The Bass guitar is an essential instrument in any band, and learning how to play it can be a great way to add depth and texture to your music.
Whether you’re a beginner looking for the basics or an experienced musician ready to take their playing to the next level, these are the best books out there that will help you learn bass guitar.
Music Theory for the Bass Player by Ariane Cap
Music Theory for the Bass Player by Ariane Cap is an essential book for any bassist, beginner or advanced.
It covers all of the basics and fundamentals of music theory, from scales and chords to rhythm and notation.
Cap has compiled a wealth of knowledge into one comprehensive volume, making it easy for bass players to brush up on their theory skills or dive deeper into exploring different styles.
The book features clear explanations and diagrams as well as exercises and audio examples so that the reader can get a full experience with each concept presented.
The step-by-step approach ensures that readers are able to absorb each topic without feeling overwhelmed or confused.
Additionally, the examples span many genres of music from jazz to metal so there is something in this book for all types of bassists.
Bass Fretboard Basics by Paul Farnen
Bass Fretboard Basics by Paul Farnen is the ultimate guide to learning the basics of bass guitar fretting. Written in an easy-to-read format.
This book explains everything from basic fundamentals like scales and chords to more advanced techniques such as muting and tapping.
It’s a great resource for both beginner and experienced bassists alike.
Farnen provides step-by-step instructions on how to play each note on the fretboard with diagrams that make it easier to visualize the notes being played.
He also includes exercises designed to help you develop finger strength, dexterity, and speed while learning particular songs or pieces.
Additionally, there are tips for improving your sound and creativity when playing lead lines or improvisations.
Bass Grooves by Ed Friedland
Ed Friedland’s Bass Grooves is the ultimate guide for bass players of all skill levels. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been playing for years, this book offers a wealth of information and guidance to help you take your playing to the next level.
Covering styles from blues and jazz to funk and rock, this comprehensive resource features, groove exercises, plus charts on intros, endings, and fills.
Additionally, Ed provides essential tips on technique, theory, musicianship, accompaniment styles, and more.
Each exercise includes detailed notation in both standard notation and tab form so that readers can follow along easily with their own instrument.
With its thorough coverage of topics relevant to any style of music and its deep dive into the most important grooves, every bassist should know it’s no wonder Bass Grooves has become one of the must-have books for aspiring bassists everywhere!
Bass Guitar For Dummies by Patrick Pfeiffer
Are you looking to start playing the bass guitar but don’t know where to begin? Look no further than Bass Guitar For Dummies by Patrick Pfeiffer.
This comprehensive book provides a beginner-friendly guide that covers all the basics of learning how to play the bass guitar.
With step-by-step instructions, readers are taken from learning their first chords and notes all the way through more advanced concepts, such as playing lead lines and crafting melodic solos.
Whether you’re just getting started or want to brush up on your skills, Bass Guitar For Dummies has everything needed to become a proficient bass player.
The book also includes a variety of helpful illustrations and exercises that are designed to reinforce the material covered in each chapter.
Pfeiffer also encourages readers throughout with helpful tips and advice for mastering even the most difficult techniques.
Bass Guitar Primer Book for Beginners by Bert Casey
Bass Guitar Primer Book for Beginners by Bert Casey is the perfect guide for beginners wanting to learn how to play bass guitar.
This book covers all of the basics, such as tuning and strumming techniques, as well as more advanced topics like scales and modes.
Through easy-to-follow instruction, readers will be able to master all the basics in no time!
Bert Casey is a highly experienced bassist who has been playing professionally for over 30 years.
His knowledge and experience are condensed down into this simple primer guide that makes it easy for beginners to get started on their path toward becoming skilled bass players.
All of the information provided in this book is presented in an understandable manner with plenty of diagrams and illustrations so that even those with minimal musical experience can easily follow along!
Hal Leonard Bass Method by Ed Friedland
The Hal Leonard Bass Method by Ed Friedland is a comprehensive and easy-to-follow guide for all aspiring bass players.
