As one of the book/DVD addicts on this group, I'd like to contribute some comments.
I have a large collection of learning materials: Fretboard Roadmaps - Mandolin Ohmsen's Books on Mandolin Theory and Fiddle Method Bert Casey's Mandolin Primer (a great value and my first book/CD) The Learning/Intermediate/Mastering Mandolin Series Marilyn Mair's Book Jethro Burns' Book Sam Bush's DVD Sam Bush's Book/CD set on Bluegrass The Mandolin of Bill Monroe DVD Set Chris Thile's DVD Steve Kaufman's Parking Lot Pickers I and II Steve Kaufman's 4 Hour Bluegrass Workout Hokum Collections and collections of tunes 3 or 4 books on music theory Several books on scales and chords, etc The list goes on.... Most of them are dust collectors. I refer to my favorites here and there. The best of all of them is the Learning/Intermediate/Mastering series, in my opinion, but I do refer to others to fill in the gaps. I think the answer to the "why" question is not because you can cart lots of cash to the bank. I think you have a passion for teaching and propagation of the music. I think you have a relevant voice and a unique contribution to make in the publishing world. I would buy any collection of Monroe transcriptions that you published strictly based on what I know of the source. I think there is a need/market for such a book; I don't see how one could fail to make money. The Todd Collins Book of Monroe Instrumentals includes tunes owned by both Bill Monroe Music Inc, and Unichappel. It is published by a little known outfit called Mel Bay (ever heard of them?) I would like to have a book of Monroe transcriptions that included some analysis of his approach for each tune or set of similar tunes. Also, I think a general instruction series from you would be something I'd buy. Clearly, I am an habitual buyer of such stuff, so the odds are slanted in your favor! Today, I played some old tunes at my church's bicentennial festival. My pastor sang and picked guitar. We did "Angels Rock Me To Sleep", "I Am A Pilgrim", "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", "I Saw The Light", etc. The most common comment I got was, "Man, that's good stuff. I haven't heard some of that in years." What a shame..... Nelson -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of mistertaterbug Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 1:23 PM To: Taterbugmando Subject: Re: Question for Tater... Yak, I have thought about it, but not much and not often, at least not until recently. I have been told on a number of occasions that I "should" do it and the answer usually to my "why" question is inevitably the same thing...because I could make $$$ with it. Well, while that may be true, I don't see that as a good reason. No, I'm not being holy and pure of motive and I definitely could use the money, but it's the same reason I've never put out a solo recording project...I just don't see that I have any sort of "vision" or that it needs doing enough to put the effort into it, not until recently. I am in the process of seriously going about getting the recording underway and I have been thinking that I probably should go on and finish transcribing all of Monroe's output (about 750 cuts, and that's not counting the hundreds of live cuts that are worth considering) and make a "complete recorded works transcriptions" collection and be done with it. Nobody else is going to do it and I think it seriously needs doing. Some of this stuff is damned near impossible to write out due to the "performance art" (to use a Matt Combs term) involved. Butch Baldassari got a start on it with the "16 Gems" book. The transcriptions there are accurately represented. I've read through others that weren't in the ballpark. I think it takes a lot of listening over and over and over to get an ear for this stuff and I really don't see that most people either "get it" or even care to, primarily because Monroe is old-fashioned by today's standards and not hip. I hear sounds in his playing now that I didn't hear years ago. I think a person has to learn "how" to listen to Monroe. The culture we're in is far removed from Bill's, more all the time, and it takes going on a journey to get back there. We're for the most part influenced by electric guitars and not fiddlers like Bill's generation was. So, it's not nearly as easy for us to interpret/ understand what that old mandolin style is about. It takes a lot of listening and learning. Sort of same situation as Mike Hoffman's friend/mentor Frankie has put himself in to learn what's going on with the black string band tradition as far as I can tell. It takes a helluva lot of time and energy and love to get in the ballpark and even then, it's an imitation of the real thing. I shudder to think that I'd go to all that work to put out a collection of notation/tab as extensive as that, that I thought was worth investing the time and energy into to get done right only to have every other armchair critic on earth start popping out of the damned woodwork just to shoot a few arrows into it, or to have somebody in the family or a publishing/copyright person come up and say "Hey, wait a minute, you can't do that unless you gimme part of it". I think I'd lose it. I know this is way more than a "yes or no" answer, and I do realize your question was about MY take on the tunes, but I figured I should go on and answer in full. As for the instructional DVD, there was some brief amount of talk years ago about doing something on Homespun, but that fell by the way. I have had a few conversations in the past couple years with reputable people about the DVD idea and I think that there is an avenue I'd like to pursue. But all of this involves expenditures of cash. I don't really have it to spare. Okay, I'll shut up. Tater On Oct 16, 9:24 pm, Mandoyak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Have you ever considered putting out an instructional book/tab/ > notation/semiphore/cd/dvd of your take on Monroe tunes (instrumentals > I mean...preferably some of the more obscure ones...not to ask too > much...)? > > Just curious. I for one would buy it right quick. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. 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