Takeaways and recommended listening
With
Tom Bekeny
What's in the course
20 lessons (1h 18m) · 1 free
01. Takeaways and recommended listening
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Lesson transcript
Conclusion of Beginning Bluegrass Mandolin
Alright, that wraps things up for this DVD on beginning bluegrass mandolin. I hope you find this useful and become interested in playing, and that you stick with it!
Resources for Learning
- There are lots of mandolin websites out there now:
- Discussion groups about building and repairing instruments
- Learning music and exploring various styles of music on the mandolin
Exciting Musical Diversity
There's all sorts of music played on the mandolin, including:
- Brazilian music
- Jazz
- Many different genres
It's an exciting time for mandolin as it continues to branch out!
Importance of Art History
As a friend of mine likes to say, it's important to do your art history. Go back and listen to some of the first-generation players and bands from the:
- 1940s
- 1950s
- 1960s
Key Influencers to Explore
- Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys: The originator
- The Stanley Brothers: Ralph Stanley, still active with his band
- Jim and Jesse: Great recordings from years past
- Flatt and Scruggs: Well-known pioneers of bluegrass
These are just some of the great first and second-generation bluegrass bands to listen to.
Notable Mandolin Players
Some players that influenced me, apart from Monroe, include:
- Frank Wakefield: Learned everything Bill Monroe did and added his unique twist.
- Jesse McReynolds: Developed unique techniques, such as cross picking and split string techniques.
- Sam Bush: One of the contemporary great players.
- David Grisman: Known for his tremolo playing and blending styles to create "dog music," a new acoustic music genre he's been working on for about 30 years.
- Chris Thile: Possibly one of the greatest contemporary players.
- John Reichman
- Mike Marshall
There are many really good contemporary players out there to listen to as well.
Final Thoughts
But go back and check out some of the originators of this style; it will help your playing and it's fun to listen to.
Thank you for allowing me to spend some time with you!
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Tom Bekeny is a mandolinist, fiddler and seasoned mandolin teacher who has performed and taught in the U.S. and abroad for over 40 years - so when he breaks down how to play, you are learning from someone who has spent a lifetime both on stage and in the lesson room.
He was the mandolinist in such San Francisco Bay Area bands as Done Gone, Tenbrooks, and an early version of the Grant Street String Band with Laurie Lewis. He has appeared with Peter Rowan, the Rowan Brothers, David Grisman, George Cole, vocalist Lua Hadar, and Jerry Garcia. Tom has played mandolin with the highly acclaimed Kathy Kallick Band for almost 20 years and has held the fiddle spot with California's premiere traditional bluegrass band, High Country, since 1988. He has recorded with many of these groups and was featured in the Summer 2009 issue of Mandolin Magazine.
Tom also plays in the wildly popular trad bluegrass "jam" band, Bangers and Grass, alongside west coast bluegrass luminaries Jim Nunally, Steve Pottier, Bill Evans and Chad Manning.
Beyond bluegrass, Tom plays jazz mandolin with his trio The Missing Man Quartet (MM4), which plays straight-ahead jazz with original arrangements drawing material from the world of jazz and Great American Songbook standards. He released a solo CD project ("Jazzolin") in 2013, on which he plays mandolin and fiddle backed by drums and bass.
