Customer Reviews

Beginning Bass Guitar (Compact Reference Library)

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This book (which is made skinny so that it fits in a guitar case) is the one I started on. I am a strong advocate of taking 1-on-1 lessons for an instrument, but I would also additionally recommend buying a book or two on the side for reference and to aid practice. This book covers a little bit of everything: technique and posture, root and fifth, notation and tablature, triads, scales, hooks, slapping, pick playing, playing different styles, etc. The text is also very well written. Also includes helpful diagrams, and pictures here and there of bass players famous for their individual performance or who they played for. And the fact that it's still in print after all these years ought to tell you something.

My only complaint was that the book _looks_ dated. While examples are given in the back for "jazz", "rock" and "country", you also find things like "New Wave". I would think that this would turn off a lot of young players today, who might be wondering why all the pictures were taken in the 80s, what "New Wave" is, and why there's no section for "alternative". But STILL, the variety of topics introduced in this book makes it an excellent tool for beginners, and at half of the price of most other instructional books.

The information does seem a little dated and does not cover all of the styles. It seems a little too brief for the price. If you don't know how to read music and want to learn ... keep looking.

Everybody who plays an instrument knows that practicing scales is important. This new, improved volume gives bass players a concise thrseaurus of essential and practical scale forms for stady and mastering it.