This book has something for everyone. Written with the beginner in mind, it takes you to step by step through the basics of playing the bass guitar, from reading music notation to understanding scales and chords.
It includes exercises to build up finger dexterity, as well as helpful tips on how to improve your technique.
With its simple explanations and clear diagrams, this book is an invaluable tool for anyone looking to start playing the bass guitar.
Blues Bass by Jon Liebman
Blues Bass by Jon Liebman is the ultimate guide for bass players who want to expand their musical horizons and take on a new challenge.
This book offers an in-depth look at the fundamentals of blues bass playing, providing readers with step-by-step instructions on how to build a solid foundation of blues bass lines and grooves.
Designed for players of all levels, Blues Bass covers topics such as essential scales, chords, and progressions; improvisation techniques; shuffle grooves; and much more.
The comprehensive lessons are further enhanced by audio examples available online that show how each exercise should sound when played correctly.
In addition, helpful diagrams provide visual demonstrations of important concepts such as walking patterns and chord voicings.
Bassist’s Guide to Scales Over Chords by Chad J. Johnson
Bassist’s Guide to Scales Over Chords by Chad J. Johnson. This comprehensive guide covers the basics of scales and chords and provides step-by-step exercises for mastering both elements.
Written in an accessible style, Johnson’s book helps novice bassists learn the fundamentals while more experienced players can use it as a refresher or explore more advanced concepts.
Johnson begins by walking readers through basic scale theory, covering topics such as intervals, modes, diatonic scales, and arpeggios.
With each concept explained in detail, even beginners can easily understand how scales are built and used in various musical contexts.
The author then explains how these scales fit over common chord voicings; this section is particularly useful since it allows players to hear how a given scale works with different chords.
Hal Leonard Bass for Kids by Chad Johnson
Hal Leonard Bass for Kids by Chad Johnson is an excellent introduction to the world of electric bass playing.
This book is designed to help children ages 8 and up learn the basics of electric bass guitar. It covers all of the fundamentals, including notes and scales, technique, musical notation, and more.
Excerpts from popular songs such as “Crazy Train,” “Every Breath You Take,” “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Wild Thing”.
Each song includes a step-by-step tutorial with audio examples so that students can easily learn how to play each one.
Hal Leonard Bass for Kids also contains tips from professional bass players on improving your playing skills, as well as advice from author Chad Johnson on setting up a practice schedule and goal setting.
Additionally, there are photos and illustrations throughout the book that make it easy for beginners to understand concepts quickly.
The Complete Guide To Music Theory For Bass Guitar Players by Mr. James Eager
Music theory can be a daunting topic for bass guitar players. Mr. James Eager, an experienced bass guitarist, and renowned music teacher has written the perfect guide for mastering this complex subject.
In The Complete Guide To Music Theory For Bass Guitar Players, Mr. Eager offers lessons on music fundamentals such as scales and intervals as well as more advanced topics like jazz chords and improvisation.
He also explains how to apply these concepts in a musical context by providing helpful diagrams and exercises that help readers understand the material step-by-step.
Mr. Eager’s clear writing style, his extensive experience as a musician, and his enthusiasm for teaching make this book invaluable to any bass player looking to improve their technique or just learn the basics of music theory.
So pick up your copy today and start learning with one of the world’s top teachers!
Creative Bass Technique Exercises by Dan Hawkins, Joseph Alexander
Creative Bass Technique Exercises by Dan Hawkins and Joseph Alexander. These book exercises are designed to challenge both beginning and advanced bass players alike.
Using a range of styles from funk, blues, rock, metal, reggae, and more, the exercises are written in standard notation as well as tab form.
The authors have created a practice system that covers all of the essential topics needed for mastering the instrument such as hand technique, scales & modes, arpeggios & sequences, rhythm studies & syncopation, and much more.
Each exercise is clearly explained with helpful diagrams so readers can understand what they are doing while practicing each exercise.
