old Dog Dave]

The Skaggs/Rice album is essential. The songs aren't hard driving bluegrass so it may be easier to attempt to play along.

I agree with Tom--the Skaggs/Rice album is one of the greatest albums of music ever done, imho. A wonderful selection of songs, and with just the two of them and a mandolin and guitar, it is truly a masterpiece. A good one, also, to play along with. Such a superb album!

[Bacfire]

Monroe's Master of Bluegrass is hands-down the definitive bluegrass mandolin album.

[Pier_]

thankyou guys, your suggestions are superb!

yesterday and today I started listening to some Bill Monroe's compilations found on Apple Music, and it's so enjoyable! I'm really starting to understand where it all comes from, the roots, the social context, the instruments used...

surely the recordings have that kind of low quality, but to me it's part of the charm and beauty, it brings you back in time since the first note.

I guess that I'll go chronologically with the listening, to understand the evolution of bluegrass.

Pier: welcome to the mandolin cafe forum. Youtube is your friend. Lots of free lessons and bluegrass performances. As a guitar player, I suspect you'll pick it up quickly.

thanks Lucas! I hope so, and while I'm waiting for the mandolin to arrive, I started taking some violin lesson from the fiddler of my band (a coworker of mine gave me a 50€ violin he bought like 10 years ago and never used), and I'm starting to understand the fingering and different note position.
I had fun with her sending audio recordings of chords played on the violin, like if it was an ukulele.

[Dave Hicks]

I like the crunchy, hardcore older BG the best, but I have a soft spot for the Seldom Scene.

D.H.

[dscullin]

Don’t forget to listen to Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. His “Tennessee Dream” album has some great instrumentals. Any of his many albums contain very traditional style bluegrass music.

[DavidKOS]

I guys, I'm a new user from Italy and *almost* owner of a mandolin (I'm waiting for it to ship from Thomann).
being a long time guitar and bass player, I recently decided to learn the mandolin ........

unfortunately I'm pretty uneducated in bluegrass music, but I've always liked it,.

Welcome, and best of luck on your Bluegrass journey.

As an Italian-American, I'm curious if you also want to play any Italian music on your mandolin.

[CarlM]

Getting off the mandolin track, an Italian artist who is really amazing is guitarist Beppe Gambetta. He splits his time between Italy and the U.S. He has played quite a lot with Mike Marshall on mandolin as well as a bit with classical mandolinist Carlo Aonzo. If you live anywhere near Genova, he has an annual acoustic music night there with an array of fantastic performers which vary from year to year. I believe this year it is scheduled in May. It is tilted toward bluegrass but with a more modern edge and other influences. He is an outstanding player and a really friendly, nice person if you ever get the chance to meet him.

[sounds_good]

I agree about Beppe Gambetta. His shows are worth going to.

[Steve Mead]

In following the chronology you should probably check out the Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse, Herschel Seizmore - these are the first generation players in addition to some others have mentioned

[UsuallyPickin]

Well friend, I wish you good fortune with your new tool / toy / obsession. Keep in mind how important a good instrument setup is. Play daily with a loose wrist and loose fingers keeping in mind that if you don't drop your pick occasionally you are gripping too tightly. Enjoy the journey. R/

[Mark Gunter]

I know you intend to follow the evolution of Bluegrass, a group that has yet to be mentioned is the Del McCoury Band. Del was guitarist and vocalist for a year with Bill Monroe back in the day. Today, though of course he is aging, Del is a top list, straight ahead Bluegrass performer. His son Ronnie is an accomplished mandolinist. The Del McCoury Band provides a good bluegrass experience with the clarity of today’s recording technology, so don’t overlook them.

[tmsweeney]

Mark I would agree Del and Ronnie's mandolin are modern core bluegrass, essential listening.

[brunello97]

Welcome, and best of luck on your Bluegrass journey.

As an Italian-American, I'm curious if you also want to play any Italian music on your mandolin.

When I was working in Firenze, David, I used to play for the cook (a term which hardly does justice) at the canteen where we ate. He liked to sing Tosti, in particular.

One time he asked me "Do you play any American music on that thing." It was an Japanese made F model, a mandolin shape he didn't at all understand.

Mick

[GeeBee]

If you have Spotify, there are two playlists worth checking out:

Artistworks: Mandolin Listening and Artistworks Sierra Beginner

[Pier_]

thanks guys! I'm listening to a lot of these artist, and it's so refreshing and fun.

I'm also trying to study the mandolin as much as I could, and now I'm asking myself why I didn't started it years ago!

As an Italian-American, I'm curious if you also want to play any Italian music on your mandolin.

DavidKOS, actually I know very few mandolin music, and heard it only in some recordings as a colouring instrument (for example, the Lucio Dalla's "Piazza Grande", which has some nice mandolin phrases, or Antonello Venditti's "A Cristo", but they both are italian songwriters from the 70's and today, and often use the mandolin to recreate a folk/traditional sound in some songs), but I'll go deep in that world as soon as possible, in particular the way it was used in Napoli, where is one of the icons.

by far this is the only thing related to italians I played: https://www.facebook.com/515641017/v...4326490639073/

I'm starting mostly with chords and rhythmic parts, like this: https://www.facebook.com/515641017/v...2435890933694/

while working on chords fingerings I'm playing scales and arpeggios to get used to the fretboard; as mentioned, I come from playing guitar and bass, so for me the hardest thing is to get the right fingerings, forgetting muscular memory from the fourths tuning :D

Play daily with a loose wrist and loose fingers keeping in mind that if you don't drop your pick occasionally you are gripping too tightly

UsuallyPickin, surely I'll do it! by luck, many years of guitar playing are helping me; I was used to medium picks, like 0.60mm, but I'm seeing that the mandoling works better with hard and heavy picks, at least 1mm thick.

with medium picks I couldn't hear the doubled strings, and the instrument just barked in an unpleasing way. now I'm trying 1,5mm picks with smooth edges (Dunlop Primetone smooth), and in those videos I posted on facebook I'm using Gibson heavy triangle (0.91mm).

I'm so excited to learn new things that I'm playing every time I can! lunch break at work (where those videos come from), in the evening at home, and I'm carrying it even at my friends houses, to bother them :D they've never loved when I carried the guitar, but the mandolin is so gentle that everyone loves it!

[Bazz Jass]

The Dillards - "Back Porch Bluegrass" and "Live - Almost" - very accessible and well written tunes.

These guys were never forgiven for selling out to the Andy Griffith Show and having a hack double bass player, but they deserve to be remembered better

[tree]

Keep in mind that you can steal or borrow from all the other instruments in BG as well. Don't limit yourself to listening only to the mandolin. Lots and lots of ideas available from fiddle, guitar, banjo, bass players.