Todd Johnson - one stop shop!

 First of all, yeah, a long hiatus... Moved to another country, and for a family man it entails loads of stuff to take care of. So, eventually managed to get back to the blog. To somehow compensate, I decided to cover a lot of topics at once, and fortunately it could be done through a single resource!

Todd Johnson is one of those players who don't get nearly as much recognition as they should for their work. If you haven't heard and seen him at it before, there is no other choice but to be amazed once you do.

As phenomenal as he is as a player, though, his real greatness (IMHO) lies in his instructional approach.  Regardless of the subject taught, Johnson has really honed a truly excellent method of presentation, which he describes himself as "bite sized" chunks of information that are consumed one bite at the time. Now, many other instructors claim the same, but too often you end up with a pile of pieces that may indeed be easily digestible, but fail to come together as a coherent "full course meal". And a buffet offering is not always the the best way to have the best experience. Learning music is no different in this regard. 

From that point, Todd Johnson is a master chef. Each course is prepared by using best ingredients and following a proven recipe. First of all, he knows what gamut of skills players need in order to have the ability of being a well rounded musician, ready to tackle any challenges that may be presented to them. Whether it is solid technique, building effective bass lines, executing meaningful solos, or performing specific tunes, you can rely on his instructional plan to get you going. And his menu won't hurt your wallet either. I know from experience, so let me review a few of those offers. 

Now, each of the programs is a standalone piece that builds from the ground up, so take the following order as my personal choice, specifically this is the chronological order of my purchasing them. Besides, there is some overlap, too, in the sense that certain programs will by nature work on more than one aspect of your playing ability. You could and should choose in line with your own needs. 

So, my first exposure to Johnson's educational output was Technique Builders. It has nothing to do with tapping, slapping or other fancy/flashy tricks. Instead, it is a thorough and gradual approach to building (or for those with some time on the instrument already - cleaning) a really good, functional physical command of the electric bass. In practice, it means the roles of the left and right hands in sound production (fingering; plucking), smoot movement on the instrument (finger independence and coordination; string crossing and skipping), sound control (muting) etc. To be specific, in my case it was of tremendous help in adapting my playing to a 5-string bass when I first undertook it, and made me adopt a different right hand technique, i.e. floating thumb method. Most importantly though, this video was my introduction to Johnson's teaching style, which I loved, thus nudging me to investigate his other products. 

Next in line was Walking Bass Line Module System, because I was curious to see how he deconstructs and presents this topic. Non only did he not disappoint, but finally made me see the light at the end of the tunnel, i.e. perceive the undertaking of learning this style of playing as something doable. As a result, it boosted my motivation and joy of both practicing and performing in jazz bands. Even if you only stay with the first volume of the series (chord tones and approaches), you will be able to come up with good sounding lines and play with confidence. Including two remaining volumes (scalar lines and other stylistic devices) will definitely move you toward a more professional territory. This is definitely my "safety net" foundation.

Naturally, after excellent experience with the previous titles, I was eager try my hands at Johnson's Improvisation Module Method. Again, it features all the great features that I came to expect - detailed analysis, clear explanations, logical progression of instruction, supported by the enjoyable backing tracks. The lessons follow a similar approach as in the case of walking bass lines, in that they start with chord tones, then adding scalar passing and chromatic approach tones. Two things came as a great revelation and confidence booster here: understanding that you can get a lot of mileage from just a couple of notes when played with rhythmic interest (phrasing); this is a great ear training, too! The author calls his manner of teaching the "Karate Kid method", which may sound weird at first, but it is actually a fitting description once you get to it...and if you saw the original movies, of course. 

Having taught you the ABC's and "grammar" of soloing, Johnson also shows you how to integrate the expressive means of the masters though his add-on module Major ii-V-I Vocabulary. Now, if you have the main modules under your fingers and in your ears, you are well equipped already, but tis module is a great way to figure out how to use and apply all those favorite cool sounding licks that we all have.

Finally, although it is advertised as more of a beginner/early intermediate material, the Bass Fundamentals Method: The Cycle is definitely a welcome addition to any bass player's vault of instructional material. Namely, I see it as an excellent compound workout, since following the program will give you a good coverage of technique, fretboard command, fundamental theory and ear training. Even if you are an experienced player, the systematic manner of practicing, as presented here, will probably take you out of the comfort zone, thus helping one's personal growth as a performer. The three different fingerings are presented for each type of scale and arpeggio shown, and then each is practiced in a consistent manner, thus helping diligent students to overcome obstacles and building confidence. I keep reiterating the confidence part, but it is the best way to enjoy one's music endeavors.

