This is the first of a new series of easy and fun books by Wayne Erbsen that teaches 31 bluegrass jam standards. It covers: how to jam with others, how to improvise, how to make up your own tasteful licks and fills, almost painless music theory, how to play harmony, how to transpose and play in different keys, and pretty much everything you'll need to march fearlessly into your next jam or picking session! The other books in the series will teach the same songs so you can jam with friends and family. You WILL learn how to play and jam on: All the Good Times Are Past & Gone, Back Up and Push, Black-Eyed Susie, Cherokee Shuffle, Columbus Stockade, Colleen Malone, Dark Hollow, Deep Elem Blues, East Virginia, Footprints in the Snow, Katie Dear, Hand Me Down My Walking Cane, High on a Mountain, I Am a Pilgrim, I've Just Seen the Rock of Ages, John Henry, Just Over in the Gloryland, Little Birdie, Lonesome Road Blues, Love of the Mountains, Mama Don't Allow, Man of Constant Sorrow, More Pretty Girls Than One, Pig in a Pen, Pretty Polly, Red Rocking Chair, Rocky Road Blues, Roll on Buddy, Run and Hide, Sittin' on Top of the World, Working on a Building.

You're a beginner or intermediate Dobro player; you know a few tunes such as Cripple Creek, Old Joe Clark, and Fireball Mail. You might have learned the basics of playing, but you may not have played with other people much or at all. You're at your favorite festival, and you've just come up on a HOT jam session. You'd love to join in, BUT you're afraid that (a) you won't know the tunes, (b) you won't know what to do or how to do it, (c) you'll be embarrassed or choke, (d) they'll ignore you and pretend you're not there, (e) someone will take your Dobro out of your hands and fling it into the woods, (f) they'll all get up and leave, (g) they'll laugh, (h) something even more horrible might happen. It doesn't have to be like that! Our task is to give you some tools and tricks so you can sit in on most any jam session and come out alive and grinning. It's easier than you think. This book will teach you how to do it! Written in notation and tablature. Free audio tracks available online.

25 of the most common Bluegrass jam session tunes. Book is written with standard notation and tablature and is accompanied by 2 studio quality audio CD's with 2 hours of practice music. Each of the 25 tunes is recorded three times; once slow with rhythm and melody, once with only rhythm and once faster with a full band. The faster version plays the tune three times through, with a mandolin solo, guitar solo and then rhythm only, for the players solo, just like a real jam session. Tunes include: Old Joe Clark, Arkansas Traveler, Turkey in the Straw, Redwing, Wildwood Flower, Blackberry Blossom, 8th of January, Bill Cheatham, Billy in the Low Ground, Cattle in the Cane, Fire on the Mountain, Fisher's Hornpipe, Liberty, Lost Indian, Red Haired Boy, Sailor's Hornpipe, Salt Creek, St. Anne's Reel, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Little Maggie, Bury Me Beneath the Willow, Banks of the Ohio, and Will the Circle be Unbroken. Free Samples of music and Mp3's from the book may be downloaded at www.bluegrassbooksonline.com. Any questions may be directed to [email protected].

Wayne's friendly and FUN approach to learning to play has taught tens of thousands of total beginners to play bluegrass music. Join the club! In this, his 26th book, Wayne cuts through the clutter and confusion of learning to play with his SIMPLE approach to playing the melody. He then leads the beginner down the path of being able to IMPROVISE on the melody by adding several simple rhythms. With Wayne s help, you will soon be jamming up a storm. Guaranteed. This book is guaranteed to help you learn to play bluegrass mandolin. (How many books come with a personal guarantee by the author?) You WILL learn to play and improvise on: Amazing Grace, Angel Band, Banks of the Ohio, Bury Me Beneath the Willow, Cripple Creek, Cryin Holy Unto the Lord, Dig a Hole in the Meadow, Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky?, Down the Road, East Virginia, Handsome Molly, In the Pines, I've Been All Around This World, I've Just Seen the Rock of Ages, John Hardy, Keep on the Sunny Side of Life, Knoxville Girl, Little Maggie, Midnight on the Stormy Deep, My Home s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains, Nine Pound Hammer, Paul and Silas, Shady Grove, Soldier s Joy, Roll in My Sweet Baby s Arms, Wildwood Flower, Will the Circle Be Unbroken? You Will Also Learn... How to Tune, How to Hold the Mandolin, The Best Way to Hold the Pick, How to Read Tablature, Harmony Chord Positions, Simple Rhythm Chord Positions, How to Play Harmony, Playing in the Dreaded Key of F, How to Jam, Playing Different Rhythms, How to Play Simply but RIGHT! Included Vintage Photos and lots of Friendly Advice.

