Sight-reading study material

[GodyP_Bass]

Hi, I wanted to ask if anyone has any recommendations for sight-reading. Since I was looking at the other posts and Threads, but they are all for identifying heights without rhythm.
I'm in a conservatory and my teacher recommended me to start sight-reading the “New Real Book” to gain agility.
Does anyone know any method for an intermediate level or that meets my requirement?

 

[fdeck]

Classical etudes. I got a lot of suggestions in this thread:

Double Bass Thread 'Looking for more etudes'

Nov 20, 2024

I've decided to spend more of my practice time on etudes, so I got out my old cello books from when I was a kid.

This is from the 2nd volume of 113 studies by Dotzauer. I must have played it on cello because the number is circled.

I'd like to ask the teachers: What books of bass etudes would you recommend, that are of roughly this level, give or take. Use this as a calibration of sorts. Ignore the fingerings. The material doesn't all have to be in lower registers. I need a workout.

• fdeck
• Replies: 17
• Forum: Double Bass Pedagogy [DB]

Also, sight-reading chord symbols is its own beast, and the fake books by Sher or Hal Leonard will serve as well as any other.

 

[tonym]

"300 Progressive Sight Reading Exercises for Bass Guitar" is a good progressive resource.

I also found it helpful to focus separately on rhythm and highly recommend "Modern Reading Text in 4/4" by Bellson. Also progressive and challenging.

Both are widely available.

 

[GodyP_Bass]

Classical etudes. I got a lot of suggestions in this thread:

Double Bass Thread 'Looking for more etudes'

Nov 20, 2024

I've decided to spend more of my practice time on etudes, so I got out my old cello books from when I was a kid.

This is from the 2nd volume of 113 studies by Dotzauer. I must have played it on cello because the number is circled.

I'd like to ask the teachers: What books of bass etudes would you recommend, that are of roughly this level, give or take. Use this as a calibration of sorts. Ignore the fingerings. The material doesn't all have to be in lower registers. I need a workout.

• fdeck
• Replies: 17
• Forum: Double Bass Pedagogy [DB]

Also, sight-reading chord symbols is its own beast, and the fake books by Sher or Hal Leonard will serve as well as any other.

I was thinking in taking some Bach sheets... thanks u for sharing. I notice that I can solfege rythmically but Im not that fast with the notes in the fretboard.

 

[GodyP_Bass]

"300 Progressive Sight Reading Exercises for Bass Guitar" is a good progressive resource.

I also found it helpful to focus separately on rhythm and highly recommend "Modern Reading Text in 4/4" by Bellson. Also progressive and challenging.

Both are widely available.

Do you have a PDF of this book?

 

[tonym]

Do you have a PDF of this book?

I don't - I have paper copies. But if you want to go digital I think they're pretty cheap (like less than $10 each) on kindle and platforms like that. They also turn up used at good prices.

 

[stringthrough]

vvv This vvv It's been teaching bassist to read for over 50 years.

"New Method for the Double Bass" by Simandl

Amazon.com

 

[Leo Smith]

OP - do mean reading (like just learning and working on new music), or REAL sight-reading ("prima vista", meaning looking at something for the very first time, trying to interpret it without pausing or repeating a section)? Just trying to clarify terms here. They are two different things but people often use the terms interchangeably.

All the previous recommendations are great for improving your general reading. They can also be good for prima-vista sight reading.

For prima-vista reading, I'd steer you to Simandl 30 Etudes, Rich Appleman's "Reading Contemporary Electric Bass Rhythms", any chord chart fakebook (where you don't know the tunes), Cerny 30 Etudes.

For general reading, I'll suggest all the same and add the Patitucci Melodic Etudes book, the Bellson "Modern Reading Text in 4/4", and the Simandl Method book.

 

[fdeck]

In my entire 45+ years as a musician, I've never heard the term "reading" used in any context other than sight-reading.

