Sight Reading Book recommendations

[ricoj175]

I've been playing the bass for a long time, and I used to know how to read music fairly well, but have since been out of practice.

Can you recommend any books that would help sight reading? I have seen many on Amazon, I just don't know which would be best.

Any other tips would also be appreciated.

 

[mrcbass]

I've been playing the bass for a long time, and I used to know how to read music fairly well, but have since been out of practice.

Can you recommend any books that would help sight reading? I have seen many on Amazon, I just don't know which would be best.

Any other tips would also be appreciated.

Scott from SBL did a segment on this a few weeks back. A couple of sight reading books he recommended are: "Simplified Sight Reading - Josquin Des Pres
"Complete Electric Bass Player Book 1 - Chuck Raitieg
(spelling may be off - can't read my own notes! - unfortunately, unintended pun is actually accurate for both words and music....)

I can't confirm the value personally (haven't got them yet), but Scott hasn't steered me wrong yet....

If you've read music in the past, I agree with Malcom - any music with bass clef will get you back in the saddle pretty quickly. Reading the rhythms will likely be more challenging than the tones - at least it was for me.

Do yourself a favor and try to focus just on bass clef music until you lock it in (assuming you ever want to read a treble part). I am kind of in the same boat - used to read like crazy - any clef, any variation of the clefs (Bb instruments, Eb instruments, tenor clef, bass, treble etc) and could pretty much sight read any instrument's part on any of the horns I played (could read an alto sax part while playing tuba or a tuba part while paying trumpet, for example). I also let that skill lapse for many years. Playing rock didn't require note reading, but now that I'm focusing on jazz, I'm finding the skill to be necessary. My relearning has been severely hindered by trying to work treble and bass notation at the same time which is very confusing. It's a valuable ability, but it's better to get one locked in before working out the other.

Another trick that help your reading skill is writing. Write down some bass lines - you'll get back up to reading speed in no time.

 

[MalcolmAmos]

mrcbass mentioned my post which I have deleted as it really did not answer your question, but, what I said was to just start reading some standard notation and take the rust off.

Moving on ......

 

[BassChuck]

Ron Velosky book is pretty good.
https://www.amazon.com/Sight-Readin...F8&qid=1502988206&sr=8-1&keywords=ron+velosky

Rich Appleman has a good one from the Berklee press.
https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Cont...&qid=1502988254&sr=1-2&keywords=rich+appleman

Adam Vitti's books are excellent, but not for the weak of heart.
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Any of the standard etude books generally accepted for DB study work great for EB. Simandl, Hrabe, Storch, or Slama.

The best way to learn is to get with other musicians that are reading, and try to keep up with them. Check out community bands, church groups etc.

Good luck!

 

[mambo4]

My go to books for "something to practice reading"

 

[enricogaletta]

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for sight reading as bass chuck suggested, ron velosky book, one of the fewest that makes you learning progressively:
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for rhythm reading, same step by step concept:
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these two books in my personal opinion are the best combination for develop and improving your reading skills at any levels.
If you need more help feel free to contact me.
Ciao.

 

[dreamadream99]

I was always a fan of graded trombone method books. Go to band music store, and buy volume one of your favorite method book, that comes in 3 or 4 volumes. They'll start easy, and get you to a high school reading level.

Whichever books you choose, make sure you set a tempo, and keep going even if you make a mistake. Just like in a band, no one pauses or rewinds to let you fix it.

And the real key to sight reading: read ahead. If you don't know the next note till it's time to play it, you're already too late.

 

[stevenA800]

F. Simandl - "New Method for the Double Bass" is an excellent resource for learning to read

 

[Nashrakh]

"Note reading studies for bass" by Arnold Evans is my book of choice these days. Starts out really simple, very well suited to beginning readers. The exercises and etudes are fun to play and sound great. Difficulty starts out low, the pace is very accomodating, but can get quite demanding.

"Simplified sight-reading for bass" by Josquin des Pres is quite a different beast as it focuses mainly on sight-reading rhythms, pitches take a back seat. This stuff gets difficult fast, but contains many interesting rhythmic ideas.

If you are completely new to reading and want to get solid results fast, get both. They each have their own merits. For me personally, since I will do most of my reading on quarter notes off big band charts, the book by des Pres is not as important as getting the pitches down cold.

 

[Lownote38]

I've never seen a book that can teach you to sight read. In order to get better at sight reading, you just have to read music. Anything you can get your hands on.

