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. An online audio recording accompanies this book and features all examples.

About the Author/Credits
Introduction
Chapter 1 Theory
The major scale
Intervals
Chapter 2 Chord Tones
Chapter 3 For the Beginner
The double-stop shuffle
Chapter 4 The Pentatonic Sound
The major pentatonic scale
Chapter 5 Let's Play Bluegrass
Chapter 6 Slow Improvising
Chapter 7 Stationary Improvising
Chapter 8 Let's Improvise
Troubleshooting
Easy playing
Chapter 9 The Spices
The minor 3rd
The minor 7th
The perfect 4th
The major 7th
Connection lines
Chapter 10 Mixing the Ideas
Chapter 11 One-Bar Licks
Chapter 12 "Last Line" Licks
Chapter 13 The G Chord
Chapter 14 The C Chord
Chapter 15 The F Chord
Chapter 16 Other Major Chords
The Bf chord
The B chord
Transposing "up the neck"
Chapter 17 Double-stops
The structures
Chapter 18 "Playing Around" with Double-stops
The movements
The picked slide
Ghost notes
Chapter 19 Other Double-Stops Ideas
Connecting the structures
Other double-stops shapes
Chord numbers
Harmonizing the major-scale
Major-scale movements
Chord related movements
The minor 7th sound
Chapter 20 Minor Chords
The dorian scale
The minor scale
The minor (no 6th) scale
The phrygian scale
The ( IV m ) chord
Chapter 21 Minor Keys
The minor scale
Horizontal playing
Symmetrical sequences
Adjustable playing
Vertical playing
The V chord in a minor key
The harmonic minor scale
The harmonic minor (no 6th) scale
Chapter 22 The Blues Sound
The blues scale
Mountain minor
The extended blues scale
Chapter 23 Monroe Style
"Anticipating the tonic"
The f 7 as leading tone
Down strokes
Chapter 24 Cross Picking
The two-string cross picking technique
The three-string cross picking technique
Chapter 25 The Melody
Chapter 26 Other Spices
The major scale
The mixolydian scale
Neighbor tones
Chromatic
The minor-pentatonic scale
The relative minor
Chord substitutions
Chapter 27 Hot Licks
Triplets
Large movements
Rhythmic displacement
Chapter 28 How to Simplify a Lick
Skipping tones
Staying on chord tones
Limited improvisation
Lick replacement
Conclusion
Appendix