Reading Contemporary Electric Bass: Guitar Technique

A strong book to improve sight-reading skills. The parts gradually increase in difficulty. The Jazz styles are authentic and the music is hip and interesting. No chord changes makes the reader concentrate on the notes and nothing but the notes! A fine supplement to any serious bass student's curriculum.

I've been a musician all my life. And there is one rule to reading music:You must read music... every day... forever.Here's the deal. It literally is a "use it or lose it" proposition. Let me explain. While you never "forget" how to read, you do quickly get rusty at it if you do not exercise it all the time. Like a muscle, if you let it relax too long, it gets weak very fast. So it is with reading.This book starts you out simple and easy, walking you into the reading of notation one step at a time, introducing the elements of notation, rests, ties, etc., as you go. The one thing you will have to do separately is learn the notes of the Bass clef, the lines and the spaces - and note values, along withy what ties, rests and triplets and such are - the only weak aspect of this book being the lack of a "Before You Begin" section to clarify this important foundation for reading music. But these are easily learned and committed to memory.The object is to read through each exercise only a couple times, and then move on. You DO NOT want to memorize anything - one of the great dangers of repeating a given exercise more than twice (and so you stop reading and start playing by 'rote' memory). Move to the next exercise. As long as you understand what you're reading, that's more to the point than anything. But you keep moving forward after just a couple passes on each lesson.If you get bogged down with understanding the whole idea of reading music... then this caveat is important:I teach music, too. If you are struggling with learning to read, or want to learn to read, take this advice: book a couple lessons with a good teacher and have them teach you the basics of reading notation. You'll get the materials you need from them and then, if you don't want to continue lessons, you can strike out on your own and apply what they taught you in moving forward in your quest in learning to sight read music.Once you have gone through the book, simply return to around page 26 or so and begin again. The point is to read. And it is helpful if you can find notated bass parts to song so you can read actual composed music, not exercises. Build a library of songs, but refuse to memorize them.The point of reading music is reading the music notation is essential as part of your regular practice and playing routine - regardless of your instrument. Every day.

Pro: various rhythms Improves sight reading Bass Lines Easy to Read Print Combines previous learned rhythms with newerCons: Be really cool if there was a CD. you could play along with just to make sure you're right on track and with even tempo

Reading contemporary bass rhythms provides both the student and teacher alike a comprehensive and methodical guide to modern bass playing. Because the book stresses reading and omits tablature, it will force and encourage the student to improve their reading: doing so by providing systematic exercises and musical examples that have real performance application in various styles. Having used this book successfully with several students, I recommend it as an essential component to bass guitar education.

This is the best progressive reading music book I've ever seen, andI've seen them all. It starts simple and get more difficult. You don't move on until you've got what you're on down. A little at a time and you're reading anything you can get your hands on. Practice every day.

For any bass player wanting to learn how to read music, this is the book for you. No tab here. Every musician will benefit by learning to read music notation, and the guys at Berklee Press know how to get you to the next level in your playing.

Good stuff.

Filled with a ton of fun exercises that get you working in various positions on the neck. Definitely not intended for the beginning bassist. I have used this book with intermediate and advanced students to get them thinking of lines differently in different places.

Perfecto, va avanzando en la complejidad y variando los ejercicios para adquirir versatilidad. Se nota que esta hecho por profesionales de la docencia. Lo recomiendo.

Great book, but not as clear cut as the sight reading book for guitar. Still a must have for sight reading though.

Great book for practicing sight reading. Only drawbacks are difficult to read font and no backing track CD.

この本を手に取る初心者ベーシストは，タブ譜依存からまず脱却したいという人でしょう．大丈夫，「本当にこんなやさしいところから？」と思う譜面から始まります．ただ易しいからどんどん先を急ぐのではなく，メトロノームのテンポを自分ができそうな速度よりゆっくりくらいから出発して，譜面通りにノーミスで通せたらBPMを５上げて・・・ を繰り返して，譜読みにも自信がついたら次へ．がよいでしょう．とにかく，ゆっくり，確実，丁寧に，こなしていけばヘ音記号の楽譜と仲良しになれます．一点だけ注意．中身検索がありませんが，中身は全部手書き風楽譜なので，私は最初かなり戸惑いました．

There are only pages of Bass music notation, no guidelines or instruction or explanations. Would probably suite a player wishing to just expand their repertoir.