Bass Guitar

This is the second volume in a progressive series of three study books that takes the young player from beginner to accomplished musician. It is carefully tailored for each instrument and focuses on exercises aimed to improve specific technical and musical demands of the instruments. Also available: Starter Studies (Volume 1) - 44004898-44004907; Super Studies (Volume 3) - 44005082-44005090

This invaluable guide and accompanying CD give bass players both the musical background and training needed to get on with their grooving. With lessons guided by a metronome and presented in various musical styles and rhythmic applications, bassists increase their ability to internalize rhythm. The book also breaks down classic styles and grooves from rock, blues, R&B, jazz, Afro-Caribbean, and other traditions. Each example includes a notated version of the drum part and details how to program it into a drum machine.

The exercises in this book teach you new scales, new fingerings, new patterns and new ideas - helping you master phrases that seemed impossible on the bass. Bunny's unique approach will get your fingers thinking in new ways on the fretboard, and you'll explore different modes and arpeggios in new patterns and positions. As you work through the lessons, you'll find your finger intelligence expanding.

First Bass is the ultimate book of fundamentals for the electric bass, designed to take the beginner to the next level. Through indispensable reading basics and exercises, this unique guide explores all techniques, concepts, and styles that cover 50 years of electric bass playing. The author also analyses scales, modes, popular music chord progressions, equipment, special effects, and recording techniques are also analyzed, giving bass players all the tools they need to improve their skills and develop their own styles. The audio CD demonstrates examples from the book.

More than a player's manual, this book portrays jazz bass as a vital element of 20th century American music. Citing examples from key recordings in the jazz canon, the book defines the essence of the musical contributions made by more than 70 important jazz bassists, including Ray Brown, Eddie Gomez, Charles Mingus, Milt Hinton and many others. Bassists get expert guidance on mastering proper technique, practice methods and improvisation, plus new insight into the theoretical and conceptual aspects of jazz. The companion CD featuring bass plus rhythm section allows readers to hear technical examples from the book, presented in slow and fast versions. It also offers play-along tracks of typical chord progressions and song forms.

Created specifically for bass players, this book takes you inside Bunny Brunel's innovative system for solo improvisation. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience performing and teaching, Brunel presents his methods for understanding modes, scales, chords, harmony and substitutions, and shows you how to apply these concepts to blues and jazz soloing. Includes transcriptions of Brunel's mind-blowing solos, and his performance of the solos and examples on CD. Bunny explains in a clear way the essence of improvisation. Any student will gain invaluable knowledge reading and practicing with this book. - Stanley Clarke

R&B Masters is a close examination of the legendary R&B bassists that shaped modern music. Explore the styles of Duck Dunn, Chuck Rainey, George Porter, James Jamerson, Jerry Jemmot, David Hood and many others through written examples and play-along tracks. Learn their stories, their working setup, and their unique approaches to the groove. The CD features examples from all of the book's lessons.

A variety of eleven of today's greatest studio bassists including Lee Sklar, Nathan East and Dave Pomeroy openly discuss their recording experiences, techniques and more - and offer actual basslines. Leading producers and engineers reveal what's expected in the studio, while hands-on lessons cover number-system charts, setting up the bass, which gear to use and how, and more. The CD includes a recording of each lesson.