 

[dreamadream99]

I've never seen a book that can teach you to sight read.

Actually, absolutely true. You just have to do it. Frequently. And from top to bottom without stopping or starting over.

But the one good thing a sight reading book or program or course will do for you, is start easy and progress you to harder.

 

[caligula]

I can recommend the already mentioned
Note Reading Studies for Bass - Arnold Evans
Reading Contemporary Electric Bass Rhythms - Rich Appleman

I also use
Bass Notes (play along, CD incl) - Transcriptions and Analysis of Real Jazz Bass Lines - John Goldsby
Several books from the "Big Band Play Along" series. They usually contain ten songs with chords, written basslines and a cd.
Trombone literature is also great as a lot of trombone stuff is in the range of the electric bass.

 

[GastonD]

My favorite source would be Charlie Fechter's series Reading Music, Or Golf Clubs On Fences I Have Known. I think it was once used as the reading course material at MI, but I believe it's been long out of print. Alternatively, you could join Cliff Engel's sightreading course over at instituteofbass.com It is a 12 week online course that costs about as much as one of the books you can order, and also provides plenty of material and progressive approach.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I was always a fan of graded trombone method books.

^^^This!!!

F. Simandl - "New Method for the Double Bass" is an excellent resource for learning to read

+1, it's kind of the bible for every beginning bassist.

otoh, the OP said he "used to know how to read music fairly well" so perhaps he's not interested in sight reading for the beginning bassist. Might want to check out David Chesky's Advanced Jazz/Rock Rhythms For All Bass Clef Instruments. It's a great way to get comfortable with the kind of figures you often see in theater pit orchestras, show bands, and any pro situation where rehearsals are non-existent but you're expected to bring it from the first downbeat.

 

[nolaguy]

I've been playing the bass for a long time, and I used to know how to read music fairly well, but have since been out of practice.

Can you recommend any books that would help sight reading? I have seen many on Amazon, I just don't know which would be best.

Any other tips would also be appreciated.

Jim Stinnett has series called "Sightreading". Other than a brief introduction on using the book (and sightreading in general), it about 1400 measures of straight bass reading. Some of it is melodic studies, some "regular basline- it covers different styles, feels and grooves. I've only done the first volume but there are twelve books in total. Good material to get you going.

 

[two fingers]

Here comes a curve ball. Get an Arban's Trombone book. Seriously.

Bass books are written for bass. The phrases are usually comfortable for bass players. Staying in your comfort zone won't work. Pharasing written for wind instruments is totally out in left field for bass players. Fantastic reading exercises for bass! Trust me!

You can find them cheaper than this but here it is.
https://www.amazon.com/Arbans-Famous-Trombone-Baptiste-Laurent/dp/0825802547

 

[funkymonk13]

Hey,

It depends how rusty you are and what type of music you like. There's a few books that just throw drills at you; good if you're a complete beginner but it can be a bit tedious and boring.

If you like jazz, grab a copy of the real book and just work on a standard a day.

You could also try songbooks of any artist you like. Start with simpler stuff like punk, Beatles, etc.
I really wish songbooks came without the tab, it's too easy to just look at it; I end up scratching the tab out.

Musictheory.net also has a pretty neat nite identification exercise that helped me when I was starting.

 

[jamh2000]

Anthony Vitti's books are hugely useful--- because you can't memorize them. That means they are still useful after the 20th read through and beyond (OK you do memorize them a bit after a while). Other books, even long ones (e.g. David Motto- brilliant practice material for short time), are no use after 3 or 4 read throughs because you memorize them. Peter Bierma's Sight Reading Material is very good too. Why? Because it focuses on jumping from key signature to key signature and style to style, like you have to do in real life. The bugs bower duets in bass clef are brilliant for working on your upper fretboard reading if you are quite advanced. On the wole the main thing with learning to read (other than keeping up steady work) is keeping a constant supply of new and appropriately challenging material. No one will spoon feed this to you- it takes a bit of resourcefulness.

 

[jamh2000]

Also You Tube- look at the Hal Leonard jazz ensemble videos- epic big band reading practice and fun to play along to. Double bass transcriptions on You Tube as well. And 'Gerubach's scrolling bach library (but pick the ones where you can see more than 1 bar at a time and read ahead!). Youtube is really a great resource- play all the double bass parts along with Mozart Symphonies- great!

 

[IamGroot]

Thanks for the Bach link!!!