Some of the above programs are available as either a video/book combo or individual downloads and prints. As much as I love books, there is really no practical reason to get them (except maybe for collector's value), because Johnson accompanies all the videos with comprehensive PDF files, charts, transcriptions and explanations, along with audio backing tracks. In other words, the full package. 

Besides those standalone, comprehensive programs, Johnson also offers a number of short, individual lessons on a selection of jazz standards, in a series titled Playin' Through the Real Book. Each tune is worked through three dimensions - bass line, solo, chordal accompaniment. As such, they are a great, and VERY affordable way of learning these pieces. Possibly most interesting feature of these is the chordal accompaniment. Namely, while Todd Johnson is widely acknowledged as possibly the authority on playing the bass as a solo instrument, especially the chord melody style, his instructional package (Fishin' For Grips) abut it has long been unavailable. Therefore these lessons may be a good way to dig into that aspect of bass playing, should you be so inclined. 

In the end, I cannot emphasize enough how pleasant and encouraging Johnson's video personality is, which serves to further reinforce the phenomenal content of his instructional materials. No wonder then that he is one of the favorite masterclass instructors within the Scott's Bass Lessons portal and community, and a long time collaborator of the late Jim Stinnett. Honestly, if I were pressed to choose a single bass instructor to work with for the rest of my life, that would be a horribly difficult decision to make, but Todd Johnson would without any doubt be in the narrowest selection.

Take a walk

There are probably a few words/phrases in the bass playing world, and particularly in the field of learning, that immediately evoke one of those "love it or hate it" feeling. And there is no doubt that walking bass is one of those. 

Those who belong to the latter category mostly don't like the kind of music typically related to this sort of bass lines and feel, i.e. jazz and blues, but they actually fail to perceive this approach to building the foundation in other musical styles, such as pop, rock, ska etc. 

In terms of learning bass, the "dislikers" tend to shun the thing for being tedious and lacking excitement. What they fail to see, however, is that both arguments are mostly applicable in the early stages of work, but in the long term it can be downright exhilarating. But, even more importantly, the overall learning benefits from embarking on this path are numerous and hard to reach otherwise. Without going into a long rant, the study of the walking bass will build your harmonic understanding of music as a whole, develop your sense of pulse and rhythm, propel the command of the fingerboard in a non-artificial way etc. 

Now, while I plan to do some in-depth coverage of some excellent material available on the subject, there are a couple of very good free online resources that can give you a good start and form a solid foundation for any future study, should you decide to undertake it. If not, this could be enough to open enough doors to better understanding of what you are doing as a bassist in any other kind of band. 

Let me begin with someone the readers of this blog are probably acquainted with - Posido Vega. He has what would probably be adequately described as extended lesson about the walking bass, covering all the necessary ingredients: chord tones, scale tones, chromatic approaches. Besides that, he also provides the recipe for putting it all together (i.e. how to organize your learning), as well as a handful of useful "cookbooks" (i.e. books by renowned authors). The lesson is presented in text, with music examples in standard notation and tablature.

The other, but by no means lesser, website that you should visit is the aptly titled Walking Bass Lessons by Tomasz Ziobro. He touches upon the same topics as in the previous case, naturally, but in a somewhat more comprehensive manner, with individual lessons on the abovementioned "ingredients", with the addition of voice leading. Another difference is the formatting of the material, where the underlying theoretical concepts are offered in writing, but the main segment is done in video. As the matter of fact, for the literary challenged, the videos are available on Ziobro's Youtube channel, along with a bunch of his other bass lessons. 

So, there you have it! I hope this will both encourage you to tackle the interesting realm of walking bass and help pointing you in the right direction. 

Starting strong...part 2

Continuing the topic of recommended avenues of study for beginning players. For the free resources check the previous post.

PAID RESOURCES

Books have been the main avenue of instrumental instruction methods for more than a century, and with the support of sound files on either CD or online, they still have some advantages over more modern technologies. Namely, I am not alone in liking the ability to have a non-electronic resource at hand, especially for highlighting the text, writing in my comments or notes, reading on the commute without worrying about batteries etc. Here are my top two picks:

Hal Leonard Bass Method is by now pretty much recognized as THE study resource for the modern electric bass beginners. Its author Ed Friedland is a renowned educator and overall bass authority. Just search the ‘Net for “bass whisperer” to see what I mean. It is available either as three separate volumes or a complete edition book (recommended), and covers all the bases needed to become a competent player. The feature that stands out is that the command of the instrument and learning the theory are integrated with reading standard notation in a flawless manner. That way you get to be able to handle yourself in music situation both with and without printed music before you. This book is so outstanding that it has its own long thread on the TalkBass forums, which is the biggest bass community in the virtual world.

