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Thread: Play Like A Legend - Bill Monroe Tunes & Songs for Mandolin

  1. #101
    Registered User Steve-o's Avatar
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    Default Re: Play Like A Legend - Bill Monroe Tunes & Songs for Mandolin

    Roll call - How's everyone coming on their practice?

    I'm about 75% of the way through the book, and it has been fun. I wanted to whet my appetite with Monroe tunes, and this book has been an excellent resource. True confession - I buy a lot of practice books and they end up collecting dust, but this one has been an exception.

  2. #102
    Site founder Scott Tichenor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Play Like A Legend - Bill Monroe Tunes & Songs for Mandolin

    Today is the second anniversary of the publication of this book. Like to send out these reminders to those that are coming to the mandolin game late or missed it the first time around.

  3. #103
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    Default Re: Play Like A Legend - Bill Monroe Tunes & Songs for Mandolin

    I have to commend Joe Carr on his discussion of the use of "familiar phrases" used by Monroe and others. This is a concept I've recognized but have not mastered the mechanics of.
    You can hear it the picking of Watson, Blake, and Rice, the fiddling of Baker and Clements and Hartford, I could go on a long time here.
    Sounds like this book takes that approach.
    I don't think the approach is recommended for beginners, a beginner should explore all possible notes and chords before focusing on particular styles.

  4. #104
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    Default Re: Play Like A Legend - Bill Monroe Tunes & Songs for Mandolin

    I've just got to vent...

    This is a great book, and the fact that there are not tons of books dissecting the solos of the guy who basically invented bluegrass mandolin is still mind-boggling. So, we take whatever we can get. Furthermore, by obsessively going through this thing, memorizing every break, learning them in different keys, and working very hard to learn what I can take from the breaks and apply elsewhere, I think I have progressed light years in my overall playing and my Monroe style playing.

    AND YET...

    Why is it so hard for people to get the tabs/sheet music correct? Is this Mr. Carr's fault? Did someone else tab it transcribe the stuff incorrectly time and time again? Did Carr write the music out and then play it differently? Did someone else play the parts and play them differently? From what I understand this was a labor of love that he worked on for quite a while, and yet...SO MANY ERRORS. Admittedly, it's not like the disastrous Homespun Monroe DVD where the transcriptions are of completely different solos entirely (seriously Homespun...it's been years...would it kill you to fix that horrendous and embarrassing mistake?) and yet nearly every page of my book has my own markings correcting the book. If a hack like me can do that kind of proof editing then surely a pro involved with this book could have done it in a matter of days.

    Oh well...just had to vent. I still find the book invaluable, perhaps more than any other book I've used outside of the beginner and intermediate Greg Horne stuff...and yet I just don't understand why there are so many errors. That and the photos. So many grainy B&W photos that looked like they were run off an old Xerox machine. We've got a thing called the internet. There are thousands of photos (and hundreds of hours of video) of Monroe. There was absolutely no need for any of these photos, but a few more pages of transcriptions would have been most welcome, even with the likelihood of a few wrong notes per transcription.

  5. #105
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    Default Re: Play Like A Legend - Bill Monroe Tunes & Songs for Mandolin

    A bit of respect might go a long way as Mr Carr has since passed on. I think It is a great work and am pleased to have a signed copy which he was happy to send me. He is sorely missed around my home.
    John

  6. The following members say thank you to John MacPhee for this post:


  7. #106
    NY Naturalist BradKlein's Avatar
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    Default Re: Play Like A Legend - Bill Monroe Tunes & Songs for Mandolin

    I'm sure Alex meant no harm to Mr. Carr's legacy. And John's post is a good chance for me to learn more. I'm starting here with the Cafe's obit and interview.
    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...peace-Joe-Carr
    BradKlein
    Morning Edition Host, WLVR News
    Senior Producer, Twangbox®
    Twangbox® Videos

  8. #107
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    Default Re: Play Like A Legend - Bill Monroe Tunes & Songs for Mandolin

    I'm aware that he is no longer with us, but I don't know what that has to do with the numerous and glaring faults at play in what is otherwise a valuable mandolin instructional resource. Are we not allowed to point out the faults of anything created by anyone once they pass away?

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