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Conference napalm::guitar

Title:GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion
Notice:Discussion of the finer stringed instruments
Moderator:KDX200::COOPER
Created:Thu Aug 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3280
Total number of notes:61432

397.0. "bass book recommendations?" by CSSE::CLARK (Some Are Mathematicians ...) Wed Nov 18 1987 09:56

    I just bought a bass for my wife and I to fool around with.
    I'd like to learn how to back up her piano playing, and she
    wants to learn to back up my guitar playing. Can any of you
    bass players recommend some good books to learn bass? I'm not
    really interested in being the next Billy Sheehan - I'm more
    into learning to use the bass as the backbone of the music.
    
    thanks - Dave
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397.1Here's A Few To Look ForAQUA::ROSTYour forefathers took drugsWed Nov 18 1987 11:0736
    
    Two books I have used in the past (both are ancient):
    
    Mel Bay Electric Bass Method (Mel Bay), 2 volumes
    
    This is the granddaddy of bass methods.  It's pretty complete but
    doesn't get into licks much.
    
    Carol Kaye Electric Bass Lines (Gwyn), I think it's up to six volumes
    now
    
    This one is heavy on sight reading.  Her patterns are really funky.
    The third volume covers extensive sight reading in all keys, I still
    dive into it  now and then when I need to feel humble.  Vol. 4 has
    the actual (complete)lines from some records she played on including 
    Joe Cocker's "Feeling Alright" and the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations".  
    
    Two others that may be helpful:
    
    Electric Bass Licks (Lucky7/Ernie Ball)
    
    This is exactly what it says, a catalog of licks.  They show it
    in a fretboard tab as well as regular notation.  Organized by key.
    Some of the licks are super obvious, others are pretty hip.
    
    Rock Riffs for Bass (Amsco)
    
    Hall and Oates bassist T-Bone Wolk wrote this and it analyzes styles
    of McCarteny, Bruce, Squire, Duck Dunn, Danko, etc.  Also covers
    early New Orleans, Memphis and Chicago bass styles.  It helps if
    you can already play as many of the examples are one and two bar
    fragments from specific records, rather than extended transcriptions.
    
    
                        
    
397.2You're your own best teacherWALLAC::BAIRDFri Nov 20 1987 03:040
397.3BLOOPERS AND...WALLAC::BAIRDFri Nov 20 1987 03:154
    Something is very wrorng here, sorry!
    ...and that word is 'already' not 'alrridy'.
    ARBITRATOR: Get to 397.2 soon to avoid problems, I'm in Tempe using
    telephone lines.     P.S. 'Guitar' is GREAT! THX
397.4Improviser's Guide To BassTALLIS::KLOSTERMANStevie KFri Nov 20 1987 09:5311
    
    	I have a book called "The Improviser's Guide to Bass".  It's
    setup in a textbook/workbook form and, in my opinion, is the best
    instruction book I've seen for *any* instrument.  Starts with basic
    theory, techniques, ear-training, interval exercises, positions,
    etc and has an extensive glossary of transcribed bass lines and solos 
    from Jaco, Eddie Gomez, Alfonzo Johnson, Carol Kaye, Stanley Clarke,
    and on and on.  Loaded with useful exercises.
    
    	Don't remember the publisher, but I'll look it up tonite and
    post more info on it later.