• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Influential Players Bass Books

Teegan Heiniger

Teegan Heiniger

Sep 8, 2021
22
17
#1
I am an intermediate player with basic knowledge of different scales, modes, and arpeggios. I really want to study and learn from the greats to see how they go about playing. What books (with tabs! If possible) would you recommend to learn lines from the most influential players?

So far in my search I have seen different Beatles books recommended as well as Standing in the Shadows of Motown (is there a comparable Jamerson book with tabs?)
 
#9
Teegan Heiniger said:
I am an intermediate player with basic knowledge of different scales, modes, and arpeggios. I really want to study and learn from the greats to see how they go about playing. What books (with tabs! If possible) would you recommend to learn lines from the most influential players?

So far in my search I have seen different Beatles books recommended as well as Standing in the Shadows of Motown (is there a comparable Jamerson book with tabs?)
Click to expand...
Learn them off of the recordings.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lowfreqgeek, ProbablyTooLoud and BBQisgood
#13
  • Like
Reactions: Semi Actuated, darev, bassheaded and 1 other person
#15
Teegan, like you I am interested in digging into "Standing in the Shadows of Motown". In fact this book is sitting on my shelf along with many others. But my inability to read music is a real problem that limits available resources.

So I chose to learn to read music. It has been about 1 1/2 years, and in a few months I'll be able to tackle the Jamerson book.

It seems like a tough thing to do, starting over from the beginning and spending a couple years on a different path. But I would say it's entirely worthwhile, and probably the best and preferred approach.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: bassheaded, Tedthulhu, Teegan Heiniger and 3 others
#16
Bass said:
I am interested in digging into "Standing in the Shadows of Motown". In fact this book is sitting on my shelf along with many others. But my inability to read music is a real problem that limits available resources.
Click to expand...

When I first got Standing in the Shadows of Motown , I was pretty illiterate with music. All I could do was slowly go note by note. I couldn't read notation , but I could decipher it onto the fingerboard, very slowly. I practiced my theory by noting scale degrees or chord tones beneath , in pencil. And I could always check my work against the recordings. I only went this deep with a few of the songs in SITSOM , but I learned a ton.

Even if you "can't read" , you can probably decode, and that is still very useful.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CryingBass, Tedthulhu, Teegan Heiniger and 3 others
#17
mambo4 said:
When I first got Standing in the Shadows of Motown , I was pretty illiterate with music. All I could do was slowly go note by note. I couldn't read notation , but I could decipher it onto the fingerboard, very slowly. I practiced my theory by noting scale degrees or chord tones beneath , in pencil. And I could always check my work against the recordings. I only went this deep with a few of the songs in SITSOM , but I learned a ton.

Even if you "can't read" , you can probably decode, and that is still very useful.
Click to expand...

I did this with the book called "The Lost Art Of Country Bass" where I taped over the tabs and worked with the notation. Tedious at first but beneficial in the long run.
 
#18
Since it has come up a few times since I mentioned it. Benefits I have noticed of reading music.

1. Translates to other instruments. Learning to read music enables faster learning on other instruments if you ever decide to learn another one. Listing this one first for me as I started on French horn. Learning bass was significantly easier since I could already read music.

2. Access to additional music. Not everything is available in tab.

3. Faster learning on new music/ability to sight read.

I know people like tab, but you should develop past it IMO. The note positions shown are choices of whoever/whatever software wrote the tab instead of the player. It is difficult to read complex rhythms in tab (it is for me anyway). It has its place in early learning for the instrument (just like a fingering chart might on a wind instrument), but my view is that it should be a stepping stone.

I recently started going back through Standing in the Shadows of Motown for the few songs that I did not learn out of it when I was younger. I was cleanly playing the Supremes You Keep Me Hanging On within 5 minutes. I seriously doubt I could have picked it up this quickly with tablature (primarily due to difficulty reading rhythm on tab).

Before someone mentions the number of famous musicians who could not read music. I am well aware that they exist. I also view them as the exception rather than the norm.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: bassheaded, EddiePlaysBass and darev
#19
Teegan Heiniger said:
What books (with tabs! If possible) would you recommend to learn lines from the most influential players?
Click to expand...

Get ahold of the recordings and transcribe the parts for yourself. You’ll be glad you did. For one thing you will more easily absorb the stylistic tics of the players.

I do have the Jamerson book, the Funkmasters book and “What Duck Done” is another good one. Note that all of these are vintage soul/funk books (nothing recorded past about 1975). I found it helpful to read along with the charts while I listened to the recordings a few times.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back