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|  | |  | | | Mandolin Blues: From Memphis to Maxwell Street | | | | | SKU:
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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | Travel back in time as acclaimed mandolinist Rich DelGrosso, author of the best-selling Hal Leonard Mandolin Method (00695102), traces the history and music of America's rich blues tradition through the eyes of the mandolinist. Follow the lives of players like Yank Rachell, Howard Armstrong and Charlie McCoy, and then learn their timeless music with standard notation, tablature, and an accompanying full-band CD of all the tunes in the book. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Rich DelGrosso | | Paperback: | 80 pages | | Publisher: | Hal Leonard Corporation | | Publication Date: | January 01, 2007 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0634072498 | | Product Length: | 11.8 inches | | Product Width: | 8.8 inches | | Product Height: | 0.2 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.7 pounds | | Package Length: | 11.8 inches | | Package Width: | 8.8 inches | | Package Height: | 0.3 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.65 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 12 reviews |
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| | Features | Media Softcover with CD 80 PagesBook/CD Pack by Rich DelGrossoAuthor: Rich DelGrosso
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 12 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 found the following review helpful:
Incredibly great book Sep 02, 2007
By Martin Maciejewski
This is a really great piece of writing. It starts out teaching you how to play 12-bar blues in the keys of C and G (there are two nice duets in the key of G). Next comes sixteen beautiful blues songs written in traditional music and tablature.
Everything is played nicely in the accompanying CD.
The book also contains some interesting information about mandolins and about the composers of the songs used in the book -- and a list of blues mandolin recordings that are (hopefully) available.
I am VERY happy with this book.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
It's about time ... May 25, 2007
By David Smith
I love this book. Not only is it outstanding music instruction, it's also a great (and interesting) history lesson. The book is short on theory and technique, focusing instead on teaching by example, which suits me just fine. The transcribed tunes are stylistically comprehensive and run the spectrum from easy to fairly challenging (I would say this is an intermediate level book). I particularly liked the author's funky-blues composition at the end. Very cool.
The mandolin has its place in so many styles of music and it's a real pleasure to see an instruction book that focuses on something other than bluegrass or celtic music (not that there's anything wrong with bluegrass or celtic, but I think the market's a bit saturated!). If you like blues, this is a very fun book.
26 of 29 found the following review helpful:
A book to open up new doors & change your direction in music just the way it did for its author May 02, 2007
By J. Ross
"a-music_fan"
Mandolinist Rich DelGrosso is a self-professed "blues freak." After first hearing the strong, expressive blues mandolin of Johnny Young, he began a journey to research and revive that type of music. Nominated by The Blues Foundation for a 2006 Best Instrumentalist Award, DelGrosso has put together a charming overview of music, history, lessons and photos. "From Memphis to Maxwell Street" is the story of America's black mandolinists who nurtured the growth of blues music, complemented and energized jug and string bands of the South, and inspired such composers Scott Joplin and W.C. Handy. In the early 20th-Century, Memphis was where touring mandolin players like Vol Stevens, Will Weldon, Eddie Dimmitt and Charlie McCoy played. In nearby rural areas, W. Howard Armstrong and Carl Martin and their Tennessee Chocolate Drops played medicine shows, parties, picnics and fish fries. In the 1960s, they revived their string band sound in Martin, Bogan & Armstrongs. From rural Tennessee, Yank Rachell travelled with guitarist Sleepy John Estes and Hammie Nixon. In this book, "Yank Rachell's Blues" and "Early This Morning" show how his music was more modal than melodic.
After introductory info about the style itself, DelGrosso's clear perspective focuses on blue notes, harmonies based primarily on seventh chords, predictable 8- or 12-bar progressions, and rhythms driven by back beats. Three kinds of rhythmic dance music (rags, drags, stomps) are demonstrated. Using standard notation and tab, the author gives us some great melodic examples of these forms (Dallas Rag, Jackson Stomp, Knox County Stomp, State Street Rag, Vine Street Drag). Many of these tunes are derived from the music of Howard Armstrong, a man who befriended, inspired and mentored DelGrosso until Howard's passing in 2003. "Betty and Dupree" illustrates Armstrong's masterful melodic technique with double-stops. The book also explores the music of others in the Memphis collective of musicians. "Vol Steven's Blues" is a good study in phrasing and how to use flatted and natural notes. Also playing the Memphis and saloons of the 1920s and 30s were Will Weldon, Eddie Dimmitt and Charlie McCoy. Strong, hard-driving, passionate blues from each of these guys are offered. Phrasing, syncopation and the use of blues notes were their strengths.
As blacks migrated north, so did their music. Chicago's Maxwell Street became a center for blues folks. Carl Martin and Johnny Young were seen playing with guitarists and harmonica players from the windy city's South Side. Originally from Mississippi, Young moved north in search of work about 1940. "Johnny Young's Blues" and "Young's 8-Bar Blues" are taught. DelGrosso concludes the book with his own "DelGrosso's Blues (It's Funk)" and a selected discography for further exploration. Through the pages of Mandolin World News, I was familiar with blues mandolin and some players examined. However, this book pulls it all together into one place. It's a joy that may open up new doors for you and change your direction in music, just the way it did for its author. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Great fun for........ May 03, 2009
By Ernie Wild
"Eddie"
the mandolin player! I played a bit in the 70's and thought I'd give the mandolin another try. I had only played Bluegrass mandolin but have played Blues guitar a little so I thought I'd give this course a try. Being familiar with the Blues and the scales involved is making it a bit easier for me than the beginner but I still have to work! In fact this course isn't for the beginner unless you're very aggressive. I just love it! The music stands on it's own, of course, but it will help me add some Blues to my Bluegrass also. I can't see how any mandolin player wouldn't have fun with this course. One hint: I actually found some of the later straight Blues songs easier to learn than a couple of the rags, stomps,etc. Don't be afraid to skip around but be sure and go back and learn what you skipped. Every song in the book is just great fun. Five stars all the way for this course! Rich, we need a book two!!
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 mando blues Dec 12, 2007
By sprint
You have to hand it to Rich Delgrosso- he's written a well thought out book on the history of the blues **as played on mandolin** and goes in-depth with historical blues mando players (who knew there were any?), the evolution of the genre, and the application of the blues basics to a more contemporary context. I've seen him on stage and met him at a mando workshop- great guy- and you can tell he strives to carry on the mando blues tradition as seriously as Eric Clapton does for guitar- paying full homage to all of those who came before him (Yank Rochelle is the mando equivalent to Robert Johnson). It's probably safe to say that guitar will always be the dominating instrument of choice for the blues-- and I think it may have an edge over mando because it just sounds better on guitar-- but if you want to expand your mando horizons and be a well rounded player who understands the mandolin in a blues context, you would be hard pressed to find a better book--
See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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