Get 'em!

 Remember how in the previous post I mentioned that those highly recommended programs are occasionally discounted? Well, here you go!

Alien guidance

OK, I admit it - I often use instruction from people and sources dedicated to other instruments, including (gulp!) guitar. As the matter of fact, on of the most influential instructors whose material and direct guidance I have had the pleasure to experience over the past few years is Dana Rasch. For those who have heard of the legendary, but now defunct, Grove School of Music it will be easy to understand the quality of teaching involved, when you have in mind that Rasch used to be the head of the guitar program there, and the author of the cult-status instructional package titled Beyond Chops. 

Well, that package was published 35+ years ago and is still a benchmark, but the author chose not to rest on his laurels, and decided to further expand and improve his teaching approach. Over the years, he developed several programs that deal with various aspects of musicianship as it applies to guitar, but I would say that his flagship series is Visual Guide Tones, which is also the title of his website. And  guess what? It works great on bass! 

Essentially, the author uses the highly graphic nature of the instrument to help players in seeing how numerous music principles and concepts are manifested on it. In this particular program, Rasch uses five shapes of all the scales that form harmonic sources in modern music and than maps them over the fingerboard, while using the methods of string pairs, string sets, melodic contour, U-turns, sequences etc. to work on several dimensions of instrumental proficiency at the same time. You will develop technical command, left and right hand coordination, fretboard familiarity, ear-hand coordination while working on it, so it is completely appropriate that another user called it the "unified method".

Over the course of 11 (eleven) levels, Rach takes you on a thorough, step-by-step practical study that starts with pentatonic, goes through major, follows by melodic minor scales, and a whole bunch of other topics along the way. Each level consists of minimum 2 DVDs worth of video (download/stream) - one is a lesson and the other practice video(s) - as well as mp3 backing tracks and PDF notes where applicable. All in all, the instruction is very clear, as the author does a lot of talking when explaining the material, and he doesn't cut any shortcuts. And yet, if you have any questions, he is quite accessible via email and actually responds to your inquiries. 

Now, the first three levels deal with pentatonic scales, and just going through this part of the program helped me immensely in developing the above mentioned elements of musicianship. The first level stays in one key/tonality, the second has you shift between two, and the third - between three. With that in mind, if you understand the material in Level 1, it is possible to skip either 2 or 3 on your way up, depending on your previous level, although I still recommend taking each step, for the benefit of other insights and advice shared along the way. 

When it comes to direct application of the material from the course, very early I was able to put it to great use in coming up with bass fills and runs very spontaneously and with ease, even in the sections of fingerboard that had previously been "behind the horizon" for me. This is how I worked on the material a few years ago.

 Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that I also reached for his other programs in search of developing other areas of musicianship, in particular his Chord Melody and Composition series, as they really offer excellent way to work on one's understanding of harmony and related concepts (voice leading, arranging, transposition etc.) in a deep and systematic manner. Depending on your interests and priorities, you may want to check out his other stuff, too. Speaking of which, over the past couple of years, Rasch had discount/sales around Black Friday period, so it might be a good idea to check the store at that time. 

Remember how I mentioned that Dana Rasch was very accessible? Well, after asking for permission to use the pictures, we agreed that if any of the readers of this blog contacts me with some proof of purchase from his website, I will send you the PDF document I had made a few years back, that makes it easer to map the material on the first Visual Guide Tones levels on the neck of the bass, for 4-string and extended range instruments! 

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!

Vega(n) bites...

 ...for the tasty fat bass!

Lousy word play aside, Posido Vega is a great bass instructor who has been present on the Web in one form or another for a long time and always providing excellent content. His Youtube channel is simply awesome, and I really used to like his old written materials on Mutant Bass. However, he now has a new virtual home.

In order to reach it, simply go to posidovega.com and enjoy many free lessons that you can find there. The thing I dig about Vega's approach is the way he gives a holistic view of the topic at hand. Namely, you will hear the underlying theory explained in a very accessible manner, see and hear the music examples, while also receiving good exercises to work on, in order to get the material under your fingers and into your musical vocabulary. 

The subjects of he lessons are varying, so there is always something useful to chew on for your benefit. Remembering his former instructional efforts and products, I certainly hope he will keep providing us with new lessons and great learning opportunities. 

