Confused about difference in instructional books

[lark_z]

Here's the app (Complete Music Reading Trainer). The free version is working fine for me. It doesn't do anything outside the staff, but that's OK. I use the android version.

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[IamGroot]

I don't know what type of music the OP likes, but maybe consider a book of simple artist transcriptions.

 

[Keith Favara]

I don't know what type of music the OP likes, but maybe consider a book of simple artist transcriptions.

That's a great idea.......i'll have to look for easy versions of some songs just using regular music notation. As far as what kind of music i like......that's a good question. I find myself drawn to the things that i recognize from when i was younger so it could be anything from Pink Floyd to Green Day to Aretha Franklin and the recent band that i really like that has some basslines that i really like is called The Record Company. Different genres with most probably being in the Rock/Classic Rock Genres. Thanks again for your reply......i do really like the idea of finding a book that has easy versions of the songs since i would be completely new to reading real music notation. That way i could be both playing songs still and learning how to read music at the same time.

 

[Keith Favara]

I don't know what type of music the OP likes, but maybe consider a book of simple artist transcriptions.

I just looked it up on Amazon and they have a book of easy bass songs that is supposed to supplement the Hal Leonard Method books that I've ordered(so no tab in there since it's designed to go along with the method books) I read one comment that says that the booked help him because the method books were getting stale when just doing that all by itself. That is my worry going into something like this.....that it would be no fun......therefore i wouldn't stick with it. So....I think i'm going to order that book up to. I like all the songs in this book and there are different genres of music too so that should be pretty good......thanks again for the recommendation. I knew my worry about the learning and that i wanted to still play songs but had not idea that they already had a solution for people with the same concern. Here's a list of the songs in the book:All the Small Things * Come as You Are * Crossfire * Friends in Low Places * Great Balls of Fire * Imagine * Lady Madonna * My Girl * Peggy Sue * Smoke on the Water * Surfin' U.S.A. * Takin' Care of Business * Walk of Life * Wild Thing * Wonderful Tonight *

 

[lark_z]

Let us know if you like the book.

 

[Keith Favara]

Let us know if you like the book.[/QU

You got it Lark. I will make sure to give my opinion of what i think about all the books including the songbook after I've had some time in them. I'm sure it'll be slow going.......really slow, but the songbook that I ordered is supposed to go with the first Hal Leonard Method book so I'm at least hoping that I can give some kind of assessment of the first method book and the songbook in the somewhat near future.

 

[Keith Favara]

Good question. When I was 14 I joined our High School Band. The previous bass player graduated. The teacher handed me a bass and an instructional book. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't even turn the amp on for 2 or 3 months!

A short story...

A classmate had a cousin who played guitar and was going to visit him. He told his cousin that I "played" bass and he seemed open to jamming. His cousin asked me to bring some records over with songs I wanted to play. This was around 1976 in a very small community in northern Canada. There was no internet, TV, and limited radio.

So I bring my bass and some records. He asks me to put on the first song I want to play. It was walk this way by Aerosmith. As the song is playing he starts to play along with it. I was dumbfounded! Seriously! I thought there were only a handful of people that could actually listen to music and then play it. Needless to say I thought this guy was the coolest. He soon found out how crappy I was but was patient and just encouraged me to use my ear.

It was tedious process and I am sure the songs I was attempting to play sucked. Not knowing any other musicians didn't help. When the 1st Van Halen record came out I wanted to learn Runnin with the Devil. Very simple bass line right? It didn't make sense to me because they are tuned to Eb. I couldn't figure it out. lol

Some suggestions for you to start learning by ear.
-pick songs that you love and are simple
-pick songs where the bass is clear and higher in the mix
-learn other parts other than the bass. I wish I would have done this earlier on in my development. Try to play the vocal melody, a guitar riff, or a piano lick for example
-if you cant hear or figure out a part sing it

Meant to reply to this, but don't think i did. Love the story......that was pretty funny and i completely imagine that i would be the same exact way currently attempting to play by ear. I will keep all your suggestions in mind. I don't think i have interest in learning absolutely everything to do with the bass guitar, but understanding how the bass players came up with the basslines that I like, reading by sight and also being able to learn by ear are probably the three things that i'm hoping that I am hoping to get out of all this. Oh....i also am coming from being a hack at the guitar so getting better with alternate plucking I would like to do too. I was doing good for around two weeks or so with practicing the finger plucking thing and now I've been slacking and using the pick almost exclusively. I need to get back on it......it's amazing how much it throws me off just adding one more finger to the equation. I was getting better at it, but I liked the volume better with the pick and obviously it was easier because i am more more used to it. Thanks again for the advice. I think i've gotten a bunch of really good replies to my question, but you are one of the few giving me some hints on learning by ear so thanks for that man. I do appreciate it.