A new book on improvisation is now available for bluegrass mandolin players. Based on the concept of learning by playing, this 200 page book covers a wide range of improvisation tools and how to implement them in your playing. A large number of examples are presented in both tablature and standard notation, so that a theoretical background is not required. the small amount of theory needed is simply presented and easily learned step by step.A series of exercises designed to help the player develop improvisational skills are included in the book. As an instruction tool, the book can easily be combined with the instructor's individual philosophy or by a student wishing to study alone. the subject matter is varied in difficulty and can be used by both the beginner and more advanced player as an instructional guide and reference book. the major-themes in the book are: the pentatonic sound, scale and major-chord based improvising with any Bluegrass-Tune, Double-stop improvisation, Minor chords and Keys, the blues sound, Melody oriented improvisation, How to use: Monroe Style, Cross picking, Hot licks, how to simplify a lick, and more. MP3 CD accompanies book featuring all examples.Click to hear the author discuss the book.

A collection of over 200 great Bluegrass, Old Time, Country and Gospel standards. Melodies are presented with standard notation and tablature along with lyrics and chords.Learn to play songs written and recorded by the giants of traditional American music: Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, the Osborne Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Doc Watson and many more. Also included: Step-by-Step instruction on how to transpose any song to any key!The two CDs include recordings of EVERY song in the book.

(Fake Book). This collection gathers more than 300 bluegrass favorites presented in the straightforward Real Book format favored by musicians including lyrics where applicable: Alabama Jubilee * Ballad of Jed Clampett * Bill Cheatham * Blue Ridge Mountain Blues * Bury Me Beneath the Willow * Dixie Hoedown * Down to the River to Pray * Foggy Mountain Top * Highway 40 Blues * How Mountain Girls Can Love * I'm Goin' Back to Old Kentucky * John Henry * Keep on the Sunny Side * The Long Black Veil * My Rose of Old Kentucky * Old Train * Pretty Polly * Rocky Top * Sally Goodin * Shady Grove * Wabash Cannonball * Wayfaring Stranger * Wildwood Flower * The Wreck of the Old '97 * and hundreds more!

Bluegrass Jamming on Banjo is the third in a 4-part series of fun books that teach the tools, tricks and tunes to jam in bluegrass style. It covers: 31 bluegrass jam standards, how to jam with others, how to improvise and make up your own tasteful licks and fills, almost painless music theory, how to play harmony, how to transpose and play in different keys, and pretty much everything you'll need to march fearlessly into your next jam or picking session! This FUN book is fully illustrated with almost 200 vintage photos. Includes an audio instructional CD.

(Homespun Tapes). This budget-saving bundle pack includes: All Star Bluegrass Jam Along for Mandolin Book/CD Pack These fabulous collections for players of all levels feature 21 must-know bluegrss songs & instrumentals, created especially for learning players by the genre's leading artists. The artist plays a basic solo that states the melody of the tune, then a more adventurous improvisation, and each solo is transcribed in detail. The CD provides the audio versions of the solos, plus multiple rhythm tracks performed at moderate tempo for easy play-along. This great series will help you build your repertoire & get your licks in shape, so you can shine in your next performance or jam session! Songs include: Bill Cheatham * Blackberry Blossom * Down in the Willow Garden * I Am a Pilgrim * I'll Fly Away * In the Pines * John Hardy * Old Joe Clark * Soldier's Joy * more! Great Mandolin Lessons DVD Taught by Butch Baldassari, Sam Bush, Mike Marshall, Tim O'Brien, Norman Blake, Steve James, Jesse McReynolds, Ronnie McCoury and Chris Thile The nine powerful lessons on this DVD represent mandolin instruction at its very best. Each segment, taught by a master of the instrument, has been chosen to give learning players new techniques, tunes and musical insights. The styles taught include bluegrass, old-time, Celtic, blues and contemporary. Music and tab file included on DVD. Beginner to early intermediate level. 1 hour, 40 minutes.