Coming from guitar, I have noticed a sharp difference between guitar and bass method books.
There are a lot of guitar books which feature exercises for developing primarily the physical aspects of technique. Most often than not, the exercises are diatonically set to a key or a mode, but this is rather tangential to the physical/mechanical practice, which remains the main focus and purpose of most books. Exercises are typically either repetitions of short patterns, or sequencing patterns variations into an 'etude', presented very precisely (with tabs, to be played exactly on given frets of a given string, often with specific choice of which fingers to use) and expected to be practiced unmusically i.e. with a focus on perfect timing and no dynamics (notes played as even and identical as possible).
Conversely, bass books seems to be a lot more focused on musicality than physicality. They may have a page or two to summarily present how you should physically play (typically, a set of clumsy pictures attempting to show the one and only "correct" posture), and then move entirely to direct applications such as walking bass lines, arpeggios, rhythm patterns etc. They are more likely to use standard notation, thus not dictating where on the fretboards you should choose to play those notes or with which fingers.
I don't see books for bass that focus for example on exercises to improve left hand fingers coordination, or right hand two/three/four fingers alternate picking. It's a bit like bass books tell you to learn the music, and the technique will naturally come with it, while guitar books tell you to learn the technique, and the music will naturally come with it. I am not saying either approach is better, it's just an observation.
Of course, I haven't checked that many books yet, but I've done a few trips to the public libraries already and that's why I currently have this feeling. Feel free to point out counter-examples of bass books that are following the other approach.
There are a lot of guitar books which feature exercises for developing primarily the physical aspects of technique. Most often than not, the exercises are diatonically set to a key or a mode, but this is rather tangential to the physical/mechanical practice, which remains the main focus and purpose of most books. Exercises are typically either repetitions of short patterns, or sequencing patterns variations into an 'etude', presented very precisely (with tabs, to be played exactly on given frets of a given string, often with specific choice of which fingers to use) and expected to be practiced unmusically i.e. with a focus on perfect timing and no dynamics (notes played as even and identical as possible).
Conversely, bass books seems to be a lot more focused on musicality than physicality. They may have a page or two to summarily present how you should physically play (typically, a set of clumsy pictures attempting to show the one and only "correct" posture), and then move entirely to direct applications such as walking bass lines, arpeggios, rhythm patterns etc. They are more likely to use standard notation, thus not dictating where on the fretboards you should choose to play those notes or with which fingers.
I don't see books for bass that focus for example on exercises to improve left hand fingers coordination, or right hand two/three/four fingers alternate picking. It's a bit like bass books tell you to learn the music, and the technique will naturally come with it, while guitar books tell you to learn the technique, and the music will naturally come with it. I am not saying either approach is better, it's just an observation.
Of course, I haven't checked that many books yet, but I've done a few trips to the public libraries already and that's why I currently have this feeling. Feel free to point out counter-examples of bass books that are following the other approach.
