• 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.

Looking for an intermediate method book (or some general advice on what to practice)

D

Duck Down

Jul 27, 2021
4
4
#1
Hi, first time poster here!
I've been dabbling with bass playing for a few years and decided to take some lessons next fall. Now I'd like to work on a few things over the summer for about half an hour per day.
What I know: I practiced the majority of exercises in Reznicek's "Rock Bass" book, a few transcriptions and tabs of Rock, Funk and Soul songs. I took a few individual lessons. My main instrument is drums. I also play some piano, so I know how to read and I have some knowledge about harmony and scales.
What I have: a Yamaha BB 604 with Flats. Books: "Bass Bible", Friedland's "Building Walking Bass" and "The Great James Brown Rhythm Sections" - while these are good books, I feel like I could benefit from some more explanations. For example, the Friedland book gives you all kinds of options but not so much guidance, when to use what (like "use this chromatic approach if you go to a minor chord / don't do X on a Maj7").
What I'd like to learn: get faster at finding the right fingering and position on the fret board / planning ahead when seeing chord changes or transcribed bass lines. I'm not too interested in Slapping or anything too technical. I mainly want to become decent at playing some grooves that work. It's not my main instrument. :)
What I intend to do over the summer: play different scales / modes over two octaves
and say the note names to get more knowledge of the fret board, work on some Funk grooves from the book or online resources.

So if anything comes to mind (songs that are not too hard but have some nice progressions, a great exercise or a good book that also gets into some theory and concepts), I'd be happy to read your suggestions.
 
#2
The getting started string in the sub forum general instruction has a lot of what you asked about. Speed read until you see something that could help.

When working with scales, modes, arpeggios, etc. I think thinking in A, B, C's and 1, 2, 3's has value. Cmaj7 chord coming up, find the C then revert to scale degree numbers for the rest of the maj7 (R-3-5-7). Learn the spellings for the chords you will be using. Let patterns help you...

Your drum experience will will be a great help.

Good luck and happy trails.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Duck Down
#3
Thanks for the recommendation!
I guess I should explain a bit more what I'm looking for - not sure if this even exists, but something like a "Pop/Rock/Soul Harmony" method that is tailored to bass players would be neat. There are quite a few songs that move away from one diatonic system and I often wonder where the chords are coming from and how to connect them. Also chromatic runs and passing tones often seem completely random to me and then the bassist might even end on the low note of a slash chord - I would love to get those things into my head, ear and hands.
But in the mean time, I'll try not to overthink it and just work on some Funk grooves (and maybe really basic Walking Bass) and build from there.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mambo4
#6
Cheers, Real Bass Lessons looks like a fantastic resource. What a nice and to-the-point teacher! Too bad he's died recently...

I definitely like books and learning things in a progressive order versus gathering PDFs and videos on my own from all kinds of sources. I'll have a look at them, but I will probably just start with the books I already have for now. Thanks!
 
  • Like
Reactions: drumvsbass and ProbablyTooLoud
#7
Duck Down said:
Cheers, Real Bass Lessons looks like a fantastic resource. What a nice and to-the-point teacher! Too bad he's died recently...

I definitely like books and learning things in a progressive order versus gathering PDFs and videos on my own from all kinds of sources. I'll have a look at them, but I will probably just start with the books I already have for now. Thanks!
Click to expand...


Yes, sad.
I don't like video/youtube learning at all, myself, but this guy is so good.
Loves bass, loves teaching, and knows how to share the love and the knowledge.
He has some approaches that I use every day, like practicing things around the cycle of fourths (a phrase some people hate).
Anyways, cheers, good luck!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Duck Down and Bass
#8
Duck Down said:
...I definitely like books and learning things in a progressive order...
Click to expand...

Me too. Here's a suggestion, I started working on Ariane Cap's "Pattern System for the Bass Player" about 6 weeks ago. The first chapter explores the open strings and the first four frets.

So I have been playing scales in all keys in "the open position" including the notes above and below the root or tonic. Naturally, if you play all the notes within the area, one after the other, top to bottom and back for a few measures, some of the modes will be explored.

I am really enjoying the patterns that emerge for each scale. And I can see how the system will extend itself all along the length of the neck. I think one intent of the method is to gain a thorough understanding of the fingerboard.

This might not be exactly what you are looking for, but it is an intermediate progressive method in book format.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Duck Down
#9
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
  • Like
Reactions: Bass and Duck Down
#10
IMO, if you know your scales and have a clue regarding theory, the best thing you can do is start learning songs. Start with a genre you want to perform and start figuring out the bass lines.

As a drummer, you should already have a concept regarding bass/drum locking in, so that's covered.

There really is no hard and set "rules" about how to apply a fingering - for me it all depends on where I'm going next. That's how I determine how to finger a specific line: "How do I get there from here".

Sorry, no suggestion regarding instructional methods. To me, they are just exercises and you can create your own to work through whatever specific thing you need to work on. Find a spot in a song that is giving you grief? Turn it in to an exercise. Having trouble with a certain rhythm? Turn it into an exercise. Figuring something out for one song, will likely help later for another (our lines are pretty repetitive over the course of the big picture).

