Joel Di Bartolo - Serious Electric Bass
This book was put out in 1997 by Alfred Publishing, to receive rave reviews from such bass heavy hitters as Nathan East, Will Lee, Tony Levin, John Patitucci and Victor Wooten - and quite deservedly so. What we have at hand here is a very thorough and comprehensive approach to understanding and playing music on the electric bass. Michael Manring wrote rather matter-of-factly in his foreword: "I wouldn't recommend planning on blazing through this book in a few weeks [...] Plan on keeping [it] around for many years to refer and re-refer to as your understanding of and fluency in these patterns develops."
That is exactly how I treat my copy!
So, what did Mr. Di Bartolo put in it? Well, at over 270 pages, it is a hefty volume with a lot of material. The beginning is pretty unique, as the first chapter deals with essentials of instrument maintenance and set up, including the string changing, bridge intonations, truss rod adjustments, cleaning the electronics etc. Too many players see even the basic set up as some sort of high magic that is best left to professional luthiers, thus often tolerating unnecessary inconveniences on their instruments or spending time without it while it is being serviced.
Next, he embarks on a detailed study of the 1st or open position on the instrument, where the proverbial "money notes" are located. It is done by introducing the reader to the notions of chromatic scale and music intervals, and the exercises in those are used to also address the technical development of the fretting hand.
Following the basic lessons presented thus far, Di Bartolo begins the treatment of the major harmony via the all-encompassing analysis of major scales and its modes and diatonic intervals, as well as chords/arpeggios. His breakdown of major scale in tetrachord shapes has really taken my understanding of the fingerboard to an entirely new level. This segment and the chapter on two-octave shapes and patterns supports the methodical development of positional shifting, parallel with various rhythmic studies.
Upon the completion of major scale exploration and its harmonic implications, the author applies the same method with harmonic minor, melodic minor and symmetric scale tonal systems, while continually developing and reinforcing one's understanding of rhythmic subdivisions. To accomplish this, he uses fretboard diagrams and standard notation in dozens upon dozens of musical exercises and examples offered. That way, on your way through the book, you are working on all the fundamental ingredients of music (rhythm, melody, harmony) simultaneous with technical facility on the instrument.
There is a lot of material in the book, so it will take a lot of diligent work to digest it all. Di Bartolo does offer useful advice and encouragement in the section aptly titled The Last Chapter. It gives the reader a view of the bigger picture, i.e. providing context for the required effort, thus hopefully boosting one's motivation to keep working.
Tony Grey - Tony Grey Bass Academy
As the latest offering of these three (2013, Wise Publications), this book actually comes supported with a DVD that is over 90 minutes long. The video material is used to further illustrate any of the topics that the author found in need of such approach. From the outset, there is one feature that sets this book apart from all the others I have ever seen - in the lower corner of each of its almost 270 pages (yes, just like the previous one!) you will find a listening recommendation, i.e. the name of a bass player and one of his best works/albums. Although subtitled as The Ultimate Jazz Bass Guitar Method, these recommendations feature both upright and electric, traditional and modern exponents of the low frequencies.
Grey opens his work with words of advice regarding creativity and music practice, with emphasis on how to organize a practice schedule. In my opinion, this HOW to practice portion is just as important as WHAT to practice, so this introductory chapter is spot on. As a second part of the opening segment, the reader is introduced to a set of daily purely technical studies/drills meant do develop the stamina and motor facility in both hands, aimed at easier execution of the material in the reminder of the book.
For the main part of the package, we see a similar approach to Di Bartolo's - major, melodic minor and harmonic minor harmonic principles covered in that order. The treatment also uses some of the same tools (intervals, diatonic arpeggios, modes). There are, nonetheless, some marked differences, too. Namely, the author pays special attention to fingering aspect of each of the exercises, and in line with the subtitle on the cover, exercises focused on the development of soloing ability, or linear solo concepts, as he calls them. Such goal demands more study of harmonic devices like extensions and approach tones, so Grey deals with those, and does so very nicely.
After the aforementioned harmonic domains, there is a chapter dedicated to the Advanced Harmony, which deals with the notions of chord functions, progressions, secondary dominants, substitutions etc.
The final chapter of Tony Grey Bass Academy covers a systematic presentation of how to play walking bass lines. To my knowledge, this is the only book that is not dedicated entirely to this playing style, which still goes so deeply into it.
In the end, Grey once again reinforces the importance of well organized practice schedule by giving a suggested format of a practice diary.
Chuck Sher - The Improviser's Bass Method
This is probably the first book to have taken a truly serious approach to advancing music education specifically for modern bass. It is certainly the oldest in this selection (179, Sher Music), and at "only" 218 pages, it is also the "thinnest" one :-) More importantly, though, Sher organized his method in a notably different fashion than in the previous two cases.
With that difference in mind, the author uses the foreword to give suggestions on how to use the book, and in particular for the early stage players. Since none of these methods is actually meant for the beginner students/players, this is a good way to avoid frustration among them.
So, unlike the above books, Sher dedicates a separate chapter to each of the individual topics that ought to be fused into a skilled command of the instrument in various styles of improvised music. The method identifies twelve such areas: physical aspects of playing; basic theory; scale studies; chord studies; rhythm studies; interval; studies; creating bass lines; chord voicings; analyzing tunes; chord extensions; soloing; developing musicianship.
Quite a broad spectrum, eh? Well, how do you take it in? Obviously, some of those subjects naturally go hand in hand and can be taken together, in the same exercise (I will have a separate post about that manner of practice), while some can also be done away from the instrument. Here is how I have been using the book for years (I was introduced to it by my bass teacher back in 1998 or so)...
First, I need to identify what I need to work on (pay attention - there is difference between need and want) for the next period of 2-8 weeks. Typically it will mean focusing on 4 or 5 of these topics AT MOST! Then, I will simply take one or two exercise from corresponding chapters and work on them during a practice session. Depending on the time available during the day, I may even split the work into two sessions and do them on alternating days. Naturally, there is more detail to it, but this is the crux, especially with a method of this kind.
I also happen to think that this kind of resource is very convenient for instructors, since it is easy to find ideas or exercise to us with individual students (or even in a class setting), once you have identified their needs and level.
The Improviser's Bass Method also features two appendices. The first shows a couple dozen traditional Latin bass lines with typical chord progressions, so it may be used as a crash course intro to this style, if you need to take a gig on a short notice. The second is a selection of transcribed bass lines and solos by renowned players, ranging from Ray Brown, Ron Carter and Paul Chambers, to James Jamerson, Jaco Pastorius and Marcus Miller.
Verdict?
Well, there is none, really. Like I mentioned at the beginning, it is impossible to chose one to the exclusion of others. I got those books as they were available to me: Improviser's Bass method first, Serious Electric Bass second; and Tony Grey Bass Academy the last. If possible get them all...but I'll try being a bit more helpful.
Your choice might depend on various factors. If looking for a sequentially ordered progression, go with Di Bartolo or Grey. The former takes precedence if you are more toward early stages of practicing, the latter if having the video explanations makes a difference.
Want examples of how pros do it? Sher takes care. Systematic focus on soloing of walking bass? Grey leads the way. Need to know your gear, too? Joel hits the goal.
Availability and price could be decisive, of course...
The bottom line is - all three belong to a serious student's or instructor's library, and you won't go wrong with any of them.
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