Ultimate Play-Along Bass Just Classic Jazz [Paperback] Review

I was expecting a book of jazz bass lines.Instead, this was a collection of jazz melodies written in bass clef.Very limited appeal IMO.

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Product Description:
This must-have new series gives you the opportunity to learn 27 of the most important jazz standards contained in the Just Jazz and Just Standards Real Books. Learn these great songs by playing along with jazz greats Jimmy Haslip and Barry Coates in a classic trio jazz setting. Plus, in the accompanying books Jimmy and Barry teach their approaches to chord substitution, comping, and soloing concepts; including complete transcriptions of their own improvised solos and Barry's awe-inspiring chord melody arrangements of the heads.

Volume 1 titles are: Body and Soul
* Days of Wine and Roses
* Star Dust
* Invitation
* Over the Rainbow
* 'Round Midnight
* Laura
* When I Fall in Love
* In a Sentimental Mood.

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Bass for Beginners (Audio CD) Review

This book is a great book to teach true bass playing.Comes with a Cd. I teach bass and use it with all my students.

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Product Description:
Well-paced with lots of photos, diagrams and music in TAB, this book makes it easy to go from buying your first bass to mastering fundamental techniques. 48 pages.

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Orchestra Expressions, Book One String Bass Edition (Paperback) Review

I am a student. I am learning String Bass! Normal you need many books. All you need is this one. Has songs like *Good King Wenceslas**Au Claire de la Lune**Ode to Joy**It's the Blues Man**We Will Rock You**and more**

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Product Description:
Orchestra Expressions™ provides music educators at all levels with easy-to-use, exciting tools to meet daily classroom challenges and bring new vibrancy and depth to teaching music. The lessons were written based on the National Standards for the Arts in Music -- not retro-fitted to the Standards. The program is music literacy-based and satisfies reading and writing mandates in orchestra class.
Unique Features of Orchestra Expressions™:
* "Four-fingers-down" start for every instrument
* Separate but simultaneous development of both hands
* Bass begins in III position developing early shifting
* Orchestra arrangements by Sandra Dackow
* Final full orchestra concert piece

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Bass Day '98 [VHS] (2000) Review

I felt like I knew Rocco after watching this video.He not only shares his approach to to the bass, but also let's you in on his observations of life. He is understated but deep, if your paying attention.I recommend watching this when you can have the VCR connected to a stereo system. You will learn how to "groove" in all aspects of your life.

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Product Description:
NYC Bass Day '98 brought together bass players from all over the globe to NYC, to attend an event that featured four of the world's most celebrated bass players, in a day that made bass history.
Michael Manring kicked things off with a set of fascinating solo pieces on four different instruments in various tunings, including one piece where he plays all four basses at the same time! Andy Gonzalez led a group of top Latin musicians in a scorching set of contemporary and traditional Afro Cuban music. Bobby Rodriguez, one of the most influential bassists in the history of Latin music joins Andy, and is presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Francis Rocco Prestia, accompanied by members of Tower of Power, including David Garibaldi, performed a burning set of their funk classics. He also talked about creating a groove, his early days with TOP and much more. Victor Wooten performed with a trio and presented a set of amazing music that stretched from serious funk to beautiful ballads, with plenty of stops in between. Featured, is a classic solo in which Victor pulled out all the stops. Alsoincludes a lesson on bass technique.
Also featured is an award presentation to bass legend Milt Hinton and an amazing jam featuring the entire lineup, plus John Patitucci and Oteil Burbridge!
Running Time: 105 Minutes

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Essential Elements For Jazz Bass Bk/2CDs (Instrumental Jazz) [Paperback] Review

This is a fabulous, simple and straightforward method for learning the elements of jazz.I was so impressed with it that when I found the seconc CD in the used book I originally bought was cracked, I went out and bought another copy (for clarinet and direct from the publisher).Very highly recommended.

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Product Description:
Specifically designed to teach jazz basics to students with 1 or 2 years playing experience, but with no prior experience playing jazz. Great for individual or classroom use. Teaches the basics of swing style in a step-by-step approach using well-known songs. Improvisation is made easy starting with simple 2-measure phrases. Scales and basic theory are introduced in a simple and easy to understand approach. 2 CDÃ-s are included with recordings of all exercises and arrangements. Other features: 7 full band arrangements, sample solos, jazz history and people.