If a bandleader asks if you can read, or says that someone is a good reader, it means sight-reading, and that you'll get charts thrown at you. Moreover, in jazz and classical music, it's taken for granted.

I don't think there's a substitute other than doing a lot of it. And you'll improve. It won't happen as quickly as it does for kids. Them's the breaks.

My reading could improve. I still struggle with really complex funk and Latin rhythms, which you won't find in the Classical etudes. Most of the other players in my band breeze through that stuff. Of course your reading will be limited by your technique, but you'll also discover that your technique magically improves.

 

[Big Feet]

The Real Books are great for learning tunes and changes. If you'd like to work on reading notes, key signatures, clefs and written melodic lines, trombone books such as the Arban Method for Trombone and Voxman Selected Studies for Trombone work well.

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

I would recommend trombone etudes and charts. The most challenging reading for bass players is usually above the staff, whereas bone players are used to reading in those registers and there is a ton of trombone material that would help you improve your sight-reading...

 

[klyph]

I was thinking in taking some Bach sheets... thanks u for sharing. I notice that I can solfege rythmically but Im not that fast with the notes in the fretboard.

I like the Anna Magdalena books to work from. The Andras Schiff recordings are good to check yourself with. Sometimes the timing on solo classical pieces is interpreted (by the performer) in a way that could be confusing, Schiff is fairly straightforward.

 

[dreamadream99]

My recommendation is graded method books for trombone, bassoon, or cello. Graded method books have many volumes, and start off simple, and proceed through to complex or expert. When it comes to learning to sight read you have to do a lot of of it, and frequently. You can’t just touch on it once a month. You need to do it at least once a week. To do this more than a few months worth, you’re going to need a lot of material.

And don’t forget the rules of sight reading:

1. Open to the first piece
2. Take a few minutes to look through the piece and practice it in your head
3. Start the peace at performance tempo, and do not slow down, stop, or start over. The idea is to play it perfectly the first time. If you make a mistake, keep going.
4. When you are done, proceed to the next piece and repeat. Do not go back and practice the piece you just read. This is not a time for rehearsing – – this is a time for sight reading.

 

[mambo4]

they are all for identifying heights without rhythm.

I assume by 'heights' you mean 'pitch'
Rhythm is indeed the hard part.
I always recommend Cliff Engle's Rhythm Studies pdf.

For material more musical and fun, but still rhythmically interesting, Oscar Stangoro's The Latin Bass Book

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

For material more musical and fun, but still rhythmically interesting, Oscar Stangoro's The Latin Bass Book

I bought that book without actually being able to sight read. In a "my life imitates Homer Simpson" kinda way, I put it aside and started on the Hal Leonard Bass Method

 

[Jens Telemark]

Constantly have new material or you end up learning the music and not really reading it. Back in the last century I would go to the library and check out any bass clef sheet music they had, go through it once or twice and return it. The main branch had a ton of stuff for cello and low reeds and horns.

Reading treble clef music (an octave down if necessary) is not at all a waste of time. Identifying notes on the different clefs is easy enough. Rhythms take more work. The Louis Bellson book Modern Reading Text: For All Instruments (the 4/4 version to start) is good for this.

I was thinking in taking some Bach sheets... thanks u for sharing. I notice that I can solfege rythmically but Im not that fast with the notes in the fretboard.

Do it. Bach is worthwhile for more reasons than just learning to read.

Reading on string instruments is more difficult than on piano or reeds or horns because you have options to play the same note in different places. Practicing one octave diatonic scales in 3 different positions with as few shifts as possible will open the door to more flexibility to grab notes.
1. Starting with your pinky on the root sometimes requiring a 1 fret shift depending on the type of II or VI.
2. Starting with your 1st or 2nd finger (depending on the type of III) sometimes requiring a 1 fret shift depending on the I III VI relationship or no shifts if you stretch. Do it both ways.
3. Starting with your first finger requiring a whole tone stretch between 1st and 2nd finger depending on the type of III, VI or VII.
One octave to start but it can be expanded to the entire fretboard.