Modern Reading Text in 4/4...info + help!

[raul]

yes, i have this book...seems like i can learn a lot from it as far as reading syncopated lines and such and just reading rhythm in general.

but...I'm not understanding exactly how to go about reading the book! do i just read through it as it is? just play with a metronome and read and play the lines as written?

or...as suggested in the intro to the book...read the lines straight and then with a jazz feel, and even read them in in not only 4/4, but in 2/2...huh? I'm not quite adept at reading music in the first place. I've just started reading the Ed Friedland Complete Bass Method and I'm only on the start of book two...so, I'm a bit thrown off as to reading this Modern Reading Text in 4/4/ and how to go about doing so. Just read it and play as written and use a metronome?

How do you use it? Or how did you use it? Is it that important of a book to get through? Should i just read and play it straight as written? Am i reading too much into it, or am I just a bit confused? Or is the text really that tricky and maybe a bit too advanced for a beginner?

Anyone out there with an understanding of this book and some pointers as how to get through it would be great!

 

[PhiDeck]

Perhaps the customer reviews at Amazon, all positive, will give you some idea of how they found the book useful or valuable:
Amazon.com: Modern Reading Text in 4/4 For All Instruments (0029156061369): Louis Bellson: Books

 

[RNJBass]

Hi Raul, a teacher gave me Modern Reading about 20 years ago and said to use it - never told me how, so it sat on my shelf until about 1 month ago. Now that I've been playing music off and on for 23 years (most recently trumpet), I totally see the value in working through this book. It is very thorough, the authors leave no rhythmic stone unturned!

To answer your question, yes set up your metronome and prod through it. Pay attention to the rhythmic phrases, the author has been very careful to show how the same phrase can be written in different ways. I started from the beginning, but if I'm working on a piece where there is a challenging phrase I'll skip to the section that covers that particular rhythm.

I do recommend only doing one page a day...it can be boring, but VERY helpful. By the way, I have also been working through a book called 'Rhythms Complete' by Bugs Bower on trumpet - it has helped my sight reading tremendiously. I just ordered the bass clef version - we'll see how it goes! Good Luck!