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Double Bass Is the Bass Grimoire Complete good?
- Thread starter gfdhicool
- Start date
The bass grimoire is great. It's got a TON of information in. All the basic scales are there as well as some more advanced stuff. The real knowledge nuggets are in the pretext tho. Learn how to read the scale/chord diagrams and you get a mini school how to apply scales and modes to chord progressions for walking lines and improvising. I refer to it quite a bit.
I have always enjoyed the book. It was my "first" music theory book and it still helps me today. I never read the excess of pages with fingering patterns since if you grasp the basic geometry for the scale/mode then you just slide it around to a new tonic.
But the little sections where they harmonize exotic scales for you is literally indispensable! I can't tell you how often I reference, for example, what chord fits the sixth of the Hungarian Major Scale, or something like that, while composing. Sure, I could simply write the notes out and make triads, then figure out the intervals, but if you just want to make something quickly, it is helpful.
I caution against relying on this too much though. You should know how to construct scale harmonizations yourself.
But the little sections where they harmonize exotic scales for you is literally indispensable! I can't tell you how often I reference, for example, what chord fits the sixth of the Hungarian Major Scale, or something like that, while composing. Sure, I could simply write the notes out and make triads, then figure out the intervals, but if you just want to make something quickly, it is helpful.
I caution against relying on this too much though. You should know how to construct scale harmonizations yourself.
I never really got it with those kinds of books. Like "Don't worry, EVERY chord w/ every inversion is in here!" You know, the first few pages with all the writing is probably kind of informative, but then it's like let's save a tree, y'all.
I'm kind of an intermediate student and just getting my head around the first half dozen scales or modes that anyone bothers to tell you about has occupied me for years.
I mean, if you look up somebody's number in the phone book, at least you know when they pick up you can speak English at them.
I'm kind of an intermediate student and just getting my head around the first half dozen scales or modes that anyone bothers to tell you about has occupied me for years.
I mean, if you look up somebody's number in the phone book, at least you know when they pick up you can speak English at them.
There is a lot of information if you know what you're looking for.
Just don't expect any kind of pedagogical help from it.
Just don't expect any kind of pedagogical help from it.
- Dec 13, 1999
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- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
It's like a dictionary. All the words will be in it, but it's not going to help you learn to write poetry. Especially in the jazz idiom, it's a MUCH more valuable exercise to work on ear training. You are aiming to say something with meaning, even if you use simple words at first. Speaking gibberish is still gibberish, no matter how big the words are.
