"Complete Guide" ?

Sagaris · #1 02-05-2006, 04:01 AM

After a year and a third of almost solely self teaching myself the Bass, I feel I'd like a "Complete Guide" type of book to teach perhaps slightly more advanced things and give me a wider approach to playing.

Can anyone recommend me any good books on the subject?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...011924-5036760 , I was thinking about buying this book but I thought I'd get some opinions from more experienced Bassists than me.

Sagaris · #2 02-13-2006, 02:28 AM

No suggestions? I think I'll just assume this book would be a good buy.

bigbeefdog · #3 02-13-2006, 08:21 AM

That book may be fine, but I don't think you could call it a "Complete Guide". Seems like more of a dictionary of scales & chords.

Not quite sure where your skill level stands, but this may be of help.... and it's free (except for the printer ink and paper!)....

www.wheatdesign.com/bassbook

steve66 · #4 02-13-2006, 09:44 AM

Ive been using BASS FRETBOARD BASICS. Its a decent book.
I never come across a complete guide.

AspiringBassMan · #5 02-13-2006, 02:53 PM

i can only go by my own experience.....

for newbies, you can't go far wrong with this book:.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...651134-7122048
it explains things in a clear way and covers many advanced topics too. i would say thats its among the best books out there for instruction up to an intermediate-advanced level.

for the absolute newbie to get started, this is a good book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...651134-7122048

i play a lot from a book called rock bass (below) because it gets you familiar with basslines and provides a very useful CD. the accompanying cd is split channel so that you can switch it to the left/(right) channel and it just plays the bassline only. switching to the other channel plays the accompanyment only. many accompanying CD's don't allow this so its sometimes VERY DIFFICULT to hear the bass line being played so that you can get it right:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...651134-7122048

i bought this book some time ago. what its done more than anything else is FORCED me to get to know the fretboard better and to be able to equate a note on the score to the position on the fretboard. this is an essential skill.because it uses real music notation rathar than much less expressive tab notation, it has also enabled me to read real music notation a lot betetr:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...651134-7122048

Correlli · #6 02-13-2006, 05:59 PM

I like the Progressive Series Bass Guitar books. Similar to the Hal Leonard Bass Method in design. The series of books cover funk, blues, rock, metal, country styles. These are the books that I have worked with closely.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/095...lance&n=283155

MikeRS · #7 02-13-2006, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sagaris

After a year and a third of almost solely self teaching myself the Bass, I feel I'd like a "Complete Guide" type of book to teach perhaps slightly more advanced things and give me a wider approach to playing.

Can anyone recommend me any good books on the subject?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...011924-5036760 , I was thinking about buying this book but I thought I'd get some opinions from more experienced Bassists than me.

I've used that book and it's okay for a method book. I'd also recomend the Berklee practice book for bass, or any other books printed by music colleges, or if you could get copies of the same books they use at a conservatory.

weeding · #8 02-21-2006, 04:27 AM

There a very good book called "The Bass Bible"

If you can pick that up it would be well worth it!

flatwoundfender · #9 02-21-2006, 05:08 AM

The Evolving Bassist by Rufus Reid is one of the best books you can get, it has everything in there.
Amazon Link
You might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere, but I highly recommend this book.

Boplicity · #10 02-21-2006, 08:50 PM

I don't think there is actually an ideal one complete book to bass playing. I have quite a few books, some worth more than others, but I would be hard put to it to pick just one that does it all. I think the reason is that one book alone can't devote enough detail to some important facets of bass playing, but instead just give a slight introduction.

Some of my favorites are:

Gary Willis-- Ultimate Ear Training for Bass and Guitar.

Mike Hiland--Mel Bay's Complete Guide to Blues Bass.

Ed Friedland--Building Walking Bass Lines

There are aslo numerous books specializing in funk, reggae, Afro-Cuban bass, rock, and jazz. Also there are books that specialize in techniques such as slap.

Snarf · #11 02-21-2006, 09:17 PM

You can't be taught experience. That's why the term "complete guide" is too ambiguous for me.

Kurisu · #12 02-21-2006, 09:24 PM

I'm with Boplicity (and like him I'm a confirmed bibliophile).

It took me awhile but I grew to love Di Bartolo's Serious Electric Bass, for scales and modes. This is particularly good for the "5 position system" that some folks are trying to sell as a brand new and innovative way to learn the bass.

Levine's Jazz Theory book for the fundamentals of Jazz (even though it's still too advanced for me, I can see spending the rest of my life on it).

Gary Willis's Fingerboard Harmony for walking.

Wyatt & Shroeder's Harmony & Theory for the general theory.

But to tell the truth, I've learned the most from transcribing songs I like. I thought buying books would make me a better player. But no matter how many times I practice a scale, and no matter how many lessons I took, I never really felt like I could act as a bass player in a band. But now that I'm jamming with a guitarist and in a cover band and transcribing all these songs, I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere. So maybe you don't need a book, just listen and transcribe.

Just my two cents.