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Mandolin tablatures for Watson's Blues

Bill Monroe

Recomended level: Intermediate

Tags: #bluegrass, #mandolin, #tremolo, #slow

Bluegrass version of Bill Monroe's Mandolin song Watson's Blues: A classic masterpiece of bluegrass picking at its finest! Played with intricate mandolin licks, this song will make you want to get up and move. Monroe Style version of Bill Monroe's Mandolin song Watson's Blues: Keeping with the roots of the original song, this arrangement is a faithful recreation of the song's iconic sound. Grisman Style version of Bill Monroe's Mandolin song Watson's Blues: This creative rendition of the classic tune infuses a modern twist with the help of David Grisman's unique and beautiful mandolin arrangements.

  • Mandolin Watson's Blues Grisman Style

    Grisman Style

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      E
    • Tempo
      55 bpm
    • Tuning
      GDAE

    This arrangement is a transcription of David Grisman's playing from the album, "Tone Poems". There's lots of David Grisman style licks available, so be sure to check those out!

    Mandolin Watson's Blues Grisman Style
    Learn
  • Mandolin Watson's Blues Bluegrass

    Bluegrass

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      E
    • Tempo
      65 bpm
    • Tuning
      GDAE

    This is an excellent Monroe tune. If you listen to a recording, you'll hear the signature guitar run that comes before the mandolin starts playing. Remember to wait for that to finis...

    Mandolin Watson's Blues Bluegrass
    Learn
  • Mandolin Watson's Blues Monroe Style

    Monroe Style

    • Difficulty
    • Key
      E
    • Tempo
      65 bpm
    • Tuning
      GDAE

    This version of Watson's Blues is closely based on the playing of Bill Monroe. Even the licks are based off of various recordings of Bill through ought the years. Feel free to s...

    Mandolin Watson's Blues Monroe Style
    Learn



Practicing Tips

Learning Overview
Dive deep into the world of bluegrass with 'Watson's Blues.' This comprehensive learning resource is specially designed for intermediate players. Serving bluegrass, Monroe, Grisman styles mandolin tablatures at your fingertips, this course offers a multi-faceted understanding of tremolo techniques, mandolin handling, and key bluegrass standards, all played at a slow, manageable pace.


Practice Tips
Use the Tunefox platform features to expand your lick vocabulary and enhance your interpretation of the song. The Lick Switcher, one prominent feature, provides a plethora of song variations and offers a fresh perspective of the same song for you to explore. Tap the measure and unveil an array of licks hidden beneath the surface, personalizing and enhancing your arrangement.


Want to control the difficulty level of your learning? Tune to the Arrange slider. By sliding to the left, you can remove unnecessary “fill-in” notes to simplify the arrangement depicted in the tablature. If you want to take it a notch up, slide it to the right to integrate all the extra notes to the arrangement, providing a complete overview of the song.


To practice the song at different speeds, leverage the tempo slider. Combining the use of backing tracks with this tool can make your practice sessions more engaging and realistic. The most effective way to learn bluegrass is by playing and experimentally iterating with the music. Backing tracks make a perfect accompaniment for your jam sessions.


Another feature, 'Speed Up,' comes in handy when you want to gradually increase your playing speed. Starting at a comfortable pace, 'Speed Up' subtly escalates the tempo every time you play the song. Repeat selected measures and progressively move to higher speeds, enhancing your ability to keep up tempo in real-time playing scenarios.


Combining all these techniques, 'Watson's Blues' becomes an enthralling learning journey that molds you into an adept bluegrass player. Set out on an adventure with the mandolin, exploring various styles, and creating your own tune!