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Oteil Burbridge: Who RU, Six String Bass (2007) Review

File under "Inspirational." There's almost nothing here that invites an "instruction" video categorization. It's just our hero Oteil stroking the 6-string beauty laying in his lap and sermonizing about what great (and predictable) music we should check out. Awww, why can't more intelligent and willing-to-share humans be great musicians? Oteil beats Wooten's videos by a long shot in the stinginess department.

There's no tab either; although you won't miss it as there's hardly 10 minutes of playing here (including the performance sections). Only redeeming factor (worth $2.99) is the chance to hear Oteil scat along to 4 different A scales and then to a tune at the end.

Seriously, sincere bass instructors need to jump in and release instruction material in an "in the style of" mold to cover the attractive styles of the stingy Wooten and Burbridge. It's a solid market with little competition from the original artists.

(P.S. My impression is that these guys are not deliberately stingy with info, but rather that they assume that what we want/need to hear most are their sermons about where to find inspiration.)

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Product Description:
Oteil Burbridge has played bass with the legendary Allman Brothers Band since 1997. Bandmate Derek Trucks calls him the Michael Jordan of the bass. In this comprehensive and entertaining DVD, Oteil discusses the fine points of bass playing and musicianshi

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The Messiah: An Oratorio for Four-Part Chorus of Mixed Voices, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass Soli and Piano [Paperback] Review

This Schirmer edition of Handel's Messiah is among the better chorus/piano editions I've seen. It maintains loyalty to the original piece, presenting it in the classical format. At the same time, I find the text easy to read, and the overall size of the book to be just right.

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Product Description:
Paper Edition. English.

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Best of Lynyrd Skynyrd / Bass Tab [Mass Market Paperback] Review

lynyrd skynyrd has been one of my favorite bands since i was about 9 years old. i have all their albums including pronounced second helping nuthin' fancy gimmie back my bullets one more from the road street survivorsskynyrds first and last gold and platinum whatsyour name freebird the movieon cd and vhs legend the muscle shoals album twenty the essentialandthats about it. and i guess my favorite member would have to be garyrossington.

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Product Description:
Includes: The Ballad of Curtis Loew
* Don't Ask Me No Questions
* Free Bird
* Gimme Back My Bullets
* I Ain't the One
* The Needle and the Spoon
* On the Hunt
* Simple Man
* Sweet Home Alabama
* Tuesday's Gone
* What's Your Name
* Whiskey Rock-a-Roller.

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Even More Easy Pop Bass Lines: Supplemental Songbook to Book 3 of the Hal Leonard Bass Method (Paperback) Review

This book provides a nice bass sound that seems to go well with the songs involved. I am sure you can dress it up a lot, but as written I think others will be a little impressed if you are just starting out.

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Product Description:
This songbook correlates with Book 3 of the Hal Leonard Bass Method, giving beginning students great pop and rock songs to play while they are still learning! Includes 20 favorites: ABC * Another One Bites the Dust * Badge * Brick House * Cheap Sunglasses * Come Together * Higher Ground * Into the Great Wide Open * Iron Man * The Joker * Radar Love * Sweet Emotion * Under Pressure * more. The songs are presented in order of difficulty, beginning with sixteenth-note rhythms and ending with slap and pop technique.

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The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking: How to Play the Alternating Bass Fingerpicking Style (Bk & CD) [Paperback] Review

Mark Hanson is considered to be amongst the top instructors today in the fingerstyle domain. He regularly holds fingerstyle workshops and has authored over 30 books and videos, all on the same subject - fingerstyle guitar. He has also interviewed several fingerstyle authorities such as Leo Kottke and James Taylor.

This book is considered by many as the leading fingerstyle instruction book. There are several very good reasons for the high number of votes Mark's books receive; and WHY you should buy this book.

