Walking Hub

When learning how to develop the walking bass lines over jazz standards or other music pieces that require this kind of sound there are two main approaches to doing it, although largely overlapping. One is concerned with the step-by-step method that starts at the bare basics of harmonic understanding and how to express it in music. The other uses the vocabulary acquisition method, i.e. selectin and teaching certain "cells" of bass lines which have been established over time as standard devices in the genre, used innumerous times by the professional players. If compared with methods of learning a foreign language, the first approach would be akin to teaching the student the grammar and other underlying principles of a given language, while the second might be seen as learning common phrases and expressions first, in order to start communicating as soon as possible. Ultimately, if the goal is a high level of functioning in the chosen language, the speaker will need the command of both aspects. Besides that, the first way may be more applicable to less experienced player, with second possibly leaning more towards those with some experience. 

This time we are dealing with the latter approach. One of the excellent instructional tools that exemplifies the vocabulary method is a book written by Joe Hubbard, one of my favorite bass educators out there, who will be featured in some of the future reviews as well. 

Although not a very large volume, this book manages to pack a lot of great information in a  very effective and functional manner. (NOTE: on Hubbard's product page you will see a different cover, but when the order is delivered this is the one you will see). The author starts by identifying and explaining the components that make the ingredients of a good walking bass line, and emphasizes that "As well as the harmonic specificity, the rhythmic specificity must be adhered to in order to achieve an effective outcome with your bass lines". 

He then proceeds to present and explain his selection of ten fundamental "phrases" that help to run a meaning full "conversation" within the context of jazz. Those include devices such as chord tones, passing and approach notes, scalar runs etc, along with harmonic adaptation and octave displacement principles that should enable you to make the lines smoother and fluid. 

Hubbard explains the harmonic foundation of each of the ten cells and demonstrates how each is applied over a typical jazz blues chord progression. Finally, he puts together a matrix of those options for each of the chord types used, and writes out nine choruses of blues walking bass lines to show how they can be combined and matched in an actual playing situation. 

Again, don't let the lean size of this manual trick you into thinking that it is not a big deal, because it does cover a lot of ground, and if you put in proper work it will give you a lot of mileage out of it. The best things that simultaneously you will get instant authentic sounding solution for all the common harmonic contexts, as well as the understanding that should enable you to adapt the lines to any other musical environment. As the matter of fact, once you understand what the ingredients are and how they are effectively combined, that knowledge ought to allow you to build good sounding lines in any situation, regardless of the style and genre. 

While there is not really such thing as shortcut to jazz proficiency, this is as close as you can get to it - highly recommended!

Arcane knowledge - chord tones study 3

 If you have read my previous posts about the subject of chord tones (you have, right?), the significance and benefits from studying it should be well established by now. So far, the instructional methods reviewed have been mostly concerned with the exact (diatonic) tones of a given chord, but that is not all there is to it. So, what is a good step towards the "next level" then?

Possibly the most concise work in this regard is the book Fretboard Arcadium, written by Scott Hubbell. The aim of this volume (something like 86 pages of solid information) is pretty good described in the foreword, done by one of the true masters of the instrument - Todd Johnson (watch for reviews of his publications in the future), who pointed that diligent work on this material should help you

1. develop your melodic sense

2. improve your ability to solo

3. improve your ear training

4. improve your fretboard knowledge...

So, how does Hubbel approach this task?

He starts, appropriately, with a quick review of the theory behind the building blocks of studying harmony in this way, i.e. vertically. Namely, he briefly explains how the chords are constructed and what their inversions are, as well as the concept of approach notes. And from there, the main portion of the book begins!

The first half of the book is dedicated to a thorough treatment of the four types of triads, each with 10 (ten!) different exercises, built on four main ways of approaching the notes within it. For the sake of clearer illustration of the material the author uses both the standard notation and tablature, but you don't necessarily need to stick to the shown fingering of each individual exercise. After all, the author says himself: "Take the exercises on the 4 note chords and change them around, make them yours". 

Speaking of the 4-note structures, Hubbell addresses two types of 6th chords (major and minor), as well as four types of 7th chords (major, minor, dominant, half-diminished, diminished). However, his treatment of each, in terms of providing exercises, is not as step-by-step as the triads. That is because he relies on your diligence in covering the previous material, and applying the principles learned to the new lessons. Essentially, he shows the use of selected approaches to the new chordal structures, but it is up to the reader/student to figure out how all of the earlier explained steps need to be implemented in order to reap the full benefits.

