Anyone have any experience with the book, Fingerboard Harmony for Bass by Gary Willis? It is a linear approach to bass, whatever that means. Please share your thoughts on this.
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Fingerboard Harmony for Bass
- Thread starter adivin
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I'm just starting with it, with my instructor. Being really new to the bass (1 year only, with no lyrical music background), it's really hard, but really fun so far. My instructor has his own curriculum, but uses this book as part of it, so... I guess that's a thumbs up at least from one professional instructor.
I should note that he uses the book as a basis, and does a *lot* more and different exercises that are based on the book exercises, so one exercise in the book spawns at least 3 or 4 from my instructor.
I have this book and work with it from time to time. It starts out with you learning arpeggios over two octaves played at a pretty fast tempo over various key centers. That part can be challenging if you're new to bass. I think it has you learn the fretboard in chunks then teaches to move between sections of the board
The rest of the book, I'm not familiar with enough to speak on, but the ultimate goal is to have you be able to solo in a jazz fusion style, meaning you will (should) be able to move all over the fretboard with some ease. If you're not into that, I'd pass on it, but then again, you can't go wrong knowing your arps...
I'm diggin it, though. I'd say it's worth the price of admission, but it's not an easy book.
The rest of the book, I'm not familiar with enough to speak on, but the ultimate goal is to have you be able to solo in a jazz fusion style, meaning you will (should) be able to move all over the fretboard with some ease. If you're not into that, I'd pass on it, but then again, you can't go wrong knowing your arps...
I'm diggin it, though. I'd say it's worth the price of admission, but it's not an easy book.
Ditto - this is not an easy book.
Having a teacher who uses it will undoubtedly help a lot.
I am slowly working my way through it, but I find it a tough slog & slow going.
In the end, I know that going through the book will be good for me... but it ain't easy.
Having a teacher who uses it will undoubtedly help a lot.
I am slowly working my way through it, but I find it a tough slog & slow going.
In the end, I know that going through the book will be good for me... but it ain't easy.
It is a great book and excellent method to learn the fingerboard. I have been started few times to make my way through it but it takes time lets say years...Gary is fantastic teacher
I called it up on Amazon and took a look inside -- basic fretboard patterns. Do not know how well it gets into why we are using those basic fretboard patters. My take on that.....
The song writer has placed a chord in a specific spot in the song so that it harmonizes with the melody. How does it do that? By sharing like notes with the active melody. So if a certain chord is active in the song - and we play notes of that chord we will harmonize with the melody and sound good with what is going on. Begs the question how many like notes? Just roots work. Roots and the fifth will play a lot of bass. The whole four note arpeggio, would be used in jazz. Most everything else is happy with the root, the five and the octave 8. Plenty of time for the correct 3 and 7. For example: R-R-R-R or R on the first beat and the five on the 3rd beat seems to work well. Then then generic R-5-8-5 kinda goes with the other stuff you may run into.
We do all that by getting arpeggio patterns into muscle memory.
Major arpeggio = R-3-5-7 and 8 if you like. Minor arpeggio = R-b3-5-b7 and again with the 8 if you like. Yes a dominant seven arpeggio would be R-3-5-b7. See a chord name and our fingers know where the notes of that chord are located.
Again, I do not have the book, but, it is giving you the basic arpeggio patterns you need. See a chord name and your fingers are going to it's notes.
I use patterns all the time, however, I just use one pattern. The major scale pattern and then adjust for what I need.
From the root the 2 is over two frets same string.
From the root the 3 is up a string and back a fret.
From the root the 4 is up a string same fret.
From the root the 5 is up a string and over two frets.
From the root the 6 is up two strings and back one fret. Right over the 3.
From the root the 7 is up two strings and over one fret.
From the root the 8 is up two strings and over two frets. Right over the 5.
A minor triad will have a b3 and if a 7 is used it'll be the b7. So using your major scale pattern adjust for the dominant seven, minor, diminished, augmented and sus or add arpeggios.
Find the root in first position and then add any extensions you like. Perhaps what I've given you will help make since of the patterns in the book. It is complicated unless you understand a few facts. The arpeggio has notes of the chord, if we play the arpeggio pattern when the chord is shown 9 times our of 10 we will harmonize with the melody and sound good with the rest of the song.
Now go to the book and don't skip pages.
This may come in handy:
Good luck.