Work on your arpeggios, octaves and 1/5s a lot - find some blues stuff to jam with for this so it's musical and not just drudging through the mechanics. Use existing songs to learn some standard riffs then use some backing tracks to apply some stock stuff or even better yet invent your own blues walks.
 
#11
honestly, i think you just need a teacher to go through those books with you.

I guide my students through the friedland book and i get fantastic results. actually, that's what my teacher did with me as well!

I agree the book alone can sometimes feel confusing. that's a lot of what you pay a teacher for, to give that guidance of which book you might work out of for now.
 
#12
I must admit… i am music illiterate.

I played quite some time by ear (ok at best) with no formal instruction. I just tried songs and learned, then when we did original songs, i wrote what sounded good to me. I had, and still have, minimal understanding of music theory.

And i am not very good. But at least i can admit it. And i compensate well with true enjoyment of playing and buying a lot of fancy stuff.

My classic line was “where is the H?”
 
#13
Duck Down said:
Hi, first time poster here!
I've been dabbling with bass playing for a few years and decided to take some lessons next fall. Now I'd like to work on a few things over the summer for about half an hour per day.
What I know: I practiced the majority of exercises in Reznicek's "Rock Bass" book, a few transcriptions and tabs of Rock, Funk and Soul songs. I took a few individual lessons. My main instrument is drums. I also play some piano, so I know how to read and I have some knowledge about harmony and scales.
What I have: a Yamaha BB 604 with Flats. Books: "Bass Bible", Friedland's "Building Walking Bass" and "The Great James Brown Rhythm Sections" - while these are good books, I feel like I could benefit from some more explanations. For example, the Friedland book gives you all kinds of options but not so much guidance, when to use what (like "use this chromatic approach if you go to a minor chord / don't do X on a Maj7").
What I'd like to learn: get faster at finding the right fingering and position on the fret board / planning ahead when seeing chord changes or transcribed bass lines. I'm not too interested in Slapping or anything too technical. I mainly want to become decent at playing some grooves that work. It's not my main instrument. :)
What I intend to do over the summer: play different scales / modes over two octaves
and say the note names to get more knowledge of the fret board, work on some Funk grooves from the book or online resources.

So if anything comes to mind (songs that are not too hard but have some nice progressions, a great exercise or a good book that also gets into some theory and concepts), I'd be happy to read your suggestions.
Click to expand...
My dude i bought the book by Nathan Navarro. Comes with all his play along and guitar pro files to learn the book. Teaches a bunch of stuff im sure you'll find useful.
 
#14
Scales and arpeggios if you know them already.

As far as songs to learn I would say you could start checking out 12 bar blues and start practicing them in every key. The basic form is pretty much just 3 chords but as you start to grow and learn more so does the blues by adding stuff like substitutions or different turnarounds.
 
#17
Duck Down said:
...
...then the bassist might even end on the low note of a slash chord.
...
Click to expand...

If the bass player does not make the low note of the slash chord then they should probably be fired! The definition of the slash chord ('inversion') is that some note other than the root is in the bass, i.e. the lowest pitched voice. So C/G must, by definition, have G as the lowest note.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HolmeBass and Alexis Duntov
#18
Wow, thanks a lot for all of your replies!
I've decided to hold off on getting yet another book right now - my future teacher might also have a prefered book and I already have enough material to just get going again (at my very basic level). Mostly a matter of actually doing it - some things like fret board knowledge / having the head room to plan ahead, probably just follow from practicing and playing music.
One reason for starting this thread: I might have selected the wrong song (James Brown - Cold Sweat from the Slutsky/Silverman book) to get back into bass playing. The chord symbols on the bridge say C7 / F9 but the bass plays G (9), C(5) E (maj7 not an Eb!) under the rootless F9 voicings of the guitar. And on the way back to C7, he plays F# and B. I would have never picked those notes. Similarly in a lot of Motown or Bossa Novas, I can't make sense of what's going on. :wacky:
SteveCS said:
If the bass player does not make the low note of the slash chord then they should probably be fired! The definition of the slash chord ('inversion') is that some note other than the root is in the bass, i.e. the lowest pitched voice. So C/G must, by definition, have G as the lowest note.
Click to expand...
Sorry for the confusion - I don't really understand lots of slash or suspended chords in general. It's just that the bass might not play a chord tone of the guitarist's triad, so that the result is a more complex chord. Sometimes I recognize the role of this new chord and sometimes not at all. But maybe I should rather look into a book on harmony.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SteveCS
#19
Duck Down said:
There are quite a few songs that move away from one diatonic system and I often wonder where the chords are coming from and how to connect them.
Click to expand...

I let Google find the chord progressin used in a song. Fake chord sheet music awaits you and will give you the lyrics and chord progression on just about any song you want. Sing the lyrics and follow the chords. Use these search words with Google -- chords, name of the song, and ole Google will give you what you need.

Fake chord will save you years of messing around. Played for 20 years in several bands were we all used fake chord sheet music.

Happy trails.
 
Last edited:
#20
Head over to Talkingbass.com and check out the wealth of well organized, free instruction from a Mark. Buy a course if it fits with your goals.

Scott’s bass lessons is always worth checking out. Try a free trial membership.

If it’s got to be books, I’d look for books with audio examples of the exercises. Buy some kind of drum machine or app to make it more fun and learn how different drum patterns and styles affect the lines you are learning.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back