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Double Bass Sight-reading resources thread (draft)
- Thread starter Chris Fitzgerald
- Start date
I was planning on doing a lot of research and creating a sticky thread for the forum, but life got busy and that plan put aside. As is, if members want to post suggestions with links to good resources for sight-reading in bass clef, I can copy those links to the original post so they will be easy to find for folks stumbling onto the thread for the first time. I will open the thread now, so please feel free to add suggestions!
For jazz, I'd say it is as simple as Real Book heads and the Omni Book. No need to look elsewhere. Simandl 30 etudes is another good source.
Hoping to get some more suggestions for reading materials, especially as I would like to include some reading practice in my daily routine even if its only for a few minutes. There is a ton of classical stuff out there, but all suggestions welcome. For jazz, wondering if there is anything like a book of bass parts for big band charts? This kind of reading is its own thing, and I need to keep that skill up.
I use this non-bass-specific book with my students who want to improve their (or are new to) sight reading. (The first 25 pages are just quarter/eighth notes and rests, etc., in 4/4!)
This book presents ONLY rhythm, (no melodic "notes") in an organized, logical sequence. I have the student clap or sing the written rhythms away from the instrument, as decoding the written rhythm is the first step in developing sight reading skills.
I'm a strong believer in paring down and isolating technical issues so that the brain/body can focus on a relatively small and manageable amount of material.
IMO/IME.
Thanks.
This book presents ONLY rhythm, (no melodic "notes") in an organized, logical sequence. I have the student clap or sing the written rhythms away from the instrument, as decoding the written rhythm is the first step in developing sight reading skills.
I'm a strong believer in paring down and isolating technical issues so that the brain/body can focus on a relatively small and manageable amount of material.
IMO/IME.
Thanks.
Another book that isolates technical (string crossing) issues - written primarily for Arco study, Dave Holland mentioned this book as part of his early exploration of RH pizz technique.
Thanks.
Thanks.
1. I suggest some rhythm training. Robert Starer has two book - I've only used the second one at the college level, but I suspect the first one is good, too. When I have students sight-read, I'd have to say they make more rhythm mistakes than they make pitch mistakes - somehow people get focused on playing the right note only and lose focus on playing it at the right time.
https://smile.amazon.com/Basic-Rhythmic-Training-Robert-Starer/dp/0881884499/
That's the basic one, and if you look at the "people who bought this also bought that" link, it has the other one with the white cover which is a pretty standard college text nowadays.
The good thing about this kind of training is that it's away from the bass. From the get-go, the important thing is to learn to multi-task, e.g., you tap the pulse with your hand on your thigh while you speak the rhythm, or you conduct while you speak the rhythm, or you try to tap a pulse with one hand while tapping the rhythm with the other, or you speak the pulse while you tap the rhythm. All these variations and more are good - the most important thing, since we all need to be able to count and play at the same time, is to do something physical that represents the pulse/beat of the music while you do something else that represents the rhythm of the music.
2. Anything at all in bass clef that's easy for the student. My formula is: look it over, play it two or three times to fix the mistakes you made, and move on to the next piece. IMHO, a big learning opportunity is lost if you just sight-read something once and then never play it again - a few times through allows for some learning to happen before real familiarity and practice starts to kick in. E.g., the ABCs of Bass or Cello could be used for more advanced students, even Suzuki would work, the left hand of beginning piano music if it's single line, etc. Trombone music would give the opportunity for reading in flat keys - it's all good.
3. Roots of chords from ballads in a fake book - it's a different kind of sight-reading but most of us need to do this and it's good to be able to do it. It also requires some rhythm reading, e.g., if there are two chord in the bar, you have to eyeball the melody and the placement of the second chord to see if you're playing two half-notes or if the second chord only comes in at the 4th quarter. And you can get more advanced easily from here, e.g., play quarter notes using the root of the chord in two different octaves, or play the root the the fifth of the chord either up, or down, or if you've got 4 beats worth, one each way. More advanced yet - play arpeggios.
-S-
https://smile.amazon.com/Basic-Rhythmic-Training-Robert-Starer/dp/0881884499/
That's the basic one, and if you look at the "people who bought this also bought that" link, it has the other one with the white cover which is a pretty standard college text nowadays.
The good thing about this kind of training is that it's away from the bass. From the get-go, the important thing is to learn to multi-task, e.g., you tap the pulse with your hand on your thigh while you speak the rhythm, or you conduct while you speak the rhythm, or you try to tap a pulse with one hand while tapping the rhythm with the other, or you speak the pulse while you tap the rhythm. All these variations and more are good - the most important thing, since we all need to be able to count and play at the same time, is to do something physical that represents the pulse/beat of the music while you do something else that represents the rhythm of the music.
2. Anything at all in bass clef that's easy for the student. My formula is: look it over, play it two or three times to fix the mistakes you made, and move on to the next piece. IMHO, a big learning opportunity is lost if you just sight-read something once and then never play it again - a few times through allows for some learning to happen before real familiarity and practice starts to kick in. E.g., the ABCs of Bass or Cello could be used for more advanced students, even Suzuki would work, the left hand of beginning piano music if it's single line, etc. Trombone music would give the opportunity for reading in flat keys - it's all good.
3. Roots of chords from ballads in a fake book - it's a different kind of sight-reading but most of us need to do this and it's good to be able to do it. It also requires some rhythm reading, e.g., if there are two chord in the bar, you have to eyeball the melody and the placement of the second chord to see if you're playing two half-notes or if the second chord only comes in at the 4th quarter. And you can get more advanced easily from here, e.g., play quarter notes using the root of the chord in two different octaves, or play the root the the fifth of the chord either up, or down, or if you've got 4 beats worth, one each way. More advanced yet - play arpeggios.
-S-
Reviving this old thread as I have two students who will be taking an independent study in reading with me this semester. I've spent the summer sight reading a Mozart sonata movement a day - Sllllooooowwwwllllllyyyy - at the piano, and have made it through the entire volume of every solo piece he ever wrote. Moved on to the bach inventions recently, and will keep going.
But what I need now is some easy duets where the student can play a bass clef part and I can read the other part. The other part could be in bass clef, where I could read the higher part and the student the lower, or bass an treble clef where I read the higher part on an acoustic guitar. I would like to do the 2 part inventions at some point, but I think we will have to work up to that. Any ideas? These are good kids and good players who are just behind at reading. Thanks in advance for all suggestions.
But what I need now is some easy duets where the student can play a bass clef part and I can read the other part. The other part could be in bass clef, where I could read the higher part and the student the lower, or bass an treble clef where I read the higher part on an acoustic guitar. I would like to do the 2 part inventions at some point, but I think we will have to work up to that. Any ideas? These are good kids and good players who are just behind at reading. Thanks in advance for all suggestions.
I bought this book on recommendation many years ago, but never got much out of it. No fault of the book , but I was stubbornly self-taught. Without a teacher, this book was useless. I finally gave it to some long forgotten drummer. I also remember a Hindemith book which also needed a teacher.
Rhythms by Dr. Charles Colin and "Bugs" Bower. It's for "all bass clef intruments."
Gaelen McCormick has a great book of etudes which are exactly what you describe: https://www.amazon.com/Double-Trouble-Duets-Developing-Bassists/dp/B0856NYL86
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Thank you! I met Gaelen at ISB in 2017 in Ithaca. She's a lovely person. I have just put in an order for this at the Music library at the U.
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