DVD- The Sam Bush Mandolin Method

In addition to being one of the world's greatest bluegrass musicians, Sam Bush is a clear and dynamic instructor who communicates his ideas with clarity and ease. This terrific two-part series will help aspiring mandolin players improve technical prowess, build repertoire and develop formidable musicianship.

Sam teaches traditional fiddle tunes "Ragtime Annie," "Bile Them Cabbage Down," "Blackberry Blossom" and "Sally Goodin," showing you how to create variations on the melodies, use drone strings for fiddle-like effects, employ crosspicking techniques for a smoother sound and move up the neck to play in higher positions.

A long admirer of Bill Monroe, Sam details the bluegrass master’s unique approach to his instrument, teaching "Big Mon" and the ear catching cross-tuning effects in "Get Up John." He then goes into his own challenging arrangements of "Brilliancy" and "Whayasay" (from his CD "Glamour & Grits") and "Big Rabbit" (from "Howlin’ at the Moon"), all of which will help you develop technical proficiency and dexterity on the mandolin.

Sam is one of the instrument’s great rhythm players, and he shows the essentials of damping, chopping and strumming for bluegrass, reggae and other styles. You’ll also get detailed instruction in pick technique, scales, speed building, warm-up exercises, tremolo, improvised soloing and much more.

As a bonus, Sam provides an up-close look at his 1937 "F5" and his new "Sam Bush Model" Gibson mandolins, explaining the differences between them. He talks about his equipment, favorite strings, fret sizes, pick gauges, electronics and the ways that his instruments have been set up to suit his exacting requirements.

This method is an invaluable and important addition to any mandolin player’s instructional library, and is highly recommended.