Need To Decide Between Some Books

[MrMeeseek]

hi everyone, I am an intermediate player. I have some medium-term goals.
I need some help with choosing between 2 books

1.Rich Appleman - Reading Contemporary Electric Bass Rhythms
2.Ed Friedland - Bass Method(3 books)

I am mostly trying to learn sight reading and a more intimate knowladge of my the fretboard so I am not sure which one will be best

rich appleman book pros:
1. very simple no talk no fuss slow progression.
2. can really focus on improving my rhytem and timing along with the sight reading
cons:
1. no audio so i can't get help and can't be sure i am doing it right
2. no names so not sure which song i am on

Ed Friedland book pros:
1. can help with techniques and other tips
2. can use audio also for ear training instead of sight reading
3. slow progressions
cons:
1. alot of pages, alot of talking.
2. some of the stuff over laps with other parts of my practice like ear training app, modes and theory practice so it can be overloading of information which can be confusing.

 

[SteveCS]

You should also consider any or all of these...

 

[MrMeeseek]

You should also consider any or all of these...
View attachment 4086405

Odd time reading seems like a nice future goal but not for now.
aerobic can maybe change my failing technique routine.
the modern text reading seems a bit limiting in 4/4 but can be a nice start.
the 300 progressive is a more advance sight-reading sheets?

thank you I will look deeper into them

 

[SteveCS]

Odd time reading seems like a nice future goal but not for now.
aerobic can maybe change my failing technique routine.
the modern text reading seems a bit limiting in 4/4 but can be a nice start.
the 300 progressive is a more advance sight-reading sheets?

thank you I will look deeper into them

I wouldn't be fooled by the 4/4 title - deceptive simplicity at it's best. If you are just setting out the 300 progressiive exercises does exactly what it says on the cover. Most can be played in position or with limited shifts - I would recommend this to anyone looking for a sight-reading 'kick-start'.

 

[Malcolm35]

Friedland's book is a must have. I'd recommend that over a "rhythm" study, both are necessary, however, first things first go with Ed's book.

Speed read over the parts you already know.

 

[GastonD]

Friedland book gives a better progression tan Appleman's IMHO. If you really want to focus on the reading aspect, you can't go wring with Ron Velosky's book, or Jeff Berlin's packages, or Jim Stinnett's reading materials (wide choice of great books).

 

[Minus]

.. or Jim Stinnett's reading materials (wide choice of great books).

Jim is a great educator and books are excellent.

 

[MrMeeseek]

Friedland book gives a better progression tan Appleman's IMHO. If you really want to focus on the reading aspect, you can't go wring with Ron Velosky's book, or Jeff Berlin's packages, or Jim Stinnett's reading materials (wide choice of great books).

Thanks i am starting with friedland, very slow but i am going to take it as extra refinement to the fundamentals it's can't hurt

Sight reading seems to have other properties other than learning to read so i guess friedland is not going to be enough, gonna take a look at jim's books once i am finished.
do you recommend any specific book that can fit nicely after the 3 books of friedland?

 

[GastonD]

Well, it's a tough call, having in mind the sheer amount of materials on his website, but maybe this one
extend your ...

 

[ErikP.Bass]

Well, it's a tough call, having in mind the sheer amount of materials on his website, but maybe this one
extend your ...

That looks like it might be a nice book. I own some of Stinnett’s other books and they are very well done. I like the fact that fingering and shift suggestions are included....but not that it doesn’t appear to include audio.

 

[GastonD]

Well...Jeff Berlin would say it's not meant for practice not performance

 

[BrotherMister]

Reading at sight comes as by product of being able to read so don't stress out too much about the sight part and focus more on the reading part. The Rich Appleman book is good and contains a lot of material drawn from real world examples. Some of the reading stuff comes from the bass part from songs and the theatre world. The cool thing is Rich doesn't tell you what anything actually is, it's just page after page after page of notation and zero explanations. Some of the reading is quite challenging in places which is nice but my complaint is that isn't really a good systematic presentation of the material. It is a good book and well worth owning because there is a lot of really great reading in it.

I'd personally avoid any book that has tab in it, if you want to learn to read then learn to read properly because tab doesn't exist in any reading gig and you will 100% learn more about the instrument and neck without it. Why? Because you'll have to actually think about where the notes are, where they sit on the neck and how to best realise what is on the page on your instrument. The more you are forced to think and solve problems the more your fluidity on the instrument develops. Granted the Friedland book still weighs the scale towards more reading than tab he does introduce tab at which point you've been given a crux. So if you are buying it do yourself a favour and scrub out the tabs or tape over them. You'll thank yourself for it down the line.

