I'm trying to get comfortable reading sheet music. So does anyone know any books with only simple sheet music examples?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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 bass instruction book WITH NO TABS
- Thread starter All_¥our_Bass
- Start date
Are you interested in Jazz?
"The Jazz Bass Book" by John Goldsby doesn't include a tab. It has plenty of examples, sample lines and exercises. It's ostensibly written for upright players, but that's not a problem. It's all bass.
"The Serious Bass Player" is another. It's a self-tutoring book that includes scales, modes etc as well as some exercises. Pretty dense stuff though, IMHO
You can get them at BassBooks.com
"The Jazz Bass Book" by John Goldsby doesn't include a tab. It has plenty of examples, sample lines and exercises. It's ostensibly written for upright players, but that's not a problem. It's all bass.
"The Serious Bass Player" is another. It's a self-tutoring book that includes scales, modes etc as well as some exercises. Pretty dense stuff though, IMHO
You can get them at BassBooks.com
Please do switch. I'm not a fluent tab reader at all. Why learn to sight read something that will never give me more than half the picture (and changes depending on tuning!)?
The Complete Electric Bass Player: The Method Volume I
It's what I used in my first 1.5 years of lessons. No TAB at all, and it gets you used to different rhythms. Slowly forces you to work on things like shifts up the neck. The first half of the book is all in C Major so you can get your sight reading chops up to speed before you have to deal with different key signatures and such.
It's what I used in my first 1.5 years of lessons. No TAB at all, and it gets you used to different rhythms. Slowly forces you to work on things like shifts up the neck. The first half of the book is all in C Major so you can get your sight reading chops up to speed before you have to deal with different key signatures and such.
Do they have these books at borders or something, that way I dont have to wait through S&HJohnBarr said:
Found this one today: https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Guitar-Player-Basic-Library/dp/0881889075
That link is broken, the current link is Note Reading Studies for Bass eBook - Mel Bay Publications, Inc. : Mel Bay
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
Carol Kaye put a series of short books out along time ago. I found them extremely helpful. Basslessons.be is a great website to read bass parts
Reading Contemporary Electric Bass by Rich Appleman is an oldie but goodie. Berklee Press.
Addendum to my post above - the Appleman book dives right into reading notes on page. There’s no explanatory text. It presumes you already have a basic understanding of the notes in bass clef, where some of the notes are on your fingerboard, and counting beats in the bar. The first few pages of sections 1 and 2 are great for developing your understanding of quarter and eight note rhythms.
Regarding The Improvisor's Bass Method, if a person worked through the whole book from front to back, how long do you suppose it might take?
The author Chuck Sher suggested that it might take a year to work through Foundation Exercises for Bass, but I don't see an estimated time for the Improvisor's Method. I was thinking it might take me 6 months to a year just for Chapter 2.
https://www.amazon.ca/Foundation-Ex...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1611678807&sr=8-1
The author Chuck Sher suggested that it might take a year to work through Foundation Exercises for Bass, but I don't see an estimated time for the Improvisor's Method. I was thinking it might take me 6 months to a year just for Chapter 2.
https://www.amazon.ca/Foundation-Ex...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1611678807&sr=8-1
Re: The Improvisor's Bass Method
I went through it the first time in about 6 months --- and I was taking it very slowly.
But had about 40 years experience at that point - read bass clef pretty well - and have been through a TON of books and a couple of courses over the decades = ie Carol Kaye and Valda Hammerick '70s.
Your milage is really going to vary - I spent a lot of time daily practicing @ two sessions a day - ususally working on a few things at a time incl learning material for bands/performance.
If I was to pick one book, this would be it. 2¢
I went through it the first time in about 6 months --- and I was taking it very slowly.
But had about 40 years experience at that point - read bass clef pretty well - and have been through a TON of books and a couple of courses over the decades = ie Carol Kaye and Valda Hammerick '70s.
Your milage is really going to vary - I spent a lot of time daily practicing @ two sessions a day - ususally working on a few things at a time incl learning material for bands/performance.
If I was to pick one book, this would be it. 2¢