The song writer has placed a chord in a specific spot in the song so that it harmonizes with the melody. How does it do that? By sharing like notes with the active melody. So if a certain chord is active in the song - and we play notes of that chord we will harmonize with the melody and sound good with what is going on. Begs the question how many like notes? Just roots work. Roots and the fifth will play a lot of bass. The whole four note arpeggio, would be used in jazz. Most everything else is happy with the root, the five and the octave 8. Plenty of time for the correct 3 and 7. For example: R-R-R-R or R on the first beat and the five on the 3rd beat seems to work well. Then then generic R-5-8-5 kinda goes with the other stuff you may run into.
We do all that by getting arpeggio patterns into muscle memory.
Major arpeggio = R-3-5-7 and 8 if you like. Minor arpeggio = R-b3-5-b7 and again with the 8 if you like. Yes a dominant seven arpeggio would be R-3-5-b7. See a chord name and our fingers know where the notes of that chord are located.
Again, I do not have the book, but, it is giving you the basic arpeggio patterns you need. See a chord name and your fingers are going to it's notes.
I use patterns all the time, however, I just use one pattern. The major scale pattern and then adjust for what I need.
From the root the 2 is over two frets same string.
From the root the 3 is up a string and back a fret.
From the root the 4 is up a string same fret.
From the root the 5 is up a string and over two frets.
From the root the 6 is up two strings and back one fret. Right over the 3.
From the root the 7 is up two strings and over one fret.
From the root the 8 is up two strings and over two frets. Right over the 5.
A minor triad will have a b3 and if a 7 is used it'll be the b7. So using your major scale pattern adjust for the dominant seven, minor, diminished, augmented and sus or add arpeggios.
Find the root in first position and then add any extensions you like. Perhaps what I've given you will help make since of the patterns in the book. It is complicated unless you understand a few facts. The arpeggio has notes of the chord, if we play the arpeggio pattern when the chord is shown 9 times our of 10 we will harmonize with the melody and sound good with the rest of the song.
Now go to the book and don't skip pages.
This may come in handy:
Good luck.
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Fingerboard harmony is a method of learning that won't provide much results for a couple of reasons. 1. You aren't using music to navigate your fingerboard which means that the harmony isn't based in musical language, and 2. Fingerboard harmony doesn't approach the amount of great harmonic musical exercises to learn by reading music itself. Finally, with respect, people that write out fingerboard harmony don't really know much about harmony.
I feel that the method is popular with bass teachers and players not into music itself. This isn't a wise decision to make, to learn how to play via this approach. Why? Because if people are willing to study fingerboard harmony which is a weak way to learn, they why not just go all the way and learn written music itself which will give you a lifetime's musical benefit.
I feel that the method is popular with bass teachers and players not into music itself. This isn't a wise decision to make, to learn how to play via this approach. Why? Because if people are willing to study fingerboard harmony which is a weak way to learn, they why not just go all the way and learn written music itself which will give you a lifetime's musical benefit.
Gary Willis knows his stuff, for sure.
I don't think fingerboard diagrams are valueless
but I feel they are something to create for yourself
as an exercise in learning the underlying patterns
That's how I learned 'fingerboard harmony' long before tackling notation.
But, perhaps Jeff is right, and by going straight to notation
those fingerboard patterns will naturally be discovered
as a side benefit to musical literacy
I don't think fingerboard diagrams are valueless
but I feel they are something to create for yourself
as an exercise in learning the underlying patterns
That's how I learned 'fingerboard harmony' long before tackling notation.
But, perhaps Jeff is right, and by going straight to notation
those fingerboard patterns will naturally be discovered
as a side benefit to musical literacy
I found the book to be excellent. I am not sure if Mr. Berlin has actually seen the inside of the book, but the exercises are chord tones played over standard progressions, pretty much from the get go... It starts with basic seventh chords, then adds tensions and chromatic notes. Also, the book doesn't approach the subject through shapes themselves (at least not in their typical meaning) but rather from the perspective of all available chord tones in a given section/position of the neck. Yes, it means having to choose between two possibilities for the same note.
Indeed, there are no melodic examples or lines to read, because the aim is for the reader/practitioner to play the lines from the available tonal material and in accordance with the harmony/chord progression presented.
Indeed, there are no melodic examples or lines to read, because the aim is for the reader/practitioner to play the lines from the available tonal material and in accordance with the harmony/chord progression presented.
I have the book but haven't used it very much.
Which probably says a lot more about me than the book or the method.
Guess I need to go dig it out and give it another go.
Which probably says a lot more about me than the book or the method.
Guess I need to go dig it out and give it another go.
I worked through it years ago when I first started playing a 5 string and found it liberating. I still need to go back and try it with the 6 and perhaps try to apply it to genres outside of jazz.
C/S,
Rev J
C/S,
Rev J
