Originally Posted by
Don Stiernberg
Jethro's take on fiddle tunes was to play flowing, swinging eighth notes, with touches of blues or chromaticism. In a way this set the stage for modernists such as David Grisman, Sam Bush, and Chris Thile. Check out Old Joe Clark, Flop Eared Mule,Rickett's Reel, Sailor's Hornpipe. Jethro used to teach this type of tune to beginners. You don't need the audio, everything is there in standard and TAB.
One of Jethro's main contributions to the world of mandolin was his innovative chord-melody technique. This is well documented in the book as well. His harmonization(four strings at a time) of America the Beautiful is worth the price of the book by itself.
Jethro was also under-rated as a composer of mandolin tunes. Have you heard the CD "Back to Back" with his fellow jazz mandolin pioneer Tiny Moore? Tunes on there like Jethro's Tune and Flickin' My Pick are in this book, along with Jethrology, Ripoff, Sam's Bush, and Reuben Sandwich.
The great classical mandolin master Carlo Aonzo has MEMORIZED this book! In fact you can see him on Youtube playing Reuben Sandwich. Other mandolinists of renown who show the influence of Jethro and the material in this book include the aforementioned Sam and David, also Peter Ostroushko, Tony Williamson, Evan Marshall, Radim Zenkl, and Barry Mitterhoff.
Some may perceive my statements and opinions here as biased, given that I learned from Jethro and played in his band. I can assure you I have no financial interest here. Sadly, neither does Jethro, as this year marks the twentieth anniversary of his passing. The man who transcribed the original three books, Ken Eidson, is also gone. What a fabulous musician. I once saw him transcribe a solo(in it's entirety) from a record AS IT PLAYED. The point here is that I feel the book, while not perfect or flawless, has an awful lot to offer, particularly for those seeking more fretboard familiarity and those looking to add a little more 'flow" or "color" to their playing.
Thanks for listening and good luck with your playing on the world's greatest instrument, whether you with the book or not.
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