Bass Guitar for Dummies is a later date publication, compared to the previous one, but it has garnered excellent reputation. If I may add, rather deservedly so. Namely, the book has already gone through several editions (hence different covers you may find) with appropriate upgrades along the way. The author, Patrick Pfeiffer, does an excellent job of getting beginner player up to speed as quick and efficiently as possible. For that reason, he relies on tablature in his examples, which may not prepare you to dive into the sea of written music out there, but it will get you ready to join a band quicker than many others. Besides the music competencies, he discusses numerous important issues that relate to such goal – choosing and maintaining the instrument, amp, accessories, bass players and rhythm section to know and study etc. What we have here is a great book and the only contender for the position held by the previous one.

Video lesson were the craze of later 1980’s and through 1990’s. The thing is, they don’t require as much time to put together as the books do, so it enabled busy professionals, i.e. name players, to give their contribution to bass education. Another thing is, many of those failed at making any worthwhile impact. The limited duration of such projects certainly played a role, but so did the fact that many of great players are not so great instructors and lack any clear idea of what to teach or how to coherently present their thoughts on the topic they took. On top of that, they were pretty pricey, $30 to $60 for a VHS or DVD that was 30-80 minutes in duration.

Fortunately, the beginner programs are somewhat more specific in terms of what needs to be shown, so there were several good ones. Many of those are still available today, still on DVD or as a streaming/download video.

Teach Me Bass Guitar stands out among other products in this category, thus the decision to review it first. Its author Roy Vogt is both a seasoned professional player and an experienced educator, who decided to make an actual step-by-step video course. Since it couldn’t have been done within the frame of a single DVD, his program stretches of 10 (yes, ten!) discs that methodically cover approximately the first two years of instruction for a beginner player. The learning experience is really pleasant, with animated fretboard used in place of tablature in the video, written instruction on the screen accompanying oral instruction etc. Also included is the PDF book to help with the referencing and overview, but it doesn’t stop there. Vogt really goes the extra step – instead of offering customary practicing sound files as mp3 backing tracks, he assembled an actual band and recorded them on video, playing live in a club, so when you practice with them it is as close as it gets to being on a bandstand in your own room! Naturally, such a product comes at a price that is higher than most other beginner programs, but you can now download it or stream individual levels or even lessons on his website. All in all, this program set the bar so high that it is unlikely to be surpassed any time soon.

If you’d still prefer a more concise introduction to the instrument, here is a selection of really good ones that you can pick from. Each one lays a good foundation, so go for the title that is most readily available for you, without the need to seek the others.

Beaver Felton – Bass Bassics, a two volume video produced in the ‘90s, so the visual appearance is reflective of the fact, but this is probably may favorite among these;

Billy Sheehan – Basic Bass, the newest of the lot, showing a star player do an excellent job of teaching what matters from experience.

Dale Titus – Ultimate Beginner Series Bass Basics, another two volume set produced 25+ years ago, but done so well that it is as good today as it was back then, possibly in the friendliest atmosphere here.

Online courses/portals mentioned here are chosen for their very affordable membership fee AND the quality of material. Both will serve you well beyond the beginning phase, too.

Norm Stockton’s Art of Groove lives up to its name. You will find courses neatly laid out as orderly lessons and focusing on deeply understanding the main role that bass players perform in their bands. The material is presented either in text/diagram/notation/tabs format or in video, and besides the specific courses written for the site (20-week beginner course, basic rock course, 60-week flagship course etc.) the members also have access to the set of instructional Grooving for Heaven videos that Norm did back in the day, along with a lot of bonus material. At under $10 per month, joining it is a no-brainer.

Damian Erskine’s website Bass Education is a very recent offering, and jumped quickly to the top of my favorite resource. First of all, Damian is a monster player with excellent professional record (google him if you haven’t heard), but a brilliant instructor, too. The material on the site is presented in video format, supported by PDF documents and playalong tracks where necessary. The lessons are organized either by topics (technique, bass lines, theory…) or as courses, which themselves are offered either as modules (fundamentals, walking bass, rhythm, chords, slap) or as learning paths (pocket player, jazz bassist, jam confidently, soloing proficiency, freelance pro, sight reading). On top of that, Erskine conducts a monthly live Q&A session and runs a forum for the members to interact even more…whew! What more can you ask for? The price? Incredibly enough, he offers all that for a symbolic membership fee of $7 per month or $75 annually! Yes, you read that correctly. I sincerely believe that for a serious player, regardless of their level, it should be a criminal offense to skip on this opportunity.