While I do appreciate the methods that delineate every step of the way for the students, I have always preferred those that require the students to get involved on a deeper level, because in my case they help the better actual understanding and absorption of the lessons. 

Now we come to the part of the story that sort of fits the mysterious tone of the book title... Namely, this volume, along with the authors other one (about scales) used to be available both in printed and electronic formats. But, while I was checking out the Internet for details to include in this review, it turned out that Hubbell's websites are no longer online, and the main distributor of his works (bassbooks.com) went under several years ago. Therefore, I couldn't contact the author, but the hardcopy version of the book can still be found/ordered if you search for it a bit, and still at a great price. For the value you are getting from the book, it will be time and money well spent. 

Excavating the nuggets - chord tone study 2

Well, this article was written a couple months back, but was out for just a couple of days before being withdrawn. The reason is that the author of the reviewed books pointed that they had been unavailable for a while, and new editions have appeared in the meantime. And the changes were not just about the looks, but the progression of steps in the overall practicing approach have been modified as well (for the better, IMHO). I wasted no time ordering the new ones, so here is the updated version! 

the oldies

In the previous post you could learn something about the benefits of working on chord tones as the means of making progress on the instrument. This time, I will point you to what, IMHO, is the best starting point on this path - the books written by Phil Mann. He happens to be a phenomenal instructor, and you can find more about his bio and professional work as a bassist on the man's website.

Mann's approach to the subject is very thorough and done in a step-by-step manner, which means easy to understand and follow, although you WILL HAVE to put in the work, no doubt about it. He intends to cover the material through a series of book, and so far two have come out:

Vol 1. An Excavation of the Humble Triad

Vol 2. The Transcendence from Intent to Implementation

So, the first volume, as you may have guessed, is concerned with the triads that serve as the foundation for all other harmonic structures in music. Mann offers the theoretical fundamentals as they pertain to the material in the book, and then proceeds to the treatment of the topic - major, minor, diminished, and augments triads. Each chord quality is shown and practiced in all of its inversions, and at one point the major triad is also run through its permutation, but once you get the idea other qualities ought to be put through the paces, too. The major, minor and diminished structures are then done as two-octave studies; and finally, melodic applications are demonstrated on two staple chord progressions (ii-V-I and I-IV-V). Whew, a lot of stuff! 

the foundation

The material is presented exquisitely well presented through standard notation and tablature, where the latter format is necessary, i.e. to lay out the structures on the fingerboard. In the melodic applications, however, the tablature is (rightly) omitted, so you can work on your own options on the instrument. 

Before moving to the next book, I will briefly offer a personal insight. When isolated, any of the triads can be drilled in on of two ways - vertically or horizontally. Take them as two-string shapes and go though the cycle of fourths either in a chosen 5-fret section on the fingerboard (vertical), or with the bottom note on a single string (horizontal).

The second volume deals with tetrachords, i.e. 7th arpeggios, which are four-tone structures, and the approach follows the same overall path as with triads. Mann tackles the ones found in diatonic major and minor tonalities, i.e. major, minor, dominant, and minor 7b5.  Naturally, there is more work to be done because there are more inversions to address, but if you had done diligent work with the first book, this one should not be a problem. 

the challenge

However, the 7th chords are not covered in as much detail and as small incremental steps as the triads in book 1. And there is a good reason... The second half of this volume is where the really musical effort takes place, or if you so prefer - where the rubber meets the road. Namely, Mann gives a brief but practical explanation of the II-V harmonic progression and why it is important, as taken from the bridge of Rhythm Changes, and then goes into the application of various shapes and forms of 7th chords previously covered over this ubiquitous harmonic device. This segment is done in both major and minor tonalities, again. He first does it with the shapes in the "as is" option, so you can develop the understanding of the overall harmonic form and get your ear to recognize the function of each chord used; and then gets to what is probably the main point of the method - voice leading! 

Why is this important? Well, because in a real musical situation you (hopefully) want your lines to be smooth and not sounding like mere exercises. However, in order to get there, you DO need to have the exercises firmly under your belt, or, even better, under your fingers and in your ears. The foreword to the book, written by Matt Bokulic, addresses this gap between the purely academic approach to practice and creative expression in performance, while Mann himself states very convincingly in the book that while the early material may be "[...] initially tedious to comprehend, the concluding results will be enthralling - as you'll be able to convey and incredibly efficient portrayal of Gershwin's Rhythm Changes [...] and all in the full knowledge that your skill set can easily be implemented in hundreds of subsequent compositions". 

