60-page spiral-bound book with 2 CDs
For beginner and intermediate levels, but with challenges for advanced players too. By Diane Bouska and Roland White.
Bile 'Em Cabbage Down, Cabin Home on the Hill, Cripple Creek, Soldier's Joy, Liberty, St. Anne's Reel, Clinch Mountain Backstep, Mississippi Sawyer, Sugarfoot Rag, Salty Dog Blues, Salt Creek, Old Joe Clark, Ragtime Annie, Golden Slippers, Blue Grass Stomp, New Five Cents, Spinning Wheel, Road to Columbus, Gold Rush, Wheel Hoss, John Henry, Blackberry Blossom, East Tennessee Blues, Pike County Breakdown, Wildwood Flower, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Amazing Grace in G, Amazing Grace in E, Kentucky Waltz, Lonesome Road Blues, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Jerusalem Ridge
Topics covered: Relaxing, Holding the Mandolin, The Pick, Picking, Tuning, Fretting, Pick Direction, Practicing, Mandolin Setup, Strings, Caring for Your Mandolin, Reading Tablature, Chords, Playing Rhythm, Tremolo, Chord Reference, Coordination / Warm-up Exercises, A Note on Listening, Selected Roland White Discography, 18 photos
102-page spiral-bound book with 2 CDs/downloads. Intermediate and advanced levels. By Diane Bouska and Roland White.
Preview:
Table of Contents
Roland's introduction sample
pages
Notation/tab sample page -
Shady Grove
Hear Shady Grove
• 14 songs and tunes with variations, in notation and tablature
• Detailed instruction with tab examples and exercises
• 30 page biography with photos
• Disc contents also available to download
• Disc 1: Clarence’s original recordings plus CD-ROM video of Clarence playing two tunes close-up
• Disc 2: Rhythm tracks: Play along at slow or fast tempo with Roland White on guitar and Missy Raines on bass
Songs: Shady Grove, Sally Goodin, Flop-eared Mule, Banks of the Ohio, Wildwood Flower, Billy in the Lowground , Black Mountain Rag, Pretty Polly, Under the Double Eagle, Footprints in the Snow, Bury Me Beneath the Willow, Nine Pound Hammer, Farewell Blues, In the Pines
Scope: This book/CD set presents Clarence's early but fully realized acoustic guitar style, as demonstrated in the recordings he made at home in 1962. These songs were included in the "33 Acoustic Guitar Instrumentals" CD. The book focuses on the core elements of his early style. Our intent is to provide an entry point for intermediate players to understand and begin to play in this style, and to impart the flavor of Clarence's early musical environment.
44-page book with CD. For all level players, with special material for complete beginners. By Diane Bouska and Roland White.
Look inside
10 classic Christmas carols and songs for mandolin, in notation & tablature. Songbook section with lyrics, mandolin & guitar chord diagrams. Shows easy two-finger chords and also closed position chords, has simple beginner tabs, plus "step up" versions with easy double stops. For beginners it's a great introduction to the mandolin, while advanced players will be challenged to master the nuances. CD has melody tracks w/separated mandolin & guitar, play-along tracks, oral instruction on tremolo and technique. A super package for all levels.
Songs: We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Deck the Halls, Jingle Bells, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Silent Night, We Three Kings, What Child Is This?
10 classic Christmas carols and songs arranged for mandolin, in notation & tablature. Songbook section with full lyrics, mandolin & guitar chord diagrams. Easy two-finger open chords, closed position chords, additional simple versions in tab for beginners, plus several "step up" versions with simple double stops added. Beginners will find this a great introduction to the mandolin and advanced players will be challenged by the subtleties of Roland’s playing. CD has melody tracks w/separated mandolin & guitar, rhythm tracks, oral instruction on tremolo and technique. A super package for all levels.
Review by Terence Pender. Reprinted with permission from Dec. 2003 issue of Mandolin Magazine.
This 44-page book contains ten Christmas classics arranged for the mandolin. The book is laid out in two sections. The first section includes an introduction, technical notes, and a few exercises. Next come arrangements of all ten tunes in both standard musical notation and tablature. These arrangements include chord charts for mandolin above the music and the words to each song.
These are excellent renditions of some of the best-loved Christmas songs. The melody on each piece is supported by a nice selection of double stops and chords that both enrich and fill out each selection. The book is obviously ideal for those who want to learn these holiday favorites, but it also contains example after example of how to harmonize a melody - ideas that could be applied to mandolin music of any style. Once you become familiar with Roland's approach to filling out a melody, you'll be able to start creating your own arrangements of any melody. This method of identifying the melody and chords and then harmonizing the material follows the same pattern laid out so well in Roland's first book, Roland White's Approach to Bluegrass Mandolin.
