Best books for walking bass

[drewphishesp]

looking to expand my knowledge and practice on walking bass. Looking for some good books on it.

Bonus points with tab. My reading isn't great and any time I get for practice I don't want to wrestle with reading, I want to spend more time playing and applying.

I was looking at this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Bass...e5b3&pd_rd_wg=W4MzA&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d

 

[Drucifer]

There has been good feedback on this site for the Ed Friedland Building Walking Basslines books. Jeff Berlin has a new book, but I haven't been through it yet. Here are some similar threads:

Jazz bass - Any good books on walking bass? | TalkBass.com
Good books to learn walking bass? | TalkBass.com
Best Walking Bass Instruction Book? | TalkBass.com
Learning Jazz - recommended books | TalkBass.com
Ed Friedland's Walking Bass Book? | TalkBass.com
New Jeff Berlin Walking Bass book | TalkBass.com
Constructing Walking Jazz Bass Lines, Book 1: Walking Bass Lines- The Blues in 12 Key | TalkBass.com

 

[Papageno]

In know many of them, but to me by far the best one is Mike Downes' "The Jazz Bass Lines Book".

 

[Minus]

Jim Stinnett's "Creating Jazz Basslines" is very good. Two guys I trust for walking bass are Jim Stinnett and Todd Johnson. Todd has a very good video series available from his website.

 

[dreamadream99]

I’m going to present a contrarian opinion. The best walking bassists did not learn how to do it by reading a book about it. They learned by listening to how others did it before them, And by knowing enough music theory to figure out the best notes to use, given the key and the chord.

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

I’m going to present a contrarian opinion. The best walking bassists did not learn how to do it by reading a book about it. They learned by listening to how others did it before them, And by knowing enough music theory to figure out the best notes to use, given the key and the chord.

On a related note, I would assume that a good understanding of rhythmic aspects is important.

While at face value, walking bass is largely quarter notes, it isn't that simple. Are the quarter-notes played legato, with no "space" between notes? Is each quarter held for only 3/4 of a beat giving "space" between the notes? Dynamics? Articulation? Pushing the beat? Lagging the beat?

Walking bass isn't my thing, but as an old R&R "on the beat" player, I am finding precise note duration, playing on the up-beat and syncopated "1e&a" rhythms a real "learning experience".

 

[hihat]

@Papageno
What about the Mike Downes book do you like so much?

 

[Papageno]

@Papageno
What about the Mike Downes book do you like so much?

1. It discusses bass lines in depth, providing the theoretical background information. If you want to understand thoroughly the bass line construction, this is very useful.

2. It provides ample examples of bass lines transcribed from the masters, and shows them all next to each other, providing unvaluable insight into the stylistic choices made by the great bassists of different periods of jazz.

3. It is very complete and addresses a lot of different harmonic or rhythmic contexts: whereas most walking books would introduce the blues, the 2-5-1 progression and the rhythm changes, and stop there, Mike Downes also addresses latin bass lines, 2-feel, ballads, broken bass lines, bossa nova, Giant Steps progressions, walking in 3/4, rhythmic embellishments, modal bass lines, etc.