Mr. Seaton,

Is there a sight reading book that you use with your bass students at UNT?

I can read, but don't do it well and would like to get my reading chops really together. I can play, I transcribe, I have a good teacher to work with, but he didn't know of a progressive sight reading book to suggest. We've got plenty of music laying around to read from, of course.

Thanks in advance.

By the way, both my wife and I are UNT grads, but neither from the music department, I'm sad to say. Perhaps I'll come back some day and put myself in your capable hands.

Troy

Hi,
I don't use a sight reading book at UNT. We do work on sight reading by looking at lead sheets (melodies and changes), written bass lines, and pre-transcribed solos. In the case of a solo, put on the recording and play with it the first time. For all of the music, record yourself with a record, play-along, and/or metronome. Go back and listen. Take the parts you missed and figure out what they are. Check for rhythms, chromaticism, scale fragements, and arpeggio fragments. Learn to recognize those elements and commit them to memory. Notice the key signature and check out the notes with accidentals. At it's simplest, arpeggios will be alternating lines or spaces and scales will be consecutive.
Good Luck,
Lynn

Thank you, sir.

I was an OK site reader until I got a multiyear gig with a big band. Very arranged stuff. My reading improved greatly in a short period of time, I learned a lot and had a blast. Not may solo opportunities in a big band, but a great place to learn to read.

I was an OK site reader until I got a multiyear gig with a big band. Very arranged stuff. My reading improved greatly in a short period of time, I learned a lot and had a blast. Not may solo opportunities in a big band, but a great place to learn to read.

And a great place to network with other musicians. I used to play in a big band where the horn section changed on a pretty regular basis. In a couple months I knew virtually every horn player in town.