Expanding Walking Bass Lines by Ed Friedland
Ed Friedland’s book, Expanding Walking Bass Lines, is a must-read for serious jazz and funk bassists.
Written from the perspective of an expert in the field, this book takes a deep dive into the world of walking bass lines and provides readers with plenty of practical advice on how to create creative and unique bass lines.
Friedland covers all aspects of playing walking bass lines, beginning with basic techniques like groove and timing as well as more advanced concepts such as syncopation, harmonization, and chord voicings.
He also explores how to use various musical styles such as bebop, funk, and Latin music to their full potential in order to expand your playing capabilities.
He even goes one step further by providing exercises that allow readers to apply his lessons directly to their instrument.
Teach Yourself to Play Bass by Various
Teach Yourself to Play Bass by Various is the best book for those just starting out with bass guitar.
Whether you’re a beginner, this book provides a comprehensive overview of everything you need to know about learning to play bass.
It includes easy-to-follow lessons and exercises that provide step-by-step instructions on how to get started playing bass.
With its clear diagrams, illustrations and tips, Teach Yourself to Play Bass will help you develop your technique and build confidence in your playing.
The book focuses on all aspects of playing the electric or acoustic bass from basic techniques such as left-hand position, tuning, and strumming patterns.
It also covers topics such as reading music notation, understanding rhythm notation, chord theory, and scales.
Heavy Metal Method for Bass Guitar by Stephan Richter
Stephan Richter’s Heavy Metal Method for Bass Guitar is the ultimate guide to mastering the heavy metal bass guitar.
Whether you’re a beginner, this book will take your playing to the next level and give you all the tools needed to become a master of metal.
Filled with detailed lessons along with exercises and practice routines, Richter’s Heavy Metal Method for Bass Guitar covers everything from basic techniques such as slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs to more advanced concepts like harmonics, tapping, and slapping.
Along with these hands-on techniques, the book also provides step-by-step instructions on how to read tablature notation as well as helpful tips on how to create your own original riffs and solos.
How to Play the Bass by Jason Randall
For bass guitar players who are looking to enhance their skills, Jason Randall’s book “How to Play the Bass” is a must-have resource.
Through this comprehensive guide, readers will learn all of the fundamental techniques needed to become a master bass player.
Covering topics such as scales, chords, arpeggios, and improvisation, Randall encourages readers to practice with patience and perseverance in order to achieve success. Using exercises and theory from professional jazz musicians around the world.
Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass by Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee, the legendary bassist, and frontman of the Canadian rock band Rush has released a book that chronicles his lifelong passion for playing bass.
Entitled Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass, this tome is an encyclopedia of information about the instrument and its history.
The book walks readers through Geddy’s journey as a musician from his earliest days in Toronto all the way through his years with Rush.
In addition to exploring some of the biggest moments in bass history, it also includes interviews with some of the world’s most renowned bass players such as Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bootsy Collins from Parliament Funkadelic.
The book provides insight into Geddy’s approach to playing and songwriting as well as access to images from his personal collection including rare photographs and memorabilia.
Getting Around the Bass by Josh Needleman
Getting Around the Bass is a book that teaches bass guitar players how to create functional and creative basslines using various chord symbols.
It is 155 pages long and focuses on practical techniques and applied music theory. The book uses graphs and other visual aids to help readers understand how to play basslines using different chord symbols.
It covers topics such as triads, scales, modes, intervals, blues, jazz walking basslines, vamping, and bass soloing.
The book is designed to help bass guitar players improve their tone production, note location, and overall playing skills, and it is intended to be a useful resource for preparing for real-life playing situations.
Walking Bass for Jazz and Blues by Nick Clark
Walking Bass for Jazz and Blues teaches beginners how to play walking bass lines in jazz and blues music.
It includes hundreds of diagrams, exercises, tips, and audio examples to help players develop strong harmonic skills, rhythm, phrasing, and note choice.
The book covers basic and advanced techniques like arpeggio and scale choice, chromatic approaches, standard patterns, and rhythmic ideas.
