i'd describe myself as intermediate, and i want to take that jump to more advanced stuff (tapping, harmonics, chording). my criteria are: it has to have a cd, and at least some of the exercises have to be fun to play. i'm really sick of buying books that end up sucking, being boring, or not informative. does anyone have any suggestions for really good books?

I think once you pass a certain point you are probably better off learning new techniques from albums instead of books and excercises. I really feel that the latter method fails (in most cases) to show how to use a technique musically, rendering the knowledge largely useless.

Want to learn tapping? Find a song with tapping that you like and study a transcription.

Harmonics, chording, etc. can be studied the same way.

Another great way to broaden your repitoire of techniques is learning/arranging pieces for different instruments. Cello is a good place to start because it covers a similalr range, but the altered tuning makes you work a bit harder to come up with fingerings. Horns, woodwinds and other strings all have unique challenges, and overcoming them makes you look at your bass in a whole new way.

that's good advice except that i think it's important to get a better understanding of the physical aspects of the technique, which cd's and transcriptions can't show you.

I agree with both of you, but I'm more inclined to Tash's method. You've really got to hear it to get it right. Once you've got a handle on the instrument you can probably get your technique going through experimentation and getting advice.

My suggestion assumed you had a handle on basic technique to the point that you could at least execute a simple example. If you haven't hit that point then specific, broken down instructions are of course helpful, though I feel a private teacher is far better at this sort of thing than any book. Not everyone has access to one though.