Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Music Sales America; First Edition edition (1985)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825624258
ISBN-13: 978-0825624254
Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.5 x 12 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #432,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #24 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Songbooks > Guitars & Fretted Instruments > Electric Bass & Guitar #63 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Songbooks > Guitars & Fretted Instruments > Bass Guitars #228 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Exercises
This book is a serious, step-by-step approach to electric bass. It has detailed descriptions of the important music-theory concepts and pictures and explanations of proper right and left hand-positions for a beginner. Someone else here said this book was not good for a beginner. I disagree. It is not a good book for a person who wants to play bass lines tomorrow without learning to read music or putting in any serious practice time - that's true - but for a beginner who wants to play the bass as a serious instrument, it's great. If you put in an hour a day and a few hours a day on the weekends on your bass, you can progress quickly with this book. Not only that, but you will understand the theory behind what you are playing, and you will be better at reading music. I have not played an instrument or read music in 18 years (and I've never read music in the bass clef before), but this book has me progressing with both my playing and my theory after only 3 weeks with the instrument. You have to practice to successfully use this book, but you will get everything out of it that you put in!
I found this book to be very well done and a good resouce for the higher level beginner/intermediate player. Many people have written to note Rainey's odd playing style, and I would agree with them - it is probably actually best for the student to skip this section.It is important to understand that Rainey wrote this method book much like the Arban's book for trumpet players - more exercises than you can fathom and very few bells and whisltes.If you can take the dry, repetetive (and sometimes downright boring) studies, then there is no question you will be a better bassist.
This is a hard core introduction to all scales and arpegios you can think of, plus a few you couldn't have. If you master each exercise, with your metronome set at least to 80 bpm, you will get a LOT out of this book. It will take a lot of will power to turn from one page of exercises to next. It is more practise than music, most of the time. This is OK, as long as you are serious.Unfortunately, there is no CD, but you probably wouldn't want to listen to it anyway.Also, I'm going to go on a limb here, and say ignore the "right hand" technique section. Chuck has a very unorthodox way of plucking the strings.It's not easy, but if Chuck Rainey says this will make me play better, I'm going to believe him:)
I've been playing piano for a number of years and recently decided to take up the Bass Guitar. I don't currently have the time or money to work with an instructor for learning the bass. I picked up Rainey's book and found it to be very good. I'm about half way through the book and am now looking to buy the next book in his series. I don't know if this book is good for someone who is 'brand-new' to music, in general. It could be. But, having already had a background in music but NO practical experience with the Bass, this book has proven to be very valuable. I personally recommend this book. The author has a good, straight forward way of teaching that I really enjoy.Todd
I like to collect different bass methods and without a doubt I can say that this is one of the best bass methods around. If you are starting to play the bass and you want to seriously improve your skills...well, this is the one. I'm a intermediate/advanced player and I'm still using it...also you have really fun exercises which you can play duo with you're best buddies. Buy it...it's not gonna disappoint you !
It has been a few decades since I was in high school band but I still remembered some basics to build off of. The other books I had were way too basic and dry for me. This book was perfect. It covers the basics while throwing some subtle curve balls that may be over a beginner's head. I find that it both polished up some basics for me while challenging me to push myself.Again, if you have never been exposed to written music, you may want to look for something a little more simplified. If you are learning the bass as a second instrument you may really want to get a copy and give it a go.
This book provides a complete view of the regular concepts that any musician should be capable of performing at a moment's notice. Having gone through a complete music education program, I know that studies in all of the keys is an absolute requirement for a serious student. Music is built on the foundation of key structures, so every student must know them forwards, backwards and sideways. Rainey's material provides anyone with fundamental exercises in each area without being too redundant (okay ... many of the exercises are rewrites in a different key, but the function is still sound).When this book first came out, I put it into my teaching reference book - later, I made it my required study material for all students on bass.Because of this book, my students all have a clear understanding of playing in every key, and their chops are rapidly improved by the changes in playing style as they work through the various keys.It's also a solid way to learn to read bass clef if you don't have the ability or you need to "bone up" on your reading again.To this day - many years later - I still work on the material each week ... focusing on taking the notes and changing the way they are played. It's never boring unless you make it that way....
The Complete Electric Bass Player - Book 3: Electric Bass Improvisation Constructing Walking Jazz Bass Lines, Book 1: Walking Bass Lines- The Blues in 12 Keys Upright Bass and Electric Bass Method Serious Electric Bass: The Bass Player's Complete Guide to Scales and Chords (Contemporary Bass Series) Hal Leonard Electric Bass Method - Complete Edition: Contains Books 1, 2, and 3 in One Easy-to-Use Volume (Hal Leonard Bass Method) The Complete Electric Bass Player, Book 1: The Method 14 Jazz & Funk Etudes: Bass Clef Instrument (Trombone, Electric Bass, String Bass, Tuba), Book & CD The Complete Electric Bass Player: Book 2-Playing Concepts And Dexterity Fantastic Familiar Folk Songs: Bass Clef Instruments (Trombone, Baritone B.C., Electric Bass) (Alfred's Basic Band Method) The Ultimate Bass Songbook - the Complete Resource for Every Bass Player! Hal Leonard Bass for Kids: A Beginner's Guide with Step-by-Step Instruction for Bass Guitar (Hal Leonard Bass Method) More Easy Pop Bass Lines: Play the Bass Lines of 20 Pop and Rock Songs (Hal Leonard Bass Method) ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR - REVISED EDITION SOFTCOVER (Guitar Player Basic Library) The Jazz Bass Book - Technique and Tradition Book/CD (Softcover) (Bass Player Musician's Library) ELVIS: Pure Gold (Arrangement for Mixed Chorus SATB with Piano, Electric Guitar, Electric Bass and Percussion) Constructing Walking Jazz Bass Lines Book IV Building a 12 key facility for the jazz bassist Electric Bass Tab edition( book & mp3 playalong ) Jaco Pastorius: The Greatest Jazz-Fusion Bass Player (Bass Recorded Versions with TAB) Mel Bay Complete Electric Bass Method (Book, CD, and DVD) J.S. Bach for Electric Bass: Three Duets and Five Solo Pieces Arranged for Bass Guitar Charlie Parker for Bass: 20 Heads & Sax Solos Arranged for Electric Bass with Tab Grooves for Electric Bass: Essential Patterns and Bass Lines for All Styles (Musicians Institute Private Lessons)