It is designed to help players play like famous bassists like Ron Carter, Charles Mingus, Paul Chambers, and Jaco Pastorius.
The book teaches players the roots of the essential walking bass style and helps them build the foundational skills they need to play like pros and grooves with the music.
It is intended to help players free their minds from thinking too much about the neck while playing and to teach their ears to hear the right lines at the right time.
Percussive Slap Bass by Chris Matheos
Percussive Slap Bass is a method book that teaches bass guitar players how to play percussively and “lock” in with the drums.
The book includes information on building a percussive groove, controlling pops, moving patterns, controlling individual strings, slapping without pops, slapping with tensions, double pops, slapping with dyads, triplets, Flamenco thumb technique, odd meters, applied grooves, and a section for practicing with a rhythm section.
It includes notation and tablature with instructions on left-hand muting and slapping tips, and it comes with access to online audio.
This method will help bass guitar players make their grooves sound fuller and make their playing mode more valuable to their rhythm section.
Berklee Jazz Bass by Bruce Gertz, Rich Appleman, and Whit Browne
The Berklee Guide to Jazz Bass teaches how to play jazz. It is suitable for players who are new to jazz or want to improve their skills, and it covers both acoustic and electric bass.
The book includes 166 audio tracks with demonstrations and play-along featuring a complete jazz combo playing bass lines and solos over standard jazz progressions.
The book helps players expand their basic technique to create interesting and grooving bass lines and melodically interesting solos.
Slap It by Tony Oppenheim
Slap It! teaches electric bass players how to play and read slap bass lines. It is a comprehensive study of the slap technique and has been popular for 25 years.
It teaches players how to use string-popping, dead notes, hammer-ons and lift-offs, and other slap techniques.
It is an important resource for electric bass players who want to learn slap bass.
Standing in the Shadows of Motown by Dr. Licks
“Standing in the Shadows of Motown” is a book about James Jamerson, a famous bassist who played for Motown Records and is known for his contributions to many popular songs.
The book explores Jamerson’s life and musical career in detail, including interviews with people who knew him, transcriptions of his music, recorded performances by other musicians, and photographs.
It also includes access to 120 minutes of audio, which can be accessed online using a code provided in the book.
The audio includes a multi-functional player that allows users to slow down the audio, set loop points, change keys, and more.
The book includes a variety of Motown songs that Jamerson played on, such as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Ain’t Nothing like the Real Thing,” and “What’s Going On.”
The 2002 documentary film “Standing in the Shadows of Motown,” which is based on the book, won the New York Film Critics award for “Best Documentary of the Year.”
The Evolving Bassist by Rufus Reid
“The Evolving Bassist” book is meant to be a comprehensive resource for bass players, covering various aspects of playing the instrument and helping them improve their skills.
It can be used both as a reference book and as a method book, meaning it can be used to learn new techniques and concepts.
FAQs
Can I teach myself bass guitar?
Yes, it is possible to teach yourself how to play the bass guitar. While taking lessons from a professional instructor can be helpful, there are many resources available that can help you learn on your own, such as online tutorials, instructional books and DVDs, and practice materials.
How long should I practice bass each day?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the amount of practice time that is appropriate for an individual will depend on their goals, current skill level, and other factors.
However, as a general rule, it is generally recommended that musicians aim for at least 30 minutes of practice per day. This is a reasonable amount of time that can help you make progress without feeling overwhelmed.
Is 40 too old to learn bass guitar?
It is never too late to learn something new, including learning how to play the bass guitar. Age is not a barrier to learning an instrument, and many people of all ages have successfully learned to play the bass guitar.
In fact, some people may even find that they have more time and dedication to practice as they get older, which can help them make progress on their musical journey.
If you are interested in learning the bass guitar and are willing to put in the time and effort to practice and improve your skills, then you are certainly not too old to start.
While it may take a bit more time and effort to learn an instrument as an adult compared to when you were a child, it is definitely possible with dedication and hard work.
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