Customer Reviews

Mel Bay's Complete Jazz Bass Book

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are a graduate of Julliard and are approaching jazz bass with a background in classical piano, perhaps this book will be useful to you. Lots of theory. Jazz explained from the top down.

If you are trying to learn jazz bass from the ground up, as I am, you may want to look elsewhere. The fine print in this book makes the examples hard to read when you sit down to practice.
There is so much information presented so thick and fast that, unless you have some solid grounding already, you'll simply get lost or frustrated.

Maybe it depends on your learning style. And maybe I'm too much of a beginner It might be used in a classroom situation or as a reference book. But I have not been able to use it to practice and learn walking lines. I have found Jay Hungerford's book more useful.

There are very few times in my life I have come across a professional teacher in ANY field who was willing to show the student as much as possible within the limits of time and space. Earl Gately definitely tops this category, for his book is CRAMMED with excellent material, guidelines that flow beautifully from understanding the nature and strengths of the various areas of the fretboard, to simply having a unique layout to the whole book.

Now, it is clear that when a teacher WANTS to give his 100% and is limited by those boundaries of space and time- it is possible that one or two wrinkles may not be ironed out. The first time I went through this book, I didnt understand why he didnt tell us immediately how to invent (for lack of a better word) walking jazz basslines, instead of going through all the 15+ positions on the neck first. Then the light came on! I remembered how I went to brazil to study arranging and composing, and instead the wonderful master musician taught me the guitar and all its intricacies ONLY! I was almost peeved till I realized without him saying directly- until you stop being a slave to your instrument, how can you be its master? And the light thus went on, for Gately is TEACHING us the instrument so very well first! And then, further in the book the lessons on basslines feel oh-so complete!

I adore this book. And most of all, I love that the author has been so very unselfish. One can go thru this book many times before fully getting the most out of it. I know I will. Thanks Earl! Five stars times two!

when i got my first copy of cjbb i thaught that it would be just another beginners book with no indepth aproach to its contenents. i was totaly wrong this book aproaches the methode of playing jazz bass in a real creative way which will help many people who are intrigued by jazz to starts playing it without feeling confused. the book has an exellent layout and it chapters are very well organized to fully prepare you in this style.It covers walking bass lines chords theory soloing over chords how to play jazz prgoression and how to improvise on them.Earl Gately has put a mamoth job into one single book ,if you really want to play jazzbass this is the book to buy

Gatley did an amazing job putting this book together. It is comprehensive, user-friendly and fun. One can tell from this book that Gatley is a remarkable TEACHER of the bass in addition to being a professional muscian.