Customer Reviews

Ray Brown's Bass Method (Eagle Large Print)

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

 

 

This isn't really a method book; the subtitle, "Essential Scales, Patterns and Excercises" describes it better. As an adjunct to other study material it's useful, but as a jazz method it's a bit lacking. There's no discussion whatsoever, and nothing that really connects to the style of Ray Brown. For that matter, much of the material recapitulates excercices found in Simandl and other bass methods.

Bass players looking to develop some jazz chops should look at Bob Magnusson's "The Art of Walking Bass", Ron Carter's "Building Jazz Bass Lines" and Ed Friedland's "Building Walking Bass Lines", among others. The Ray Brown book might serve as a collection of etudes to practice along with these books.

If you want to have Ray's TECHNICAL ABILITY (not his musical concepts), this book surely have the content of what you need to know to be one. But if you're a beginner (which at this time needs full guidance in almost everything), then maybe this book isn't yet for you (except, if someone more experienced could help you out). Almost from the beginning we were forced to find out fingerings on your own (and this is good, if you already have enough experience with the instrument). So, if you don't have enough experience, you need another book that gives you full guidance in every material taught, for example: Lew Berryman's 'Intonation Plus'.
Another problem - there's some mistakes in the books. Either some wrongly written notes, and some wrongly written content. P 29 have exactly the same content with p 31, but the titles were different. These things could led to confusion.

Ray Brown presents his foundation for playing in this book. It is a study on finger positions, scales, and chords. It is an Etude book with an edge. Most exercises are presented in an easy to understand manner, that should help any Jazz Bass player " be mo, like Ray!"

This book will complete any aspiring bass student's learning methodology along with their classical training, utilizing book's like F. Simandl's classic technique series. Along with the teaching of a quality instructor, the learning musician will find working between classic and jazz forms an expansion of expression Ray Brown discovered in developing his interpretation of upright bass technique.

This is a very good book, especially if you are an experienced player and know how to read. Good for any level from intermediate to pro. Most of it is filled with repetitive exercises to develop good technical and harmonic skill with various chordal structures and rhythm. It's all there; patterns, drops, rakes, diminished, augmented, whole tones, blues, double stops, etc... He's got some really great sample blues lines that any player could easily add to his trick bag. Most of the fingerings are not specified, making you experiment and think for yourself how to get around. He states that this was his intention. Overall you can't go wrong with this method book. I feel honored to be able to vicariously study with the best upright player in the history of commercial and jazz music, for a mere thirteen bucks! He was truly the greatest!

This is a classic study which I've used since I first came across it in 1977. Scales and arpeggios, blues. This book is a must for any student of Ray Brown's.

The Book if focused on excercises that provide a good foundation for bass players. I have found it very useful eventhough I am not a beginner. Excellent book!!!

The Ray Brown Bass Method is a classic instruction book. Sure, there are other instructional, which might be more beneficial to some serious students. I could name
and recommend plenty of other instructional books for both the upright and electric bass, but The Ray Brown Bass Method stands the test of time.

Over 35 years ago, when The Ray Brown Bass Method was out of print, I spent plenty of nickels and dimes at the xerox machine of the Erie County Library, copying pages from the non-circulating copy of this course for my personal study.

At that time, Ray Brown was a frquent guest on the late night Merv Griffin Show. I used to love watching Mr.Brown play that upright bass and accompany Merv Griffin as he played piano.

Whether or not The Ray Brown Method contains the material that the bassist is looking for, it still belongs in the library of every serious bassist.

This book is the quintessential book for the developing double bassplayer since the Simandl method. Full of exercises, Etudes and fingering ideas this book is fantastic for developing the skills to negotiate the fingerboard.
Don't expect to come out of this book as the next Ray Brown but certainly expect to become a more accomplished bass technician. Musicality comes from years of transcribing, playing and making mistakes. That said, none of the above can truly be executed unless you can master the rudimentary technical side of bass playing and this book as a brilliant start.