Bluegrass Breaks: Mandolin by Dix Bruce. 23 Bluegrass mandolin solos or “breaks,” 13 kickoffs, 4 back-up parts. Aimed at beginning and intermediate mandolinists, this book with downloadable audio contains a collection of various mandolin solos, back up parts, and kickoffs in a range of styles and levels of difficulty.

Book or eBook with downloadable audio

This book is sold by Mel Bay Publications.
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Additional Details

Includes extensive notes on the breaks or solos and the techniques used to play them. Hear all the breaks and play along at slow and regular speeds! Access to the online audio is included and can be downloaded directly to your computer from Mel Bay’s website. Or, if you prefer, you can get the recordings on CD from Musix. (see below)

You’ll learn:

  • Easy melodic solos/breaks
  • More advanced solos with blue notes, arpeggios, and more
  • Double stop solos
  • Essential fiddle tunes every mandolin player should know
  • A variety of kickoffs or introductions
  • Different styles of back up mandolin.

The breaks in this book are based on are some of the most performed bluegrass, old-time, and gospel songs — songs that you’re sure to hear played at jam sessions, picking parties, and on stage. Book includes standard music notation, chords, TAB, and extensive playing tips. (See page samples below.)

Every break or solo is recorded at both slow and regular speeds in split stereo so you can hear either the lead, rhythm, or both.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Pig in a Pen up and down picking
Sitting on Top of the World up and down picking, tremolo
Bile Them Cabbage Down fiddle tune
Ground Hog solo in the key of A
Midnight on the Stormy Deep double stops, tremolo
I’ll be All Smiles Tonight waltz time
New River Train continuous eighth notes, closed positions, transposing
Somebody Touched Me closed position in B
Darling Cory blue notes
Wedding Waltz waltz, roadmaps
East Virginia Blues closed position, key of E
Columbus Stockade Blues blue notes, key of C
Fair and Tender Ladies crosspicking
Lonesome Valley crosspicking
Flop-Eared Mule fiddle tune
Shebeg and Sheemore Irish tune
Reuben’s Train solo with drones
My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains double stops, slides
Little Rosewood Casket closed position, key of F
John Henry blue notes, position changes
Blackberry Blossom fiddle tune
Handsome Molly up and down picking, slides
The Old Gray Mare fiddle tune
Silent Night closed position, double stops, Christmas song
Will the Circle be Unbroken crosspicking
Amazing Grace back up part
Take this Hammer back up part, call and response
Midnight on the Stormy Deep back up part, crosspicking
There’s More Pretty Girls than One back up part, double stop tremolo
Kickoffs
Little Rosewood Casket kickoff key of F, eight measures
East Virginia Blues kickoff key of E
I’ll be All Smiles Tonight kickoff key of A, eight measures, waltz time
Somebody Touched Me kickoff key of B
Amazing Grace kickoff key of G, double stops, tremolo, single notes
There’s More Pretty Girls than One kickoff #1 key of F, double stops, short
There’s More Pretty Girls than One kickoff #2 key of F, double stops, long
Will the Circle be Unbroken kickoff #1 key of G, double stops, tremolo
Will the Circle be Unbroken kickoff #2 key of G, crosspicking