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Best bass book?

Ron Johnson

Ron Johnson

Guest
Nov 19, 2014
579
193
Chicago, IL
#1
So I already know how to play decently, but I want to find a good book to improve my knowledge on bass. I've been watching youtube videos like Scotts Bass lessons, but I don't find those very helpful since they just show you them playing it rather than having sheet music. I know that if you subscribe to him you get more stuff, but I don't have that type of money.
So what book would you recommend that would teach me things like diagrams of all the scales/modes as well as some good etudes and exercises?
I don't need one of those books that teaches you how to read music. I already know how to read; I'm a music teacher.
I'm willing to spend money on one good book, but if you know some place online to get a good book for free, that would be great! Thanks
 
#2
I don't know about "best," but here are a few you might look into:

Modern Electric Bass, Revised Edition (Book & CD) (Alfred's Artist): Jaco Pastorius: 9780769248066: Amazon.com: Books

http://www.amazon.com/Evolving-Bass...=1-1&keywords=rufus+reid+the+evolving+bassist

http://www.amazon.com/dp/3927190675...UTF8&colid=K5DRGYWW49QL&coliid=I1GNH0XPMMOIFK

I don't own and have never used that last book, but I've heard good things about it and it seems like it might have some of what you're looking for.
 
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#3
Here's some good ones:

30 Etudes by Simandl
Chord Studies for Electric Bass by Appleman and Viola
Melodious Etudes for Trombone (Book I and II) by Joannes Rochut
40 Progressive Studies for Trombone by H.W. Tyrell
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Sixty Selected Studies for Trombone Book I
Sixty Selected Studies for Trombone Book II
Reading Contemporary Electric Bass by Rich Appleman

Some of these are called "Reading" books, but they aren't teaching you how to read, they have some seriously difficult parts, which are realistic from a professional bass playing perspective.
 
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#5
Ron Johnson said:
......I don't need one of those books that teaches you how to read music. I already know how to read; I'm a music teacher.....
Click to expand...

I do have to make comment here on your post. I am a retired music teacher with two degrees in trumpet and french horn. I've always played bass, but usually just as either a hobby or filling in with school ensembles or weekend gigs. After retirement I've taken bass very seriously. After years of teaching music, teaching music reading, playing in rock, jazz, concert, orchestral setting both armature and professional, I thought that reading music for bass would be a slam dunk. Not so much. Reading ability, either at sight or as a learned part, is closely tied to technical ability. Think of it this way: Few people would question Yo-Yo Ma's ability to play and read music, but hand him a bassoon and productivity takes a bit of dive, at least for a while.

So, my recommendation for a book is a little different. Once you've mastered the scales (not too tough on a symmetrical instrument like electric bass) and know where all the notes are on the neck (very important) and have a reasonable hand position etc. Get "The Latin Bass Book" by Oscar Stagnaro. http://www.amazon.com/Latin-Bass-Bo...424533131&sr=8-1&keywords=the+latin+bass+book Some of that stuff is incredibly hard to play at correct tempos and really, few people will have to. But, most pop and jazz rhythms come from Afro, Cuban and South American music. So... set the metronome on slow and dig through the book. Since you teach and read already, there won't be a great deal of new information there, but just getting around the neck in a musical context is very rewarding and will show you where the technique needs to improve.

Good luck.
 
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#6
Thank you everybody. I think I'll go with the Jaco book for now. I actually saw the video on youtube before even knowing there was a book to it. The reviews say there are plenty of exercises in it. I'll let you guys know how it is once I read through it.
 
#7
I am thinking Chuck Sher's "Improviser's Bass Method" May be the only one that comes close to covering all the bases asked for in the original post. My other favorites are "Tony Grey's Bass Academy" book/DVD combo and Joel DiBartolo's "Serious Electric Bass".
 
#8
Ron Johnson said:
So I already know how to play decently, but I want to find a good book to improve my knowledge on bass. I've been watching youtube videos like Scotts Bass lessons, but I don't find those very helpful since they just show you them playing it rather than having sheet music. I know that if you subscribe to him you get more stuff, but I don't have that type of money.
So what book would you recommend that would teach me things like diagrams of all the scales/modes as well as some good etudes and exercises?
I don't need one of those books that teaches you how to read music. I already know how to read; I'm a music teacher.
I'm willing to spend money on one good book, but if you know some place online to get a good book for free, that would be great! Thanks
Click to expand...
Bass Guitar Instruction Book EADG 4 EADG 4 book $30 You can also watch some of his videos on YouTube. Lots of nice reviews on this, I ordered today. He does not
teach songs, no tab, but teaches patterns & theory.
 
#10
You don't necessarily have to have a "bass" book. It really depends on what you want to work on in particular. When I wanted to expand my knowledge of using harmonic minor scales over Minor 2-5 progressions, I found that the book "Minor is Major" by Dan Greenblatt (a Saxophone player) was a awesome resource. It's probably one of the one of the best method books I've ever used as far as accessibility and overall usefulness. He explains the use of minor scales better than anyone I've ever seen so far.

I have a ton of bass method books, and in the main, very few of them hold my interest or present the information in a logical fashion. That, or they just make it harder than it needs to be. For example, Serious Electric Bass is a decent resource, but I think (IMO) his presentation is overly technical. Music isn't as hard as he tries to make it.

Ed Friedland writes good bass books and I have one by Gary Willis that is pretty hard, but I think is very good.
 
#11
Ron Johnson said:
Thank you everybody. I think I'll go with the Jaco book for now. I actually saw the video on youtube before even knowing there was a book to it. The reviews say there are plenty of exercises in it. I'll let you guys know how it is once I read through it.
Click to expand...
Respectfully, it is not a very good quality book. The exercises and transcriptions are so full of mistakes I wouldn't even know where to begin. The exercises have no connected logic or methodology to them. Just haphazard fingerings he was doing at the time.

One of the best books for value and education is Tony Greys book mentioned above. It will take you a good year to go through that book. 300+ pages, DVD, for $18. You can't beat it.
 
#13
This might be a little advanced but check out the bach cello suites and inventions and print them off online. There obviously beautifully written and they're free online. They have really helped me learn the upper neck.
 

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