1.Travis picking (alternate bass with melody) is the foundation of fingerstyle guitar. Nearly every fingerstyle guitarist from Rev. Gary Davis to Muddy Waters to Robert Johnson to Leo Kottke and Chet Atkins has used the Travis picking method. This book is the bible of Travis picking.

2.The book requires no knowledge of the instrument. I couldn't switch chords comfortably when I received this book. In fact I only knew the C and G chords. With some patience and determination I learnt more than 30 chords by the time I was at the end of the book, and obviously I also learnt to switch between them effortlessly.

3.Mark lays out very logical examples throughout the book to ensure you are progressing the right way. There is a practice song after every chapter to make certain you are comfortable maintaining the rhythm and will face no difficulty if you encounter a similar pattern in any other song outside of the book. The instruction is very clear and there is absolutely no ambiguity even for a novice. It's almost like the author is holding your hand throughout. I am no dazzling guitarist (read no natural flair) and had no teachers while I was using this book. I waded through it without any major hold-ups. There is also a CD included where Mark plays the pieces at both half and full speeds. If you have heard `Dust in the Wind' by Kansas; after only a week with this book you'll be able to play that song, albeit not at performance speed.

4.The book has a sequel; the Art of Solo Fingerpicking. The sequel is for intermediate/advanced fingerpickers only. The sequel ensures you get to learn the most complex fingerpicking techniques, including breaking out of pattern playing (i.e. Travis Picking). Once you have mastered both the books playing fingerstyle guitar in any genre (blues, jazz, classical, country, folk etc.) will be unchallenging. Of course this is not easy and will take time; but the results will leave you fulfilled.

5.Mark is a wonderful person. I had a query regarding the use of thumbpicks and fingernails and shot him a mail. He immediately replied back and addressed the query in detail. It's nice to know you can repose faith in the author/instructor and he is there to tackle any issues you have. Further, he runs a website accentonmusic.com which carries articles on fingernails, amplification of acoustic guitars, contemporary music, newsletters, etc. all of which are really useful. There are tons of resources on the web, but only so few are reliable. Also, it's tough to judge an author by a single book. Every book of Mark is really enjoyable and he has a truckload of material to offer. I was a big zero with music theory and Mark has promised to write a book on that (he's graduated in Music). Can't wait to get hold of it.

6.I own as many as 8 other `bestselling' fingerstyle books for beginners and intermediates and a few videos too. Only one book comes anywhere close - Beginning Fingerstyle Blues - by Arnie Berle. Even that one does not specify how many fingers to use, right hand position, thumbpicks or not etc. You will certainly require answers to these once you take the plunge. Fortunately Mark's book takes good care of the reader here. His passion for fingerstyle is contagious.

When you buy an instruction book, the most important investment you make is your time. You don't want to follow an instruction book devotedly for 6 months only to realise there is a better book out there; it leaves you in self-doubt and may hinder your progress. You will never be in a quandary with this book. Very few books have information pouring out of every page. Such books are priceless and will stand the test of time. The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking is one such book. Written in 1986, it works wonders even today - nearly 20 years later.

If fingerstyle guitar eludes you, buy or borrow this book. I promise you will be grinning ear to ear after carrying out the instructions. It's easy, many have done it, and so can you!

Very highly recommended!

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Product Description:
By mastering all techniques described in the book, you will be on your way to elevating the Travis pick from a basic chordal accompaniment to a complex solo style!

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Metallica - Re-Load (Bass) (Paperback) Review

Accurate transcriptions with lyrics.
Beware: Drum transcriptions only. The description fails to mention that they are for drums only, not guitar. I found this out the hard way.

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Product Description:
Bass transcriptions for the band's follow-up to their phenomenally successful album, Load. Includes bio, photos, and more. Attitude * Bad Seed * Better Than You * Carpe Diem Baby * Devil's Dance * Fixxxer * Fuel * Low Man's Lyric * The Memory Remains * Prince Charming * Slither * The Unforgiven II * Where the Wild Things Are.