The second part of the book features another pass through each tune, but with an eye toward playing and singing the songs with a guitar-playing friend. On the left hand page are the words with the appropriate mandolin chords, and on the right hand page are the words with guitar chords. At the bottom of the page is a mandolin version of the song, this time in tab only. On the left hand page is a simple version of the melody, and on the opposite page, the version is filled out with a few double stops. In this section, each selection takes this two-page format so that both guitarist and mandolinist can easily play and sing from the same book without having to turn any pages. Likewise, the first section is also laid out so that there are never any awkward page turns, making this an ideal volume for those of you who may be doing some holiday entertaining.
To complement this wonderful folio, each selection is played on an accompanying CD. Each song is played twice. The first time through, Roland plays the main arrangement of the song as it is laid out in part one of the book. Roland is on the mandolin and Diane accompanies on the guitar. Then Roland and Diane play through all of the tunes again, this time playing rhythm so that you can play along with their accompaniment. This is another fine installment in what is shaping up to be a nice series of books from Roland and Diane. They have two more publications planned for release over the next few years: Clarence White's Guitar Transcriptions and Roland White's Approach to Mandolin Backup. This one is highly recommended.
Chord diagrams and lyrics to Christmas favorites for mandolin and guitar. By Diane Bouska and Roland White.
Look inside
Songs: Jingle Bells in G and C, We Three Kings in Dm and Am, Deck the Halls in E and G,What Child Is This? in Em and Gm, It Came Upon The Midnight Clear in G and D, We Wish You a Merry Christmas in G and D, Silent Night in A and E, Joy to the World in D and G,Silver Bells in A and E, O Little Town Of Bethlehem in D and G
If you've never played a mandolin before, this is a great way to start. The settings have lots of two-finger chords for mandolin, with open strings. You can play through several of these tunes with only two fingers and they'll sound great--the open ringing sound of the mandolin is wonderful for Christmas songs! Also included are some three-finger chords that you should learn, and the neat thing is you don't have to move much to change between most of these chords. Players of all levels will learn a few new chord moves. Nowhere is there a "stretch" chord. The greatest reach in these chords is four frets. You can back up these songs nicely without ever having to stretch your pinky to the far side of the fretboard. Guitar chords, also clearly diagrammed with fingering, are provided for the same songs in the same keys, and in the same order as the mandolin chord book--so it should be easy to convince a friend to play along with you!
153-page songbook of bluegrass lyrics, chords and melodies, including 50 gospel songs. By Bert Casey.
This handy songbook contains lyrics, chords and melody to 150 all-time favorite bluegrass songs, including 50 gospel songs, as well as many "new" bluegrass songs. Printed in large, easy-to-read type with one song per page in alphabetical order, this book is excellent for use on stage or in jam sessions. Also includes chord charts for the guitar, banjo, and mandolin, a transposition guide, and a listing of currently available recordings of each song. Now all those obscure verses you can never remember are right at your fingertips. This book DOES NOT contain tablatures for any instrument. 153 pages. By Bert Casey.
Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow
All The Good Times Are Past & Gone
Amazing Grace *
Angel Band *
Angels Rejoice *
Are You Washed In The Blood *
Banks of the Ohio
Battle of New Orleans
Beautiful Life *
Bluebirds Are Singing For Me
Boil Them Cabbage Down
Born To Be With You
Bound To Ride
Bury Me Beneath The Willows
Careless Love
Children Go Where I Send Thee *
Columbus Stockade Blues
Cripple Creek
Crying Holy *
Dancin With The Angels *
Daniel Prayed *
Dark Hollow
Darling Corey
Do Lord *
Don't This Road Look Rough & Rocky
Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan *
Dooley
Down The Road
Drifting Too Far From The Shore *
Dry Run Creek
East Virginia Blues
Every Time You Say Goodbye
Fair & Tender Ladies
Find Me Out On A Mountain Top
Foggy Mountain Top
Footprints In The Snow
Freeborn Man
Friend of the Devil
Get In Line Brother *
Ginseng SullivanGlendale Train
God Moves In A Windstorm *
Gone At Last
Good Woman's Love
Goodnight Irene
Green Pastures *
Hallelujah I'm Ready *
He Said If I Be Lifted Up *
He Will Set Your Fields On Fire *
He's Got The Whole World In His Hands *
High On A Mountain
Hobo Song
Hot Corn, Cold Corn
I Ain't Broke (But I'm Badly Bent)
I Am A Pilgrim *
I Never Will Marry
I'll Fly Away *
I'll Remember You, Love, In My Prayers *
If I Lose
In The Pines
It Won't Work This Time
Jacob's Vision *
Jesse James
John Hardy
John Henry
Jordan *
Katy Daley
Kneel Down & Pray Up *
Knockin' On Your Door
Last Train From Poor Valley
Legend of the Rebel Soldier
Life Is Like A Mountain Railway *
Like A Train
Little Bessie
Little Maggie
Little White Church *
Lonesome Road Blues
Long Journey Home
Lord, I'm Coming Home *
Lost & I'll Never Find The Way
Mama Don't 'Low
Man of Constant Sorrow
Memories of Mother and Dad *
Methodist Pie *
Midnight Flyer
Midnight on the Stormy Deep
Midnight Train
Milwaukee Here I Come
Model Church *
Moonlight Midnight
My Home's Across The Smokey Mountains
New River Train
Nine Pound Hammer
Old Home Place
Old Joe Clark
Old Train
Ole Slewfoot
One Way Track
Pallet On Your Floor
Panama Red
Pig In A Pen
Poor Wayfaring Stranger *
Precious Memories *
Pretty Polly
Rain & Snow
Rank Stranger To Me *
Reuben's Train
Rider
Rocky Top
Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms
Roll Muddy River
Roll On Buddy
Roses In The Snow
Roving Gambler
Salty Dog
Satan's Jewel Crown *
Shady Grove
Silver Dagger
Singing All Day & Dinner On The Ground *
Sitting On Top Of The World
Some Day *
Sweet Sunny South
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot *
Take Me In Your Lifeboat *
Talk About Suffering *
Tennessee Stud
There's More Pretty Girls Than One
Think of What You've Done
This World Is Not My Home *
Tom Dooley
Train, Train
Troubles Up & Down The Road
Turn Your Radio On *
Uncloudy Day *
Wabash Cannonball
Way Downtown
Were You There *
When The Golden Leaves Begin To Fall
When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder *
When The Saints Go Marching In *
When The Storm Is Over
When You Go Walking
Where The Soul Never Dies *
Whitehouse Blues
Whither Thou Go *
Wildwood Flower
Will The Circle Be Unbroken *
Working On A Building *
Worried Man Blues
Wreck of the Old 97
* indicates a gospel song
by Bob Black
275-page paperback book
From the back cover: "Roland White is bluegrass music royalty. He is, without question, the most dedicated soul I have ever known when it comes to playing and inspiring people to look into the beauty of the music Bill Monroe called 'the ancient tones'. Roland is especially gifted at encouraging young musicians to look deep into their hearts and play what they hear inside. He is a great professor. I know. He was mine. In reality, I owe my entire career to Roland White." --Marty Stuart
"Bob Black tells how a musician of humble beginnings successfully rose to the top of the bluegrass music business. Roland White's story differs from other bluerass biographies and autobiographies in its extended discussions of recordings, the deep historical era covered--from the postwar years to the present--and the depiction of a musician's working experiences." - Neil V. Rosenberg
Bob Black played banjo in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys and recorded with Monroe on the Weary Traveler album. Black later played with Buck White and the Down Home Folks and has performed with Ricky Skaggs, Ralph Stanley, Rhonda Vincent, Marty Stuart, and many others. He is the author of Come Hither to Go Yonder: Playing Bluegrass with Bill Monroe.
Featuring a broad range of some of today's most talked-about acoustic musicians and singers, the project offers a new take on the magic of the original music made by the Colonels in key live and studio recordings from the early 1960s.
The Kentucky Colonels -- with the line-up Roland first formed in 1954 -- became one of roots music's most iconic bands. It is only now, decades later, that we can see the strong threads of musical influences the group has had on bluegrass and the greater acoustic music world. Acknowledging that influence-- and White's career-long generosity to younger musicians -- this special project from Mountain Home Music Company produced by Ty Gilpin and Jon Weisberger, set out to join the pioneering artist with a myriad of today's players who both respect the legacy of White and the Kentucky Colonels and do justice to it by capturing the excitement, instrumental prowess, and emotionally delivered vocal performances for which the Colonels were known.
