good music for a beginner

BassZen · #1 06-25-2003, 07:07 PM

I am generally a jazz bassist but I think I might try and join the orchestra at my high school next year. What would be some good music to help prepair? I am not bad with a bow but I've never done any classical music. I am also not perticuarly good at sight reading. Anyho, give me some fairly easy pieces/method books etc.

asglkjreio bill · #2 06-26-2003, 02:16 AM

My advice to you (after having been in a similar situation 2 semester ago) would be to get one of the many method books out there, probobly whatever your teacher suggests. Once you get through one of those, you will not have learned any classical literature (with the exception of excerpts), but you will have learned techniques implemented in a majority of the classical bass repetoir. You will be familiar with many of the rhythm's used, have a natural sence of bow distribution, etc. Also, your sight reading will improve dramatically as a result of your constant reading. Thats not to say learning a piece alone wont help you build many of the techniques you will use, but a book/teacher combination will pinpoint those area's giving you trouble and present to you things you have not yet been exposed to, and in many cases give challenging examples of techniques as to prepare you for more "real world" issues. I only reply because I to found myself in a situation similar, and had more or less the same worries. take it or leave it. thank you for reading -william-

Dondi · #3 06-30-2003, 05:09 PM

I was self taught until I was in college. I first made sure I read at least a little by going through the two books of the Mel Bay Electric bass method. Then pickup the first Simandl book and the Slama Scale Studies (go through the whole book using the first study in each key, then going back to the beginning and starting the harder ones).

Darth_Linux · #4 07-03-2003, 10:55 PM

I like the two books of Easy and Advanced Contest Bass Solos by David Walter. They come with a CD which includes a performance and then just the accompianiment so you can play along. They are about $30 each, and include music for about 15 tunes or so each. The material is pretty broad and should get you going in the right direction.