Blues Mandolin and Beyond

For the past 4 years in September, The International Bluegrass Music Museum has held a Monroe-style mandolin camp the weekend of Bill Monroe’s birthday.  It’s an excellent time for fellowship among fellow mandolinists and Monroe enthusiasts, as well as incomparable instruction from the leaders and legends of traditional mandolin style.

To learn more about the camp and the IBMM, please visit this link:  http://www.bluegrass-museum.org/Mandolin%20Camp/Monroe_Camp.html

I wrote a little tune this weekend in anticipation of the event.  Truthfully, my motivation in attending isn’t the instruction as much as the time spent with some of my favorite mandolinists, as well as friends.  Time around Mike Compton, Will Kimble, Dr. Richie Brown, Roland White, Tim O’Brien, or Frank Wakefield is time well spent.

I’m thinking a lot about Rich DelGrosso as I’m hosting a blues mandolin camp he’ll conduct here in Bloomington, Indiana (sign up now!).  If you don’t know about Rich, he is undoubtedly the recognized contemporary master (and historian) of blues mandolin.  There are a lot of us who do it, but no one with Rich’s credentials.

Recently at the MandolinCafe, a blues mandolin social group was started.  I volunteered to provide semi-regular lessons.  I feel that the interest in blues mandolin styles is increasing and I want to do anything I can to foster that.

Therefore, this week I tabbed out (mostly accurate) the opening 12 bars to Get Your Nose Outta My Bizness from Rich’s album of the same name.  This Johnny Young tune is representative of Chicago style blues mandolin and easily shuffles in G.

I find it difficult to transcribe stylistic pieces.  Rich adds compelling colors to his sound through open strings, chords, scrapes, that it’s hard to get everything there–let alone to get the syncopation accurate.  So, take my tab as guidelines to understanding the solo, rather than the gospel as to how it’s done.  We’ll have to wait for Rich to transcribe it to know exactly how it’s done!

Tab is available on The Transcribable page.  Video discussing the piece as well as demonstrating it is on YouTube.

You can learn more about Rich and buy his merchandise (Buy this album!) at http://www.mandolinblues.com