The last section of the book moves to the implementation of the material, and your newly found command of it, over the harmonic structure of a typical jazz blues form in all keys. Again, there is a lot of work to be done over a long time, but you will be comforted by the knowledge that you are on the right path, following a proven method. 

If you would like to get some sense of Mann's teaching style, he has several videos freely available on his Youtube channel, and this one is on the topic of major scale harmonization in triads:

All in all, having seen his courses on the Scott's Bass Lessons portal, articles in Bass Player and after perusing these books, Phil Mann is one of my favorite bass teachers out there, and I really look forward to his future contributions in the field. 

Connecting the dots - chord tones study 1

Sorry for a year-long hiatus, been busy doing other stuff, even stepped away from the bass completely for almost two months... Got back to it though, unavoidably, and in order to maximize the effects of my practice routine asked myself "what do I need to focus on in order to develop the ear-to-fretboard connection as much as possible, along with technique"? Looked back at my practice diaries from "times yonder" and figured out that dedicating the largest portion of my time available to the study of chord tones seems to be most promising. 

Why? Well, because seeing how harmony lays out on the fingerboard offers sort of a clear GPS guide to getting where you need to be in the musical context, and in a way that makes it helpful and comprehensible for other musicians in the band, as well as the listeners, too. Add solid rhythmic feel and phrasing to it, and you are pretty much there when it comes to creating functional and convincing bass lines. Therefore, I will point to several good resources for those who would like to embark on this quintessential field of study.

To begin with, it only made sense to me to follow the method (even if it is an older book) of a man who has long been championing the advantages of focusing on chord tones rather than scales and sheer technical exercises devoid of musical content - the one and only Jeff Berlin! He has been preaching very strong views on the state of music education, especially in the domain of teaching/learning electric bass in modern music, for decades, and some 35 years ago came up with a manual intended to show in practice how his philosophy of learning should be applied in practice. The book is long out of print, but here it is as available online:

As a side note, Mr. Berlin himself is vocally against the use of tablature, and the tab in this book was added later by the publisher, in hopes of appealing to wider audience. That said, you can choose to follow their fingering suggestions, but I would recommend finding other possible options besides those, and then see which ones make most sense to you. It would be particularly useful if you want to work the material on extended range instruments, i.e. 5- or 6-string basses (or more!). 

In my opinion, this is a very valuable resource, even if the verbal/printed instruction is kept to the minimum. After some diligent work, you will start understanding the harmonic content of the music and grow more confident in navigating the instrument. Should you decide to add some technical aspects and variations to the exercises (I might write a separate piece about that approach), your coordination between the fingering and plucking hand will improve, too, along with other technical features.

Also, originally the book came with backing tracks on a cassette. Naturally, you can work on the exercises without the background, but if you could add some sort of chord backing, even just the drone-type sound without rhythm, it would certainly help in developing your ear, as I pointed in the introduction. Such backing tracks are now freely available in many virtual places, including Youtube. 

So, without further ado - get to it!

Step by step - day by day

 What is the biggest challenge before most musicians, particularly those in earlier stages of honing their craft? Judging by most indications I have seen so far, it is the organization and adherence to daily practice. It is understandable - first, you have to figure out what needs to be done, then decide on how to schedule those topics, how long to say with them etc. With so many variables, no wonder a lot of people end up noodling instead of running a specific and targeted practice sessions. 

Well, fortunately for us bassists there is a great way to overcome those obstacles. Jim Stinnett comes to rescue! Jim is a professor at Berklee College of Music, with decades of teaching practice and dozens of respectable alumni, who can attest to the success of his methodology. To get a glimpse of his approach to teaching bass you just need to visit his excellent Youtube channel Real Bass Lessons and peruse a couple hundred (!!!) tutorials he has there. 

However, the main subject of this post is a phenomenal series of books Jim published, titled Daily Practice For Bass. As the title suggests, what we have here is an actual practice plan, laid out and organized for all those who are willing to dedicate 45 minuted of their day to follow the instruction. Stinnett has already done all the hard work, mentioned above, all you have to do it is follow the plan...simple as that! 