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The Essence of Afro-Cuban Percussion and Drum Set: Includes the Rhythm Section Parts for Bass, Piano, Guitar Horns & Strings [Paperback] Review

I simply can't sing enough praise for Ed's book. I've been playing djembe and congas for a couple years, and I've always wanted a comprehensive book that covered the history, rhythms, and instruments. Finally I have one. This book describes the background in terms of history and culture that birthed Afro-Cuban music, then takes a structured approach through all the instruments.
The breadth of coverage on the instruments is fantastic. Not only are there the basic rhythms, but with Ed's approach, you see how they all fit together. It even has a whole section on the non-percussion parts of the rhythm section (piano, bass, etc.) and how the songs of various styles are structured. I've never found this kind of information elsewhere. For people who don't have a background in these musical styles (like me), this is wonderful. Then there's a whole section on adapting these styles to drum kit.
The audio examples are the best I've heard in any book/CD combo I own, by far. They are far more comprehensive than any other, and they support what you're learning in the text. The synergy between text and audio makes this a gold mine.
While this book is more expensive than most music books, it has several times the value of any other book I've seen. I so much wish I had this from day one. Even getting it now, it's filling in the (many) gaps in my learning, and will surely be the most essential book in my collection for a good long while.

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Product Description:
An in-depth study (324 pages) of all the percussion instruments, rhythms and song styles of Afro-Cuban music, along with their applications to the drum set. Detailed technical studies of each instrument are presented along with notations of many rhythm styles. The entire rhythm section (parts for bass, piano, horn section, string section, tres, and guitar) is also studied in detail. The book comes with two CDs that include performances of each percussion instrument, drum set, all rhythm section instruments, as well as examples of all musical styles with full instrumentation in score form.

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15 Easy Jazz, Blues & Funk Etudes: Bass Clef Instrument (Instrumental Series) [Paperback] Review

I have enjoyed playing through Mintzer's other books, '14 Jazz and Funk Etudes' and '14 Jazz and Blues Etudes' and have been able to work on some of these with my advanced high school students.

'15 Easy Jazz/Blues/Funk Etudes' is appropriate for a broader range of high school level trombonists, but most junior high kids won't be able to deal with the 2 octave range (spans one octave in each direction from "tuning note" Bb). The "easy" connotation seems to refer to a more basic rhythmic and harmonic complexity. This book would be accessible to more players if it were written down a 3rd or 4th.

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Product Description:
Written for a wide variety of musicians, 15 Easy Jazz, Blues & Funk Etudes will appeal to both aspiring players and to more experienced musicians. For the younger player, particular care is given to range, rhythmic figures and overall playability. The more accomplished musician will appreciate the high level of musicality, the lyrical compositions and the opportunities to improvise. Either way, the format is simple: Bob Mintzer plays and demonstrates each etude with a stellar rhythm section on the included CD. You learn each etude slowly. When ready, you play the etude with the CD accompaniment.

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Expanding Walking Bass Lines (Bass Instruction) [Paperback] Review

I bought this hoping to get some more great tips and theory that Friedland's first book contained, and that helped me develop walking lines when i was first learning. Unfortunately, I found that the content here was not as rich, not as based in theory, and kind of obvious if you listen to recordings. Also, I was frustrated that he spent many pages at the beginning going through basic music theory and how to set your metronome on 2 and 4, something covered extensively in the first book. I felt like this book was trying to be too much of a stand-alone intro when it really should have omitted redundant info and focused on being the second book in a series. It's still well written and has good info, it's just not as intensely packed with great theory and info as the first book is.

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Product Description:
A follow-up to Building Walking Bass Lines, this book ap- proaches more advanced walking concepts, including model mapping, the two-feel, several Õmust know changes,Õ and other important jazz bass lessons. CD includes a jazz trio for practicing standard tunes.

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Ultimate Bench Warrior: How to Design, Build, and Modify Custom Guitar and Bass Amps (Book) (Paperback) Review

The author begins with a cursory look at the tools used when building and servicing amps. Unfortunately, how to use the less common tools, such as an oscilloscope, in practice is not discussed. We do, however, find a few pages on how to make a guitar cable with a soldering iron.

Plenty of reprinted tube and solid state component data sheets made it into the final product--as did a guide to reading resistor color codes. A few vintage transformer data sheets are included as well. In light of the book's title, a section covering transformer selection along with power supply and output stage design would have been more useful.

