Howdy,
Can anyone recommend some bluegrass music albums for a beginning mandolin player to listen to?
Thanks for any recommendations.
Walt K
Beginner Advice Needed - Albums to Listen to
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Hi @WaltK Walter
There’s are a bunch great mandolin players out there worth studying.
@BanjoBen Clark, Sierra Hull, Sam Bush. Bill Monroe, Ricky Skaggs. to name a few.
I always love an opportunity to share this video
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Bluegrass Album Band Vol 1-6
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I might get kicked off the forum for saying this, but I think that might be all any beginner needs for at least the first year, if not more. There is so much fine material to study in those albums. If you can play those, you’re pretty much set to play in any jam.
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Gotta throw in 0044 by JD Crowe and the New South of course, for general bluegrass. Also Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (they have like 40 years’ worth of great material to dig through)
Other of my favorite mandolin-laden stuff:
Skaggs & Rice
Tony Rice albums (lots of great mandolin from Sam Bush, Jimmy Gaudreau and others)
New Grass Revival (imagine an ‘80s rock band but bluegrass)
Earlier Nickel Creek albums (imagine a 2000s teenager band but bluegrass)
Punch Brothers
The David Grisman Quintet (Jazz)
Chris Thile solo material and Bach material
Balsam Range
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Just listened to Volume 1. That was great. Thank you so much for the recommendation.
(BTW: I was listening with headphones and the mix was great to hear the interplay between the mandolin and banjo.)
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My favorite Chris Thile album is “All Who Wander Are Not Lost”. Some incredible mandolin playing on this.
Also, checkout “Into the Cauldron” by Chris Thile and Mike Marshall. I believe the podcast Mandolins and Beer did a track by track interview with Mike Marshall a little while back. Marshall plays his mandocello in some of the tracks.
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