NOTE: The aforementioned resources are not mutually exclusive, but in order to get the most benefit from the approaches presented in this post and previous one, pick one of them that sounds like your cup of tea and focus on following the path of instruction offered there; then use BassBuzz or TalkingBass as an additional source of possibly more entertaining and diverse information. 

Have a good time practicing!

Starting strong...part 1

Being a beginner at any given skill building activity is both challenging and exciting, learning to play an instrument is no different. However, with instruments that have been around for centuries and are full-fledged members in symphonic orchestras, performing long-standing pieces of classical music cannon etc, solid teaching and learning methodologies have been developed long ago, with music schools and similar options. But when you wish to play the instrument that has been around for less than 70 years and happens to be used mostly in popular music styles, beginners are not so fortunate when it comes to having a clear path of instruction available.

Most electric bass players, just like electric guitarists and drummers, are largely self-taught, especially if they never get into playing jazz. While only 20 or so years ago the main problem a beginner was facing could have been the lack of information on the subject, nowadays it is quite the opposite – with the spread of Internet it is the overwhelming amount of information that might keep the budding bassist lost and confused. Therefore, the mission of this post is to streamline the process of choosing instructional sources, so you can focus on practicing, instead of hunting for the right lessons. In absence of direct one on one instruction, here are my recommendations for several types of instruction – online courses, books, Youtube channels, and DVD/video lessons.

Having the beginner players in mind, I went for two broad categories: free and paid; but in the latter case I still had price as one of the important criteria.

FREE RESOURCES

Youtube is a major factor in all things tutorial, plus it is the go-to platform for all generations nowadays, hence starting our review with it. For the purposes of this article, I have selected two channels:

Music College TV

Music College TV offers a really nice playlist of excellent videos, presented in an orderly fashion, so it very easy to follow. Pretty much it serves as your lesson plan that starts with fundamentals of tuning and proper playing technique, covers all the necessary theory of scales and modes, and goes into playing over chord progression and developing funk bass lines. The main advantage of this channel is its clear progression that eliminates any guesswork regarding what to practice and in which order. Just supplement it with learning your favorite songs on your own, and there should be plenty of progress before you.

BassBuzz

BassBuzz takes a different slant on the subject.  The videos on this channel are not meant to be seen in any particular order, because that is to be found on their paid website with specific courses. Nonetheless, there is a lot of other important information that the beginners may not even know they need, and that used to be obtained through occasional advice of more experienced musicians along your development path. Considerations about tone, selecting adequate instruments and other gear, and even more importantly avoiding some of it, common mistakes, well or not so well known bassists to know… Just check their own playlists as suggested by the channel.

Online portals that are especially worth your time and attention are again – two:

StudyBass has been around for quite some time and happens to be a favorite resource to many players for a good reason. The lesson page is clear and organized by levels of instructions, each being subdivided into blocks. The content is presented as the combination of text, diagrams and occasional videos. All the important topics are there, technique, getting to know your fretboard, as well as the ever important matter of organizing your practice. A special plus is the early introduction of notation reading. The author of the course strives to put up a distraction free website, without annoying adds, and succeeds brilliantly.

                                       

TalkingBass may be better suited for those who prefer visual approach, i.e. video tutorials. The main portion of the free site consists of the videos that author has on Youtube, but they are organized into categories, so the users have easier time navigating it. You can join the website for free and get access to additional content in the Practice Room section, including drum beats to work with and advice on how to set up your practice. A special advantage of this portal is that the author teaches riffs and basslines from popular songs to incorporate some of the techniques and concepts shown in the lessons, so the experience is that more enjoyable for the learners.

Obviously, the categories such as books and DVDs are not exactly readily available for free, but here is the one that has been out of print for a considerable time now, and actually replaced by the publisher with a newer edition from a different author, to be reviewed below. I still like this version of the Hal Leonard method, because it is comprehensive, methodical and well-done overall.

Dan Dean Electric Bass Vol ... by Paulo Jorge on Scribd

Hopefully, the information presented here can direct you toward some good study right away, so you get to be better sooner.