Wayne Erbsen and Native Ground Books & Music have released a new title for people just getting started in the wonderful world of mandolin. It’s called Easy 2-Chord Songs for Mandolin, which perfectly describes the contents.
One of the primary appeals of old time, bluegrass, and mountain music is that, while a great deal of skill and experience are required to play it at a professional level, the structure of the songs is often quite simple, and fairly easy to learn. That’s the idea behind Wayne’s new book. Many popular songs played at jam sessions only use two chords, and here he has compiled 39 of them in a single book, with the melody shown in both standard notation and tablature. Lyrics are included, along with the two simple chords, in a way designed to have a new mandolinist playing along in no time.
With an eye towards new pickers, the book also offers tips on purchasing an instruments, how to properly hold a pick and position your hands, and a number of simple chords and scales.
Audio examples are provided for all the songs on an accompanying CD, or as downloadable MP3 files if you purchase the ebook.
Wayne has spent his entire career creating instructional materials for students of traditional string music. His books include releases for both 3 finger and clawhammer banjo, guitar, fiddle, and dulcimer, as well as mandolin, including his popular Complete Ignoramus series, comically themed as being so simple that a complete ignoramus could learn to play from one.
Easy 2-Chord Songs for Mandolin is offered for $22.95 as a spiral-bound book and CD package, or $13.95 as an ebook (with MP3 files).
