Are there any specific books you guys would recommend for learning some bluegrass material or fundamentals.

FWIW I'm a decent player and can read music. I've just never learned any bluegrass before and would like too. I figured this would be a good forum to ask since that seems to be the dominant style of collings players.

thanks,
Corey

Corey -

I'll let someone else recommend books. But probably a great way for you to get started is find a friendly bluegrass jam in your area and join in. Bluegrass seems to me to be more of a communal experience than something one does on a solitary basis in their home music room. The give and take with fellow pickers is essential to bluegrass done well.

As far as the "dominant style of Collings players goes," all I can say is stick around here. I would be hard pressed to say that any particular musical style is dominant among Collings owners. Join us sometime at a Collings Gathering and you will here a very, very broad range of styles. And very little of it will be bluegrass.

Jim

Corey,
bluegrassguitar.com has a fair number of BG standards for beginner and intermediate levels.
Rod

Oldie: Bluegrass Guitar- Happy Traum

Youngie: Getting into Bluegrass Guitar- Joe Carr

Magazine: http://www.flatpick.com/

Extra Credit: http://www.braddavismusic.com/...davismusic/Home.html

coreybox
with out a doubt best way is to find a jam, & hang on, all the a fore mentioned books good as well, best new book to me is the book from
Roland White on the flat pick style of his beloved brother Clarence White, I found the book & discs helpful for my progress, it has helped me to become a flat picker, but the read portion on the family & how they came up in bluegrass was a good read, very touching for me any how

i agree with the reference to flatpick.com and they have a section with methods ect for sale.
very good material

the Roland White book is excellent but it's not really beginner material. it's an accurate transcription of clarence playing a variety of common tunes when he was 19 years old and he was way past beginner at that point. it's only been out a few weeks.

Although the CW book may not be for the rank beginner, I think it is great for someone just starting out to get a book like that and start to get exposed to more advanced stuff and see what the artist is doing. I've heard so many folks say not to buy Bryan Sutton's instructional dvd because it is advanced, but in my opinion it is a key resource for beginners to start to understand right and left hand and how they have to think together.

I agree with fasthand though, as far as attending jams, which I think there is no substitute for.

I would recommend a subscription to flatpick guitar magazine along with their CD - terrific resource. I also like Orrin Stars instructional book and DVD. Steve Kaufman also has great learning materials available.
There's never been so much stuff available

Speaking of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, the May/June issue should be a good way to start building your Bluegrass repertoire, and on a budget. It's got tab for 20 songs (by a great cast of contributors), and for each there is a beginner/intermediate and also an intermediate/advanced version. Check it out on their website. You might also look into Dan Miller's Flatpicking Essentials series, which you can also check out on the FGM site (so far, three Vols of the series are out).

For instructional DVDs, the ones by Orrin Star, Wyatt Rice (on Rhythm), Bryan Sutton, David Grier, and Kenny Smith all have a whole lot to offer. Great to get a lesson from the greats