Great books for developing reading chops are:
Jeff Berlin Bass Education Packages, if you brand new to reading I can't recommend these enough.
The Jim Stinnett stuff is great as well
Latin Bass Book
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown
60 Melodic Etudes - John Patitucci
Sitting In With The Big Band Vol 1 & 2
Ultimate Play Along Vol 1 & 2 - John Patitucci
Ultimate Play Along Bass Trax - Billy Cobham
In Session with the Dave Weckl Band Bass - Dave Weckl
Charlie Parker Omnibook
The Bass Tradition - Todd Coolman
Carol Kaye - Electric Bass Lines Vol 1 - 6
Any musical theatre pad for bass
Any book of etudes written for bass clef instruments. Double Bass, Cello, Trombone, Bassoon etc
Any orchestral part of the aforementioned bass clef instruments
Any method book for the double bass.

Books of rhythms where you should absolutely count out loud and clap are:
Modern Reading text in 4/4 - Louis Bellson
Odd Time Reading - Louis Bellson
Progressive Steps To Syncopation For The Modern Drummer - Ted Reed

 

[MrMeeseek]

Reading at sight comes as by product of being able to read so don't stress out too much about the sight part and focus more on the reading part. The Rich Appleman book is good and contains a lot of material drawn from real world examples. Some of the reading stuff comes from the bass part from songs and the theatre world. The cool thing is Rich doesn't tell you what anything actually is, it's just page after page after page of notation and zero explanations. Some of the reading is quite challenging in places which is nice but my complaint is that isn't really a good systematic presentation of the material. It is a good book and well worth owning because there is a lot of really great reading in it.

I'd personally avoid any book that has tab in it, if you want to learn to read then learn to read properly because tab doesn't exist in any reading gig and you will 100% learn more about the instrument and neck without it. Why? Because you'll have to actually think about where the notes are, where they sit on the neck and how to best realise what is on the page on your instrument. The more you are forced to think and solve problems the more your fluidity on the instrument develops. Granted the Friedland book still weighs the scale towards more reading than tab he does introduce tab at which point you've been given a crux. So if you are buying it do yourself a favour and scrub out the tabs or tape over them. You'll thank yourself for it down the line.

Great books for developing reading chops are:
Jeff Berlin Bass Education Packages, if you brand new to reading I can't recommend these enough.
The Jim Stinnett stuff is great as well
Latin Bass Book
Standing In The Shadows Of Motown
60 Melodic Etudes - John Patitucci
Sitting In With The Big Band Vol 1 & 2
Ultimate Play Along Vol 1 & 2 - John Patitucci
Ultimate Play Along Bass Trax - Billy Cobham
In Session with the Dave Weckl Band Bass - Dave Weckl
Charlie Parker Omnibook
The Bass Tradition - Todd Coolman
Carol Kaye - Electric Bass Lines Vol 1 - 6
Any musical theatre pad for bass
Any book of etudes written for bass clef instruments. Double Bass, Cello, Trombone, Bassoon etc
Any orchestral part of the aforementioned bass clef instruments
Any method book for the double bass.

Books of rhythms where you should absolutely count out loud and clap are:
Modern Reading text in 4/4 - Louis Bellson
Odd Time Reading - Louis Bellson
Progressive Steps To Syncopation For The Modern Drummer - Ted Reed

Wow you have read all of that??
i feel ashamed calling myself an intermediate player that
Progressive steps to Syncompation for the modern drummer caught my eyes.
learning rhytem from the drummer point of view can probably be really eyes opening
I see I am going to have a long journey with books.

 

[BrotherMister]

Wow you have read all of that??
i feel ashamed calling myself an intermediate player that
Progressive steps to Syncompation for the modern drummer caught my eyes.
learning rhytem from the drummer point of view can probably be really eyes opening
I see I am going to have a long journey with books.

Most of it! I've not read every etude book or show part since I've not done every show and copies are difficult to obtain outside of that. All the books I've mentioned I've worked through myself and use in teaching so I've seen the benefits on both sides of the fence.

Progressive Steps is a great book, it is intended for drums but I think it's a great way of helping teach rhythm as the kick drum is pretty much static the entire time so you get a good visual of the beat and what subdivisions look like within that.