The author does include schematics for some isolated circuits, but many are of little value or irrelevant to the subject matter expressed in the title. For example, one schematic shows how to wire a foot pedal to control three separate Fender amps. Other included circuits may have broader appeal, but there is little guidance as to how to implement them in original or existing designs. In some cases, component values are not included.

The "Extensive collection of top Amplifiers schematics, including all of Lee's equipment" and "A great collection of Effect Pedal Schematics, Vintage and New" promised on the author's website are not in the book.

The biggest issue, and the reason for the single star: this volume doesn't deliver what it promises in the title. There is nothing about designing or building amplifiers. Instead the reader is offered an eclectic collection of data sheets, isolated circuit mods, and rudimentary, yet incomplete, information. But there's no math! :| (When I pre-ordered this work, I was unaware of the diminutive page-count, which would have made me question the depth of material covered.)

The Guitar Amp Handbook by Dave Hunter would be a better choice. It's not an exhaustive treatment of the subject, but it covers two important areas that Jackson's book does not: how an amp works and how to build a vintage-modified amp. For those interested in the math, check out Richard Kuehnel's works. Tino Zottola has three volumes on building specific amps--all of which contain step-by-step instructions, component lists and schematics. For the well-funded, Kevin O'Connor's Ultimate Tone series would be another option.

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Product Description:
Amp guru Lee Jackson covers: tools of the trade; the basics of soldering; different tube types, with specs and histories; electronic symbols; amplifier modifications from gain stages to adding reverbs; schematics of solidstate circuits and power supplies; lists of parts suppliers; and more. Features 180+ photos and illustrations.

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Gilbert and Sullivan for Singers: The Vocal Library Baritone/Bass (Vocal Collection) (Paperback) Review

Who in the world would purchase a folio of songs without a list of the contents?I mean...how ridiculous. Here it is...all great songs. Pity Amazon didn't feel it was important enough to include.

* Alone, and Yet Alive (THE MIKADO)
* Cheerily Carols the Lark (RUDDIGORE)
* Come Mighty Must! (PRINCESS IDA)
* I'm Called Little Buttercup (HMS PINAFORE)
* A Lady Fair of Lineage High (PRINCESS IDA)
* My Lord, a Suppliant at Your Feet (IOLANTHE)
* Oh, Foolish Fay (IOLANTHE)
* On The Day When I Was Wedded (THE GONDOLIERS)
* Silver'd Is the Raven Hair (PATIENCE)
* Sir Rupert Murgatroyd (RUDDIGORE)
* To a Garden Full of Posies (RUDDIGORE)
* Were I Thy Bride (THE YEOMAN OF THE GUARD)
* When A Merry Maiden Marries (THE GONDOLIERS)
* When But A Maid Of Fifteen Years (UTOPIA LIMITED)
* When Frederic Was a Little Lad (THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE)
* When Maiden Loves, She Sits and Sighs (THE YEOMAN OF THE GUARD)
* When Our Gallant Norman Foes (THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD)


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Product Description:
W.S. Gilbert wrote the words, Arthur Sullivan composed the music, and together they revolutionized theatre music in English. This new series presents songs and arias from their timeless operettas, collected by voice type. There are 15-17 songs per volume, with the most famous excerpts peppered by beautiful, less known choices. The edition includes notes about the plot context of each selection. The piano accompaniments on the companion CDs were recorded by Laura Ward. Includes songs and arias from The Gondoliers, The Grand Duke, Iolanthe, HMS Pinafore, The Mikado, Patience, The Pirates of Penzance, Princess Ida, Ruddigore, The Sorcerer, Utopia Unlimited, The Yeomen of the Guard.

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Dictionary of Bass Grooves (Bass Builders) (Paperback) Review

This book is excellent for those of you that just started learning bass.
This book has examples of music styles up to the 90's.
For example: southern rock, prog rock, prog metal, jazz, blues, country, death metal, punk, salsa, bossa nova, etc.
There is little example on the recent music styles *well you can say that current music styles are just derivative of the examples given*
The examples are easy to follow, even for beginner. They're also pretty accurate in explaining the music styles.
I use this book to teach my student.