Each book opens with a succinct explanation of how to use the material, then covers four weeks of practice, and includes all the main ingredients: technique, reading, harmony, ear training, fingerboard knowledge. And the brilliant thing is that all of them are presented through actual musical content - technique and fingerboard command are built via scales and arpeggios, ear training via transcription of music phrases, harmony via walking lines and basic chordal shapes, rhythm via Motown-type and funk grooves etc. To make everything even more fun and enjoyable, there are backing tracks to be downloaded from Stinnetts website, so you can hear the musical context for what you are doing. 

Since the work is packed in daily sessions of 45 minutes, there is enough time left for other things you may wish to do on your instruments, whether it is jamming with your favorite songs, learning new ones, working on your tapping and slapping, or... In short - perfect solution!

OK, I would actually like if Jim had some sort of reading practice set for every single day, because in my opinion that segment cannot be skipped if one truly wants to have it down cold. But, let that be a subject for a later post. 

Now, the nicest part is the price. At $18 per book/volume (plus shipping), it means you are only paying less than 65 cents per lesson! At the moment, Jim has 13 books out, so you have more than a year's worth of material, with guided practice method - step by step, day by day. What more can you ask for?

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.

Book heavyweights

Today I am presenting my Top 3 instructional book to learn (more about) bass. There are my favorite go-to resources and I still use them regularly, even after quite a few years. Since it is difficult to rank them (my affinities typically sway one way or another from time to time), let's review them alphabetically, based on authors' last names.

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. 

Critical criteria

What constitutes a good instructional product in my mind? To a degree, it depends on the subject being taught, of course. There are, however, come common criteria that I hope a book or video course would meet. 

First, the instructor has to be able to communicate and demonstrate his lessons in a coherent and understandable manner. Everything else hinges on this one. One of my greatest regrets is seeing promising material in terms of contents, being ruined by plain bad writing or incoherent and unintelligible mumbling. Now, don't get me wrong - I don't insist on Shakespearean penmanship and absolute grammatical or orthographic precision in a book, nor Harvard Law School rhetoric level on video; but what you read or watch needs to make enough sense that it doesn't leave you scratching your head and having no idea what you need to do with the material, how to approach it and why. 

That said, author's personal writing style or spoken accent and prosody don't mean much, as long as they are able to teach in a flowing and engaging fashion.  Naturally, some authors are more comfortable in one of these two formats, and that is perfectly fine. I like both, with some preference for books over videos. 

Second, the product should be presented systematically, following the progression that makes sense. Again, depending on the chosen topic and learner's prior level, there may be some flexibility here, but like any other story, if things are just thrown out randomly it only frustrates those trying to learn something from the material. That is why I ended up seriously disliking some of the "instructional" videos done by big name players back in the 1980's and 1990's - they were nothing but a bunch of loosely collected licks and lines that would fit well with the large majority of flashy Youtube demo clips of this age...with the notable difference of the former being rather costly back then. 

Third, there should be enough practice material for the students to develop solid understanding of the offered concepts and principles, and ideally with enough stimulating ideas for them to come up with their own examples and exercises around the same subject. 

Closely related to the previous one, the lessons ought to have balanced breadth/depth ratio. What does it mean? Essentially, if the product tries to squeeze too many topics in in a single package, it will inevitably lead to many of them, if not all, being just taken glance at, i.e. lacking any substantial understanding. We have all seen the products titled "Ultimate Complete Encyclopedia of Styles" with 500 unrelated two- or four-bar lines, yet with zero explanation about how those lines were built or what are acceptable variations in their music idioms. Unless you are going to use it for sight reading practice, such books are pretty much useless. It is better to have separate volumes on different topics, but treated with adequate commitment to detail and underlying principles. 

Finally, there is the matter of value for the money. This aspect, too, can be subjective as it is affected by one's previous musical background, experience and affinities. Nonetheless, there are quite a few instructional items out there, which have unacceptable amount of filler material. I understand that it may often be the demand of the publisher to have a certain amount of pages or minutes...still, for the same price, I much prefer to have a book with examples done in just a couple of keys, but with larger number of examples, than one with fewer examples transposed to every key. On video, I'd rather see and hear the author show/perform different variation or options of exercises then yet another rendition of their greatest hits, even if done live, just for the package at hand. Or, have a shorter package for a lower price.