Annotated list of mandolin method books & songbooks
Mandolin Method Books
Except where noted in the descriptions, all of these are available from Amazon.
MANDOLIN PRIMER
By Bert Casey. I don't own this book so I can't make a comment, but it comes up at the top of most Amazon searches.
MANDOLIN FROM SCRATCH
By Bruce Emory. If I could only have one mandolin method book, it would be this one. It is a brief but complete overview of mandolin technique, explained so that a beginner can understand it. Highly recommended.
AMERICAN MANDOLIN METHOD VOL 1
It teaches technique by introducing tunes that use that technique. A decent collection of tunes to build your repertoire. Along with Mandolin From Scratch this one is highly recommended.
AMERICAN MANDOLIN METHOD VOL 2
Builds on Vol 1.
JACK TOTTLE BLUEGRASS MANDOLIN
Another "teaches technique by teaching the tunes," this one is specifically bluegrass. Been around since the '70s. It assumes you can already play the mandolin at least a little. A decent collection of tunes for repertoire. This book gets a lot of love from mandolincafe.com members. Highly recommended.
JACK TUTTLE MANDOLIN PRIMER
Very similar last name to the author above, this guy is Molly Tuttle's father. Same idea, too - Teach bluegrass technique by teaching the tunes. A LOT of tunes. This is only available from the author's web site, either hard copy or a pdf.
JACK TUTTLE COMPLETE MANDOLIN
This book builds on his Mandolin Primer. Lots of Bill Monroe tunes. Some of them are NOT easy.
COMPLETE MANDOLIN METHOD
By Greg Horne. Three volumes available individually, or all-in-one. Teaches a lot of technique from the ground up, but doesn't contain a lot of tunes. My mandolin instructor uses this as his textbook. Recommended.
MANDOLIN FOR DUMMIES
Very complete, lots of different techniques & styles, but more of a reference book than a method book. Not many tunes at all. As a reference book, this is recommended.
MANDOLIN EXERCISES FOR DUMMIES
Not a beginner book, but by the time you are at the level where this book might be useful, most of the exercises will have already occurred to most players.
THE COMPLETE MANDOLONIST VOL I
This is another "teach technique by teaching the tunes." The two differences between these books and the others are that most of the tunes are classical, and they are all in standard notation only. Great if you can read music, less great otherwise.
THE COMPLETE MANDOLONIST VOL II
Builds on Vol 1.
BICKFORD METHOD IN 4 VOLUMES
Another book that is standard notation only. Mostly classical tunes because it was written before bluegrass was invented. In the public domain, the pdf is available for free on the Internet. Hard copies are available on Amazon, but all they are is prints of the Internet pdf. And while the method is in four volumes, only the first volume can be found. As far as I can tell vols 2-4 are lost to time.
CHORD MELODY MANDOLIN
This is a jazz chord melody book. I haven't really delved into it because I'm not that advanced, although I notice that many arrangements of songs in other method books contain elements of chord melody already.
Mandolin Song Books
FIRST 50 SONGS YOU SHOULD PLAY ON THE MANDOLIN
Presents songs using rhythm notation. Most new players struggle with tab if they're never played before. Not a lot of new players are going to understand rhythm notation. Then they present a solo in tab. Worth it if you're looking to learn song solos, or if you can read rhythm notation.
MANDOLIN SONGBOOK
By Bradley Laird. I don't own this book so I can't make a comment, but it comes up at the top of most Amazon searches. Bradley Laird is a very well respected mandolin teacher, but this is a songbook not a method book.
PARKING LOT PICKER'S SONGBOOK
Arrangements for a couple of hundred old time, folk, gospel, and bluegrass standards.
PARKING LOT PICKER'S SOLOS - MANDO
Solos from about 35 mandolin tunes, with doubles of many so all together 40+.
Eastman MD-514 (F body, Sitka & maple, oval hole)
Klos Carbon Fiber (on order)
And still saving my nickels & dimes & bottle caps & breakfast cereal box tops for my lifetime mandolin.
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