Jack Tuttle’s Bluegrass Mandolin Collection

This intermediate 96 page book focuses on the mandolin styles used for bluegrass singing pieces, as well as banjo, mandolin, and fiddle tunes. All pieces now have free linked audio files below. There are over 70 transcriptions, with both tablature and music notation, in this spiral-bound book (see index below). I have spent twenty years transcribing solos from the greatest players of the past and present, with breaks from Bill Monroe, Sam Bush, Ronnie McCoury, Dan Tyminski, Adam Steffey and others. Many of the transcriptions are my own arrangements. Many of these pieces are challenging, but all the required details are notated. Pick direction is notated where necessary and left hand fingering is also notated in any instance where there might be a question.

Also included are three pages of chordal position end licks in the Monroe-style that can be used for the last line of most standard bluegrass songs. A typical bluegrass song can be broken down into four lines of melody and often a mandolinist will leave the melody on the last line and play a lick in its place. These end licks are to be used for this purpose. Some of the licks will fit over a I - V - I chord progression and the others fit over a V - V - I. Since this chord progression is so common for the last line, these licks will work for the majority of all songs. Since they are closed position licks they can be moved up and down the neck and across strings to be used in all 8 bluegrass keys.

For an idea of the quality of the transcriptions, you can download PDF samples on my transcription page.

By far the majority of these tunes and songs are from mainstream bluegrass jam repertoire. Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers repertoire are well represented.

Table of Contents with audio file links:

A Hundred Years From Now - my arrangement (F)
Another Night - as played by Adam Steffey (with Alison Krauss) (A)
Beaumont Rag - my arrangement (F)
Big Sandy River - my arrangement (A)
Big Sciota - my arrangement (G)
Bluegrass Breakdown - my arrangement (G)
Blue Grass Special - based on Bill Monroe (A)
Blue Grass Special variation - by me (A)
Blue Grass Twist - my arrangement (G)
Boston Boy - as played by Ricky Skaggs (C)
Brown County Breakdown Monroe/Baker fiddle tune classic with 3 parts (E)
Can't You Hear Me Calling? - my arrangement (G)
Cattle in the Cane - my arrangement (A/Am)
Cluck Old Hen - as played by Adam Steffey (with Alison Krauss) (A)
Close By - based on Bill Monroe (A)
Cry Cry Darling - based on the playing of David McLaughlin with the JOhnson Mtn. Boys (E)
Daybreak in Dixie - as played by Bill Napier
Daybreak in Dixie variation - by Adam Steffey's playing here (A)
Denver Belle - my arrangement (C)
Dixie Hoedown - my arrangement (G)
Done Gone - my arrangement (Bb)
Durham's Reel - my arrangement (A)
Farewell Blues - my arrangement (C)
First Whippoorwill - as played by Sam Bush with Peter Rowan (A)
Fisher's Hornpipe - my arrangement (D)
Flop-Eared Mule - as played by Mike Compton with David Grier (G/D)
Foggy Mountain Special - my arrangement (G)
Forty Years of Trouble - my arrangement (G)
Ground Speed - my arrangement (G)
Goodbye Liza Jane - my arrangement (A)
Heavy Traffic Ahead - Bill Monroe solo (A)
Hit Parade of Love - Jimmy Martin song (B)
I am a Pilgrim - as played by David Grisman (G)
I Heard the Bluebirds Sing - my arrangement (G)
Jerusalem Ridge - Monroe/Baker fiddle tune classic with 4 parts (Am)
Leather Britches - my arrangement (G)
Letter From My Darling - as played by Bill Monroe (G)
Little Annie (1) - my arrangement (A)
Little Annie (2) - as played by John Reischman with Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick (A)
Little Cabin Home on the Hill (1) - my arrangement (A)
Little Cabin Home on the Hill (2) - as played by Bill Monroe (A)
Lonesome Fiddle Blues - my arrangement (Dm)
Lonesome Moonlight Waltz - my arrangement (Dm)
Long Gone - my arrangement (Bb)
Long Journey Home - as played by David Grisman (G)
Man of Constant Sorrow - my arrangement (F)
Maury River Blues - my arrangement (Am)
Meet Me by the Moonlight - my arrangement (Bb)
Midnight on a Stormy Deep - as played by Bill Monroe (E)
My Little Georgia Rose (1) - as played by David Grisman (B)
My Little Georgia Rose (2) - my arrangement (B)
Old Ebenezer Scrooge - Monroe mandolin tune (A)
On and On - based on Monroe's version (G)
Out in the Cold World - based on Monroe's version (A)
Pike County Breakdown - as played by Bill Monroe (A)
Raw Hide - based on the playing of Ronnie McCoury (C)
Remington Ride - my arrangement (G)
Road to Columbus - as played by Bill Monroe (A)
Roanoke - 1st half as played by Bill Monroe, second half, my arrangement (G)
Roll on Buddy - based on the playing of Ronnie McCoury (B)
Shouting on the Hills of Glory - as played by Ricky Skaggs (A)
Shuckin' the Corn - my arrangement (G)
Sittin' on Top of the World (1) - my arrangement (C)
Sittin' on Top of the World (2) - as played by Dan Tyminski with the Lonesome River Band (C)
Southern Flavor - Monroe mandolin tune (Em)
Somehow Tonight - as played by Ricky Skaggs (G)
Stoney Lonesome - my arrangement (A)
Sweetheart, You Done Me Wrong - as played by Sam Bush with Peter Rowan (D)
Talk of the Town - my arrangement (E)
Theme Time - my arrangement (A)
Train 45 - my arrangement (B)
Way Downtown - as played by David Grisman (D)
Wayfaring Stranger - as played by Sam Bush (Gm)
When You are Lonely - as played by Sam Bush with Peter Rowan (G)
When You Go Walking After Midnight - as played by Don Rigsby with The Lonesome River Band (B)
Closed Position End Licks