Teach Yourself Bluegrass Fiddle (Book/Online Audio)

This books is so light. Others criticize it because it is not for the beginner, but the book is up front on this matter. The point is that there are only 5 and a half pages on playing bluegrass and the remainder is sheet music you can download from the Internet. If you are too lazy to get free sheet music from the Internet, then blow your money on this book. If not for the CD that comes with it, I would only give it one star. But the CD does not help you to teach yourself bluegrass, it only shows you how your music might sound 10 years from now, after you master bluegrass, ON YOUR OWN. The String Department at the Berklee College of Music in Boston should have paid Matt Glaser and Oak Publications to not mention the school and protect their reputation. You can also listen to several renditions of many of these tunes for free on YouTube, AND you get to see the fingering and bowing technique of the old masters of bluegrass - most now dead. The YouTube videos may be more helpful than the CD in this books. Glaser handles jazz and improvisational music at Berklee, played the beautiful Ashokan Farewell in the movie The Civil War and released a jazz and bluegrass CD for Rounder Records with Wayfaring Strangers. So he has talent, but why would he put his name to such a poor effort of this book?

I love this book, it contains many classic fiddle songs. My only disappointment is I ordered the version that didn’t come with the CD. The CD is helpful for learning the melody and playing along.

Well, not really what I expected. I just recently started playing the fiddle. As in, I can read music, but I haven't gotten the help I need except for with a DVD that I purchased some time after I got this book.One, this was supposed to come with the CD like the listing suggests, and it didn't come with a CD at all. I think I got a earlier version of the same book, but I would have preferred to get the version I paid for, with the CD that it was supposed to come with.I wouldn't call it a waste of money, but again, I might use it once I actually know how to play and just use the sheet music, just disappointing.

Useful as an etude or method book; good tunes for practicing, but I think one would need a teacher to get the most out of the material, so not really "teach yourself" -- that is, even if you can already play violin, having a real person show you specific bluegrass techniques really helps. Playing along with the CD is fun, but the tempos are a bit quick for someone new to the style. I would give the product five stars if the CD included slow jam versions as well.

My son was impressed with the array of songs and looked forward to learning them.

Fiddling is a very personal and enjoyable hobby or even career, but fiddle classes are not always easy to find. This book and the accompanying CD provide a splendid way to go at the art, and it is an art in spite of some sneering comments from other musicians. Things start slowly with ample explaining and the audio on the CD completes the lesson. Do not expect an overnight success. Much practice is required and taking one lesson at a time over a long period will produce the best results. If a student is willing to put in the time and practice, it is possible to develop enough skill to join a fiddle group and build on that experiences. Happy fiddling!!

I like this book very much, but I can already read music. Also, I can already play the violin with some proficiency. This would be a horrible book to try to start with if you didn't have fiddle experience, but in terms of getting a feel for bluegrass music when you come from a classical background, I think it's very effective. I would recommend it as an introduction to the style, not to the instrument itself.

If you want to learn bluegrass fiddle right, buy this book. I met Matt Glaser, and his teaching style is terrific. Everything in the book is on the CD, played exactly as written. That helps me a lot, because I don't read music very well, but if I hear it and see it, it makes sense. There are lots of great tunes, and some back up and breaks for a few standard tunes that you will really enjoy.

Re Kindle Edition:No Hyperlinks!

This is a very well planned out book on the subject

Lo mejor es el cd que acompaña para hacerte el backup. Las canciones están muy bien seleccionadas y la impresión es perfecta. Aunque solamente incluyera el tema "Devil's dream" el libro merecería la pena. Gracias Amazon.

Needs better clarification on double stops.

Très bonne méthode de Violon bluegrass ! 2 lignes melodiques pour apprendre : une simple et l'autre améliorée c'est top ! Je recommande !