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Product Description:
This cool, comprehensive guide provides the history and essential bass lines for 34 different musical styles, including all varieties of pop and rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Caribbean, country, blues, funk and many others. The CD includes 34 full-band demo tracks.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers - BloodSugarSexMagik (Bass) [Paperback] Review

This book is great for anyone who wants to learn how to play like Flea on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Highly reccomended

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Product Description:
All 17 songs from their smash hit album, including: Give It Away * The Power of Equality * Suck My Kiss * Under the Bridge * and more.

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Ultimate Play Along Just Classic Jazz Bass Vol3 w/CD (Ultimate Play-Along) (Paperback) Review

If you're looking for books on "how to" play bass or read music then skip this one.There's almost no instruction in this book, but what you do get is GREAT tab and notation for some standard jazz pieces.
This book is good for learning the traditional bass lines and for practicing your timing/tempo when there's no one else around.I wish the CD had two versions of each song (one with and one without bass), but it doesn't.For the price, though, this is a pretty good way to learn some songs and practice without having a full band in your garage.
Nine standard jazz pieces are covered.Each song comes with the actual tune on CD, the printed song with bass clef and tab, and if that weren't enough you also get the bass solo and lead sheet.
Be careful, though, the lead sheet is not in tablature, so you should already know (or be willing to learn) how to read traditional music notation.Fortunately, since the book includes both the full version (notation and tablature) you can easily go back and forth as you progress.The lead sheet is great for taking on stage since it has all the essentials for the song on one easy to read sheet.

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Product Description:
Jazz greats Jimmy Haslip and Barry Coates demonstrate how to play classic trio jazz using the most important great jazz standards. For Bass Guitar w/CD
Includes: My Funny Valentine, Night and Day, How High the Moon, Emily, Gentle Rain, Green Dolphin St., Secret Love, Softly as in a Morning Sunrise, Summertime

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Classic Funk and R&B Grooves for Bass (Bass Masters Series) [Paperback] Review

There's a lot to be improved with this release. This collection of grooves seems to have been thrown together in a hurry because they all sound very similar and some share identical passages. The examples are very easy to play and they don't progress in difficulty.
My biggest concern is the fact that the CD only contains demos of each loop and no play along feature. It is important for funk licks to be practiced with drums. It would have been trivial to pan (L/R) the bass from the drums in the stereo mix!
There are also many print errors, I would say that approx. 3 out of 10 grooves have conflicting tab and bass clef notation. (what's actuallyplayed on the CD is another story......)

There are likely to be better funk books out there........


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Product Description:
Classic Funk and R&B Grooves for Bass is an overview of stylistic examples that capture the essence of R&B recordings from Memphis, Muscle Shoals, Motown, and New York. All the music examples (98 total!) are written in standard notation and tablature, and all the examples are demonstrated on the enclosed recording (live, not sequenced). The CD is designed to take you beyond just playing the correct notes by providing the true feel of these great grooves.

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Absolute Beginners: Bass Guitar (2002) Review

This book/CD combination definitely lives up to it's billing. The course is for someone who has no experience with guitar or bass. Unfortunately, because I've been playing guitar for a few years, it's really too basic for me.

If you are a true beginner who has never picked up a bass or guitar before this is a good, basic start, but you'll be moving on quickly. For those who alread have even a little experience with guitar scales, notes on the fretboard and basic rhythm playing, this course is not for you.

I give it 3 stars because it is as advertised, but I expected a few more in-depth lessons at least.

