
ACUTABRegardless of your experience level or stylistic preferences, Tom's superb
and comprehensive book will help in your study and understanding of music theory
as it applies to mandolin. The book was initially published in the early 1980s
and was very popular among serious mandolinists, only to go out of print when
Tom shifted his focus from playing to his successful recording studio, Flat Five
Studio in Salem, VA. After much prodding, Tom recently decided to have the book
reprinted and it should prove to be just as popular with a new generation of
mandolinists.
Using a mix of text, musical notation and fretboard diagrams, Tom presents an
exhaustive overview of scale, chord and improvisational theory, running to nearly
300 pages. The book contains 60 pages of chord forms shown on fretboard diagrams,
with 16 to a page! Another section presents scales and arpeggios, including 7
scales and 23 arpeggios for each of the 12 tones. Modes and pentatonic scales
are also covered in depth.
The text goes into great detail - a college level theory course in a single book.You
could spend a lifetime going through this material or just snag a tidbit now
and then to point you in a new direction.