Customer Reviews

Bass Guitar for Dummies

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Great resource for learning the bass guitar.

I learned how to read music and learn notes, scales, technique, etc. very rapidly.

The CD is very helpful - but don't expect to use it to listen to the low-pitched bass guitar notes on the tiny little speakers on a laptop computer! I ended up having to hook up big speakers to my laptop to get decent enough sound.

I researched bass guitar instruction books at several large book stores, and this was by far the best book available. The only complaints I have are: 1) the "Dummies" title... I ended up making a book cover that included the fretboard/music notation pages from inside the book (a cheat sheet, if you will). 2) The introduction to music notation didn't include explanations of some obvious things, like what the bass clef symbol notation means(turns out to indicate which line corresponds to the note F), or what the time symbol "c" means (turns out to be common or 4/4 time, which is the time base used for most rock tunes)... I ended up going to Wikipedia to figure out the full details of music notation.

Don't expect to read this book straight thru to learn the instrument... you have to take little samples from the different chapters, and put things together yourself sometimes... but, to be honest with you, I'm not really sure the approach used in this book can be improved on that much... it really is a pretty good book if you are willing to do some of your own research when you get curious about something that isn't fully covered in the book.

If any of you Bass Players are like me, You have been purchasing book after book just to end up in the same (or worse) situation. Stumped, trying to connect point A to Point B. Some books don't make points clear enough for you to understand things like, Proper warm up techniques, building major, minor scales, modes, chords, playing solos, playing in odd meter, understanding sight reading, the importance of timing and how to achieve it etc etc. If you tried to tackle any one of these subjects chances are you have a book collection large enough to rival the NY Public Library...(I know I do) Bass Guitar For Dummies is like the book all books were derived from. All of the topics I mentioned (and some I didn't) are discussed in a clear orderly fashion. The book goes from the basics to the more advanced, A definate reference guide even for the Professional. Just Starting on Bass? Well, this book is the book for you as well.....(I wish this book was out when I started!!) "Bass Guitar For Dummies" will lead you to the proper road to success. I suggest every one who is serious (or just curious) about bass playing, pick up this most incredible offering by Performer, Teacher, Composer "Patrick Pfeiffer" Hey, what do you have to lose? If you want to play with the big boys, you need to arm yourself with the proper tools........I recommend this book to all.

When I decided to pick up bass, I did some research and bought 10-15 different books, including books on scales, books on grooves, getting-to-know-your-bass type books, etc. Without a doubt, this has been the best book I have found. It's the most comprehensive, yet easy to understand, book I have come across. The book is written by an expert and the advice and exercises in the book are excellent and well explained. Highly recommended.

This book is absolutely FANTASTIC. It takes the "mystery" out of the awkward start up period ("How do I hold the bass?" How do I tune this darn thing?") and then quickly digs in to keep the reader interested.

Think you are too "good" for this book??? Don't be fooled by the title! This book is quite useful for players (like myself) who've been around the muscial block for a while. Patrick is a very gifted instructor and his talent and love for the instrument, music, and teaching shines thru on every page. Even if you are an advanced player, the sections on musical styles, advanced scales/arpeggios, and creating grooves can always help. Patrick teaches you valuable skills that you need to survive on the job and get MORE WORK. (Plus the "Bassists/Drummers to Know" section is a MUST read!)

It is obvious that Patrick knows his stuff cold. He is a bountiful resource for Bass Guitar instruction and his writing style and quick wit keeps you interested.

I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Dont let the name fool you. This is not the usual "For Dummies" book. This is a fine starter for anyone wishing to learn (or improve as) a BASS Player. It's up-to-date, well written, easy to follow, and packed with great info. The companion CD helps make the lessons & concepts easy to follow.

This book should be coveted by all who want to learn how to play the Bass, as well as by those who want to strengthen there knowledge.