A Giant Is Gone

 I have to admit, it is with a heavy heart that I have received the news of Jim Stinnett's passing, following a series of heart-attacks. Besides being a true giant of bass education, Jim was a great and accessible gentleman ready to offer sound advice and helping hand, always smiling and exuding joy of life. This blog has already featured some of his brilliant teaching materials, and certainly will do some more in the future. 

...and those who knew him

After an illustrious career as a professor at the Berklee College of Music, preceded by years of music teaching done from genuine passion, it is no wonder Stinnett was able to convey important music principles and concepts in a way that few are capable of, and has produced dozens of great bassists over decades. 

If you are still not acquainted with his teaching style and lessons, I wholeheartedly recommend you visit his Youtube channel and see for yourself what excellent instruction looks like. Once you see how Jim was conducting his classes, you can't help envying the students who had the opportunity to learn from him in person on regular basis, and on a personal level, I feel privileged to have been able and established even a modicum of personal communication with such an inspiring person, one of those whose mere presence had enriched the lives of the people whose being was graced by sharing the same field of passion and/or path through it.

Rest in peace Jim, you will be missed and remembered.

Theory in practice

 Bass players are an interesting lot when it comes to having wider and deeper knowledge of overall music, in its wider theoretical implications and practical applications. Of course, there is a continuum, but it often looks as if there are two (those who also act as the lead singer are excluded) categories that gravitate toward the opposite ends:

1. those listening only to drums and acting as the proverbial dummy of the band;

2. those who are actually the most educated/knowledgeable members, thus often acting as the main composer/arranger (John Paul Jones anyone?) or music directors of the band. 

I have very often seen or heard bass players looking to "outgrow" the first category, and therefore asking for the good books or other resources of music theory for bass. And there, to me, lies the problem - there is no such thing as the music theory for bass...or any other specific instrument. Music is music, and while different instruments may have different roles within ensembles of various sizes, they should all be able to speak the same language, in order to communicate effectively. Seeking the instruction that applies to bass is cutting yourself short of al the benefits that can be reaped with an unhindered approach as willingness to step out of your immediate comfort zone by learning music in a more universal manner. 

Hm, OK, how do we alleviate this problem? Well, by engaging in a well organized and comprehensive study of music. Now, a lot of self-taught musicians will cringe at the mention of the term theory, and think of it as something utterly boring and probably the bad voodoo that will rob them of their creativity and "soul" in playing. Although possible, depending on the instructor and the student, neither is necessarily true. I have already discussed some resources that deal with most immediate aspects of theory in a practical way for our instrument, and there are others in printed format that will be reviewed in the future posts, but today I would like to point the readers to an exceptionally well done online presentation. 

While I definitely prefer the book format as the means of "packaging" knowledge, sometimes there are simply better ways to efficiently convey information. As a great example of this, Clive Cockburn has made a website that offers a tremendous way to learn music in all its practical aspects in a very effective and practical fashion. 

The Contemporary Music Course is exactly that - not a bunch of tips and tidbits thrown together in random order, but rather a true step-by-step teaching of elements that will help you understand things you have been doing already on your instrument, as well as show you how to take your craft as a musician (see, I didn't say bassist) to a much higher level. 

How does he achieve this? Cockburn uses the video format to present his lessons, just long enough in duration to say what needs to be said, so you don't nod off, and then provides assignments in additional PDF materials to help you put what you have learned to practice. I especially like the fact that he integrates ear training with theoretical foundations, hence providing a deeper understanding of the curriculum.

Speaking of curriculum, it starts with two levels of fundamental elements, titled Language of Music, then proceeds through another two levels of Chords and Harmony, adds the treatment of rhythm through the lens of actual band practice in the Kit Drummer. After that, the course goes into that music director/arranger territory mentioned earlier via the chapters on Rhythm Section and Horns, Orchestral Harmony, Two Part Harmony & Counterpoint (gold for those looking to play more melodic bass lines!), Arranging Notes. To crown the course, the author gives special treatment to making/recording a Rock Session Project, including the writing of the song, preparing a lead sheet, rehearsing it etc. 

And now comes the cherry on the cake! While the annual membership for the entire course normally cost around $99, Cockburn is currently offering it for free (no login required), while the Covid pandemic is still at large. 

There...no excuse to skip this excellent offer!