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Product Description:
This easy-to-follow DVD bass tutor will take you step-by-step from first day exercises to playing along with a professional backing track. Fully enhanced and packed with extra features including easy-to-use menu and translation into four different languag

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Electric Bass Guitar (Guitar Player Basic Library) (Paperback) Review

This book is very helpful and it covers many different styles ofplayingand different techiniques such as the "in and out" techniquewhich makes playing sixteen notes eaiser.It covers slapping, and justbasic right hand technique.It also hasa whole chapter on soloing andexplains basslines and turnaround and chords.The only problem is thatthere is no tablature,so you have to learn to read music, which there is achapter on. I really recommend this book.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Electric Bass Guitar (Guitar Player Basic Library) (Paperback)

Product Description:
The original 1984 edition of this title presented a definitive approach to the theory, practice and performance of electric bass guitar.As such, it gained wide recognition and acceptance as the best single-volume work in its field.Now, in response to all the new developments in bass technique and application, GPI has put together a revised and updated edition of this invaluable book.Included in this comprehensive new volume are the most up-to-date instructional columns, private lessons, and hard-to-find features from GPI Special Edition: Bass Player magazine.Also featured are important tips and lessons from the foremost artists in the field - Jeff Berlin, Carol Kaye, Nathan East, Stanley Clarke, Billy Sheehan, Jimmy Haslip, Bunny Brunel, and others - who take the reader all the way from choosing an instrument to reading, music theory, practicing, improving technique, and soloing.Plus a new section on bass repair, maintenance, and modification.

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Step One: Play Bass Scales (with Audio CD) [Paperback] Review

Pickow's book includes scale theory, practice patterns for all scales, and suggestions for how to practice scales.For a serious musician these pieces of information are very useful.I question the usefulness of this text for the average beginner.Pickow's attention to detail is important,but not really geared toward a beginner who plans to use this as the onlysource of information.This book would serve a music student well inhis or her progress toward perfection, used in combination with regularlessons and practice.This book would also be a great information sourcefor someone who has learned the basics and is ready to move on tochallenging him or herself to understand more about music composition. Butthe beginner?There are better introductions than this to the bass.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Step One: Play Bass Scales (with Audio CD) [Paperback]

Product Description:
Step into the exciting world of major, minor, modal, blues, rock and jazz scales. A complete guide to using scales to build speed, endurance and fretboard fluency for beginning bass players.

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Beginning Bass for Adults: The Grown-Up Approach to Playing Bass (Book & CD) (Paperback) Review

Picked up this book to add Bass playing to my guitar playing.I really like the design of the lessons and their emphasis of points required to play Bass well.However, the reason I wouldn't give this product a 5 star rating has more to do with the Publisher than the Author.
Dear National Guitar Workshop, Contact your publishing company and inform them that camel spit is Not considered a reputable binding glue because it DOESN'T hold the pages in the binding.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go find the page that follows lesson 9.No telling where that page fell out at.

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No Description provided.

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The Oratorio Anthology: The Vocal Library Baritone/Bass [Paperback] Review

It's a very good book, covering many of the basics and several forgotten masterpieces.Puccini's Crucifixus from his Messa di Gloria is a good example of the fantastic forgotten works that are in here.The versions of Handel's Messiah are not correct, however.They are from an easy version for students; so if you are looking to do any Messiah, then get a copy of the score and not this book.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Oratorio Anthology: The Vocal Library Baritone/Bass [Paperback]

Product Description:
This is the most serious and useful collection yet published of solo arias from oratorios, masses and cantatas. The literature was confined to work by major composers, and by-passes the dated oratorio literature found in previous collections. The most famous music is here, and so is interesting and less famous music by masters. There are new music engravings for each aria, and extensive historical notes and translations. Solo instrumental obbligato parts, which can be cut from the book, are included on appropriate selections.

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Metallica Bass Riff by Riff, Volume 2 (Pt. 2) (Paperback) Review

I just recently got this bass book and it is awesome! It has all of the big hits from Reload-St. Anger. I also love how it tells you about the riffs and the gear set-up. This is a great bass book. Also I'd like to say how awesome Amazon is because I ordered this Wednesday night and it got here this morning! Keep up the good work Amazon.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Metallica Bass Riff by Riff, Volume 2 (Pt. 2) (Paperback)

Product Description:
Riffs for bass from over 30 Metallica classics: Am I Evil? * Bad Seed * Better Than You * Devil's Dance * Frantic * Low Man's Lyric * The Memory Remains * Shoot Me Again * Whiskey in the Jar * and more.