I have had this book for over a year, and I have also purchased other book, DVD's & scoured the net for information on playing the bass. This book is heads and shoulders above any other resource I have seen. My playing and knowledge of the Bass, skyrocketed after getting this book.

Do yourself and your listeners a favor. Get this BOOK.

Do not let the title of this book fool you...Bass Guitar for Dummies is by far the Best overall Bass instruction book that I have ever had! The author's of the `Dummies' series of books are all experts in their fields. Patrick Pfeiffer is no different! He is a Professional Bassist, and Bass teacher. In Bass Guitar for Dummies, Patrick Pfeiffer, shares with us his knowledge of the Bass and Bass playing, using his own special method of teaching.
Bass Guitar for Dummies is well written and laid out. There is something in Bass Guitar for Dummies for everyone...From the very basics to creating your own Groove! There are superb examples of Blues, Rock, Jazz, Country, Reggie, Funk, Pop, Hard Rock, etc. in the book and on the CD.
Most of the work and research has been done for by Patrick Pfeiffer. All you have to do is get a copy of Bass Guitar for Dummies, read it and practice what you have leaned. What could be easier?!

I'm a bass beginner and I'm in the process of reading this great book. I'm currently looking for the best bass guitar that'll fit my budget, but also sounds good and is easy to play. So far I've learned soo much from this book I already sound like a bass guitar expert (though I'm far from it) and it has given me so many tips from finding a good bass and knowing what to look for (especially with amps and such) to finding your own style of playing. It fits for almost anything style or any music type. If you're looking to play in a band (where you write your own music) it gives you the info YOU need and great tips, or if you're going to play for school or just to have a bass to play for fun.

I don't think I'm going to take lessons from a teacher, so this book is so vital, and so far its gone way over my expectations. I can't wait to keep reading. It's laid out so well you can read it straight through and just absorb all the information, or you can skip to the parts that you need or that intrest you (I'm doing both).

I can't say if it's going to really teach me how to play the bass, but I know it'll give me the essential basics (or should I say "bass-ics", haha, sorry) and give me great tips and information I can use.

I'm so glad I purchased this book (though it took forever to find it in a book store, so I greatly reccomend buying it online) and I don't regret it, even if I don't end up staying with the bass. It's giving me so much information I understand insturments (especially electrical ones like the guitar) in a much better view.

If you're even interested in playing bass I'm telling you you need to buy this book!

I've been playing bass for 6 years now and I've had this book with me the whole time. It is not meant to be read straight through and that is a good thing. I can jump around to parts that interest me at that time, and I realized recently that I've almost covered the whole book now as my interests and skills have changed. And the more experience I get and the more I learn, the more different parts of the book make sense and peak my interest. It has examples of almost every style of music from country to R&B and Rock to Salsa and Reggae. Which was nice to see how the different styles are done, but use the same bass-ic (pun intended) fundamentals. It helped me realize that even though I am a rock/alternative bassist, it's really not all that different than other styles and helps me appreciate not only other bass-lines but bass players, bands, and whole genres of music in general. I pick it up from time to time and still find new things and new ways of reading into it. Great reference for bassists of all levels.

The only negative thing I can really say is that some really experienced musicians may find little value in it, and the slap-bass part is really short. Other than that, its a great book and an easy read. I can start off reading about how a simple country bass-line goes, but end up reading 20 or more pages because it is well-written and keeps things light-hearted while still being very informative. You can learn a lot in a non-threatening way.

This book covered everything from gadgets, buying bass/amps up until the top 10 most influential players. I guess all the good stuffs have already been said in previous reviews, but I found two things missing in the book, which take away 1 star:

1. Chords Progression
Most of the examples/exercises in the book are based on one chord, for all the types of music. It should actually include some of the simple chord progressions like I-IV-V-I and goes thru the bass lines.

2. The Drum tracks can not be used as backing track.
The drum/sample tracks are short (4bar) tracks, which can not be used to loop forever.