Youtube gems - Everythingbass

I was thinking of having another post with a list of favorite resources within a certain medium, but since Youtube is such a vast and dynamic one, it seemed like a better idea to focus on one feature at a time. So, here we go…

Today’s installment is dedicated to the relative newcomer, meaning the channel has only been around for a few months, but Dale Titus has certainly been around the block quite a few times, including the mention on this blog. He earned his instructor stripes as a teacher at BIT and the author of a number of articles in Bass Player, so no wonder that Everything Bass is a very nice collection of videos on several topics in bass, neatly presented in “episodes”, so you can follow a particular subject of choice more easily, if you would like to focus on that aspect of your playing/practice. There are series on technical domains (slap, tapping), overall musicianship (fretboard familiarization, guided improvisation sessions), various professional tips etc.

What especially appeals to me in Titus’s approach is the balanced treatment of a topic at hand – he is neither stingy nor overwhelming. The videos are organized so that the main idea and the purpose are clearly explained, and then demonstrated through a couple of exercises and their variations. That way, the viewers aren’t left in dilemma about the meaning of what they saw, nor are they lost in trying to figure out what is the really important part of the smorgasbord of material unleashed on them. In other words, Titus inclines towards the depth of instruction, over the breadth, but the scope is attained through the continuation of the series of videos on whatever the subject is.

As the matter of fact, balanced is probably the single word that best describes the overall impression of this Youtube channel. As a video educator Titus is neither annoyingly imposing, nor monotonously pale; the exercises are challenging enough to take some dedication, and realistically attainable, so you are not discouraged…

Finally, if you have questions or something to say in the comments section, Dale actually reads them and is quick to respond. All in all, what we see here is the instructor who genuinely cares about offering the kind of contents to truly benefit his audience.

 

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?

Private practice

Let's face it - the process of practice isn't always exciting for the player, but for his or her family members it can be outright torture. Fortunately, unlike wind or percussion instruments (heck, my kid plays accordion!), we electric bass and guitar exponents have several options of making the woodshed process unobtrusive for the environment, without sacrificing the quality of tone (enjoyment) for ourselves. 

Nowadays a lot of amps have the headphone option, so if you are a person with a busy daily life (like I am) and forced to practice mostly at night, when kids and/or significant others are asleep, that is a life saver. Nevertheless, I like and use even more portable options, and here they are, from the most to least frequent use in the 'shed.

The one I use

Vox Amplug is a very convenient little preamp, whose main advantage is that it plugs straight into your instrument. It is also very small, easily fitting into pockets, so I sometimes carry it to work, if I can grab some time to practice there. The only additional thing you need is a set of preferred headphones, and you're all set to go! I have been using the first-generation acoustic model for years now, although the new bass model also features multi-positional option for plugging, as well as drum rhythms to play with.

New one

However, since the older model also has the AUX input jack, the ability to connect you phone or mp3 player makes the drum beat option pretty much redundant. Besides, if I want to add more spice to the practice session, there is the next option...

Korg Pandora mini is an actual sound processor with the whole bunch of sound effects (overdrive, distortion, envelope filters, octave effect...plus amp and cabinet modeling), along with tuner and couple dozen drum beats in various styles. Like the above piece, it also uses 1.5 volt batteries, but in contrast to Vox, Pandora has the battery level indicator. 

Being conceived as a full-fledged processor (albeit a very small one), it can be connected to a computer via USB for additional tone shaping options, and there is a full-size output jack to use it with your amp, as I did on several live gigs. That, however, raises the issue of having it connected to your instrument in a practical manner. And here is my solution:

The above option (double jack) essentially makes it plug directly into the guitar, and it works especially well with front mounted input jacks on instruments, although it worked fine for me with the lower edge jacks, too. The patch cable enables you to have it hanging on your strap or on the belt, i.e. still very mobile. 

Phil Jones Bighead HA-1 is a step into top echelon options. The HA stands for headphone amplifier, but the unit is actually a hi-fi bass preamp with excellent connectivity. Besides the headphone jack, there is also the AUX one and USB port that has a dual function: used to charge the device (yes, it has an internal battery) as well as to connect it to your computer DAW for recording! The headphone jack can also be used to connect it to a power amplifier, active loudspeaker or mixer, so it can act as a DI box, too. 

 

Compared to the first two pieces featured, this one is considerably larger and heavier (reflected in the price as well), so it won't just hang from your instrument, but the sound quality and other options for use make it a great option, especially if you don't move around much while practicing. Since I got mine a few years back, Phil Jones has put out a new model, HA-2, and other manufacturers have their contestants for the same position, so you may check them out to find one that best suits your needs. 

To recap, here are my reasons for keeping all three at hand. For sheer ease of use and small size - Vox; for fun with effects and tonal options, plus gig flexibility - Korg; for quality of sound, both live and recording - Phil Jones.

The bottom line is, all of them will serve you very well for the original purpose espoused by this post, which is keeping your practice sessions quite to all those not partaking in it, while still offering you enough sound volume to fully expose any mistakes you make in practice, so you don't overlook anything that needs to be worked on.... Win-win situation! 

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.

(Sight) Reader's Digest

I didn't mention it specifically, but there are not any tablatures in any of the books featured in the previous post. To me, it is an advantage, being that without tab, there is more space available for additional content. It means, however, that one needs to be somewhat functional with reading standard bass clef notation, in order to reap the substantiation benefits from studying those resources. And not just those... For some reason, music reading seems to be a kind of "boogeyman" for the grand majority of self-taught musicians, especially in popular modern styles, i.e. pop, rock, funk, hip-hop etc. On top of that, such attitude tends to be prevalent among the guitarists, bassists and drummers. And it's a shame... Be as it may, before pointing some of my arguments, let's lee what the legendary bass groover Rocco Prestia has to say about the subject, in an interview for the Bass Player magazine. 

In the age of home confinement and remote recording, the significance of reading is really highlighted, even for those who do not have studio session player's career. A lot of people will probably say "I play my own music in my own band", but have you ever come up with a cool sounding riff, only to have it forgotten a couple of days later? Well, if you knew how to read and write music, that wouldn't have to happen! After all, I spent most of my most active playing years in a band that played own music, but being able to handle notation contributed to quite a few of ideas that were later incorporated in many of those songs. 

Even when it comes to being called for playing on other people's projects, only two of a dozen required sight reading to some degree. A few of those required reading charts, but my acquaintance with those also stems directly from reading standard notation, in terms of form markings etc. 

Finally, my biggest benefit actually lays in the fact that the ability to read opened so many new doors and avenues when it comes to access to music books, scored and other materials. In other words, with even the basic level of music literacy, you can get a lot of info from classical and jazz music materials, even those aimed at other instruments.

But, it is a lot of hard work, isn't it? Well, yes and no. developing sight reading ability requires consistency  - you have  to do it almost every day, but 10-15 minutes will suffice. As the matter of fact, after a while, it can even be done away from the instrument, if push comes to shove. And, there is even the great side effect of improved understanding of rhythm! 

Where do you start, then? There are plenty of good books or courses to help you with it, most of them good in laying a fair foundation. I will dedicate another post to reviewing some of those, but you may as well start here:

Musicians Institute - Bass ... by Angel Daniel on Scribd

Again, there is nothing to lose from learning to read music! Even the time spent doing it is not lost - it is invested...and the dividends are very much worth it. 

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.