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Easy Songs for the Beginning Baritone/Bass - Part II (Vocal Collection) [Paperback] Review

The songs in this book are very simple and many are not relavent to a contemporary singer.I do use several in my teaching studio.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Easy Songs for the Beginning Baritone/Bass - Part II (Vocal Collection) [Paperback]

Product Description:
This series now has a new "Part II" for each voice type, at the same level as the original volumes. This is preparatory material for The First Book of Solos series, with modest ranges and all songs in English, including very easy art songs, folksong arrangements and vintage popular songs. The song selection is completely different for each voice type with 18-20 songs per volume.

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Big Band Bass (Paperback) Review

Those bassists who can read music and improvise a simple walking line, but need an introduction to the conventions of reading big band charts need look no further than this book.I found it quite handy as both a reference and to refamiliarize myself with things I'd forgotten when I was suddenly called on to play in a big band.

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Product Description:
A guide to the essentials for double bass and electric bass.

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Slap & Pop Bass [Paperback] Review

I found this book to be extremely helpful in that all of the techniques used in the slap & pop style are introduced one at a time.Unlike other books, which throw the kitchen sink at you immediately, this book focuses on first the slap and muted notes along with bass lines using the technique, then the pop along with bass grooves using both slap & pop, then hammer-ons, pull-offs, even a little double popping.The layout of the book is logical and helps one get comfortable with each technique before introducing a new one.I like that each chapter has one bar grooves, two bar grooves and four bar grooves.The CD that accompanies the book is very helpful and gives you the opportunity to practice the bass lines at the given tempo with the CD.5 stars for this book.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Slap & Pop Bass [Paperback]

Product Description:
Learn to serve up funk-a-licious grooves and extract the vibrant percussive sounds hidden in the electric bass. Renowned expert, David Overthrow teaches everything you need to know to get started playing hot slap & pop bass lines. Following a clear and logical progression, each essential technique is covered individually, from hammer-ons and pull-offs to double pops and double stops. Your skills build gradually so learning is easy! Over 100 licks and grooves are provided, plus a special library of bass lines for additional fun. The CD demonstrates all the music featured in the book. A great book for any serious bass player, from beginner to advanced.

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Bass Secrets: Where Today's Bass Stylists Get to the Bottom Line (Guitar Magazine) [Paperback] Review

The learning of any great craft requires instruction from a master.In this case, 4 masters of the bass sit down and give you bite-sized lessons.My one gripe is that it is fairly short-Guitar magazine should have included some more columns-but each column is worth learning from.
The most important note I can make is that Bass Secrets will NOT-trust me here-be any replacement for comprehensive instruction.Some of its lessons are foundational, like the modal learning exercises, but most introduce new playing concepts.What this book can be is a great rut-breaker and source of inspiration; its tips can help you view an old line or technique in a different light.If you treat the book as the new-idea generator which it was intended to be, I guarantee that this book will stretch you in some, if not many, ways...unless you have been fortunate enough to have personally studied under Billy, Stu, Randy, and Tony!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Bass Secrets: Where Today's Bass Stylists Get to the Bottom Line (Guitar Magazine) [Paperback]

Product Description:
Bass Secrets brings together 48 columns highlighting specific topics - ranging from the technical to the philosophical - from masters such as Stu Hamm, Randy Coven, Tony Franklin and Billy Sheehan. They cover topics including tapping, walking bass lines, soloing, hand positions, harmonics and more. Clearly illustrated with musical examples.

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Beginning Bass Scales (Compact Reference Library) (Paperback) Review

This book is a great resource for begining bass scales. It explains the thoery and practise rather well. As with the `first' book (if thats apropriate), Play Bass Guitar, it takes a great deal of time to understandwhat is being said without confusion. However, this time the book feelsbetter layed out.All-in-all, it will help u understand bass scale theory,prehaps inprove your timing,while using the CD as a back up. + It containsjazz, rock, and other `styles' of scales. Therefore, hard to read atpoints, but worth a look.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Beginning Bass Scales (Compact Reference Library) (Paperback)

Product Description:
Concise thesaurus of practical scale forms for study and practice. Includes valuable tips on using scales to build speed, endurance, and fretboard fluency.

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