With artists Brooke and Darin Aldridge, Kristin Scott Benson, Aaron Bibelhauser, Russ Carson, Jeremy Darrow, Nick Dauphinais, Gina Furtado, Jeremy Garrett, David Greer, Brittany Haas, Josh Haddix, Justin Hiltner, Lindsay Lou, Kimber Ludiker, Drew Matulich, Patrick McAvinue, Darren Nicholson, Lyndsay Pruett, Jon Stickley, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and Jon Weisberger, Roland White and Friends: A Tribute to the Kentucky Colonelsreignites the spirit of the past and brings it to the present, transforming the music into modern-day classics.
About Roland White
Roland White is a living legend in Bluegrass Music. Inducted into the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2017, his career spans 60 years. From his start as a teenager with his brother Clarence in what would eventually become the Kentucky Colonels, Roland has been a musical influence on more than just one generation of musicians.
His career is pedigreed. From the far reaching influences of the Kentucky Colonels and the New Kentucky Colonels, to his time as a member of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys to his innovative musicianship in celebrated bands like Country Gazette and The Nashville Bluegrass Band, to his years of studio and solo work all the way to his current outfit, The Roland White Band, it's nothing short of consummate.
But above all, it's White's stylistic playing and singing that makes him an icon. It's the way he seems to dance through his instrument with a touch, tone and aliveness that expresses and communicates feeling to all that hear. In much the same way, White creates mood vocally with rare uniqueness and personality. It's White's creative innovation and professionalism that has made his music stand the test of time.
Even today, White is known in Nashville as a person who continues to bind the city's Bluegrass community together. A mentor to all who have a chance to meet or play with him, he has nurtured numerous performing artists and been an ambassador to the genre.
The New Kentucky Colonels could have done something different. By then, Clarence had invented a new way of playing electric guitar, coaxing a Telecaster to sound like some warped and whimsical version of a pedal steel. But this wasn't a time to expand, it was a time to expound on the particularly, peculiarly American roots of this bluegrass-burnished brand of acoustic music. It was a time for harmony, and for virtuosity, and for joy. Joy was in short supply for Americans in 1973. The presidency was a tight-jawed concern. The South was a clenched consortium. And so the New Kentucky Colonels played. They were propulsive and virtuosic and amazing, and they thrilled the folks that heard them. They even thrilled themselves: Roland White says that the Stockholm shows were as fine a time as he ever had playing music.
"In my opinion, this is the best playing of Clarence's on record," Roland says, and a listen to the guitar solo on "New River Train" or "Alabama Jubilee" proves his thesis. "I know it was the best music I ever made. Clarence and Eric and I had grown up playing and singing together, so when we reunited as the New Kentucky Colonels, everything felt natural and right. And Clarence had a lot of fans in Europe, a lot of them from his days in the Byrds, and he was aware that a lot of them had come out to those shows. He was really pouring it on." They all poured it on, and they had more to pour than at any other point. Roland rebuilt his right hand technique in his late 1960s days as a guitarist in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, and when he applied that technique to the mandolin, the results were righteous and distinctive. Clarence's work with the Byrds found him seeking and finding new approaches to guitar, and with the New Kentucky Colonels he fused new world ingenuity with the rigor and certainty of what Monroe called "the ancient tones". Munde applied lessons learned in stints with Jimmy Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys and with the Flying Burrito Brothers. Eric White's bass provided propulsion and playfulness, and the band locked together, an unstoppable force of rhythm, melody, and harmony. This version of the New Kentucky Colonels was magical, but temporal. Munde was there as a last-minute replacement for Herb Pedersen, who joined with the White brothers earlier in 1973, and who started the European tour with the White Brothers but left to join up with Johnny Rivers. After the Stockholm gig, Munde returned to his own group, Country Gazette. And less than two months after Stockholm, Clarence White was killed, struck by a car outside the Palmdale, California club where he and Roland had just performed.
Tragedy ended Clarence's life, but it did not lessen his impact on generations of musicians, and it does not dull the wonder of his creations. Roland White went on to establish himself as one of the most important and adventurous mandolin players in bluegrass history, contributing to mind-bending west coast band Country Gazette and winning Grammy Awards with the Nashville Bluegrass Band, before leading the Grammy-nominated Roland White Band in the new century. Eric White's bass enhanced the soundscapes of Linda Ronstadt, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and others. And Alan Munde spent 35 years as a driving force in the groundbreaking Country Gazette, and has continually moved bluegrass forward, as a solo artist and as an in-demand teacher. Few of us were in Stockholm those nights in May of 1973. Thanks to Claes Bergstrom's tape, those Swedish nights are here for all of us, right now. Across decades and oceans, the music is present. It sustains and endures.
-Peter Cooper, Nashville, Tennessee
-Alan Munde, Wimberley, Texas
-Roland White, Nashville, Tennessee
