Bass Guitar For Dummies

Way more than just the bass-ics

Whatever you're playing--funk, soul, rock, blues, country--the bass is the heart of the band. Bassists provide a crucial part of driving force and funky framework that other members of any and work off. From John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, to "The Pixies'' Kim Deal, to James Brown's favored bassist, Jimmy Nolan, bass players have made big names for themselves and commanded respect throughout music history.

In Bass Guitar For Dummies, Patrick Pfeiffer--who coached U2's Adam Clayton, among others--is your friendly guide to laying down the low end. Starting from the beginning with what bass and accessories to buy, the book shows you everything from how to hold and position your instrument to how to read music and understand chords. You'll develop your skills step-by-step until you're confident playing your own solos and fills.

• Sharpen skills with instructional audio and video

• Discipline your play with exercises

• Understand chords, scales, and octaves

• Care for your instrument

Whether you're new to the bass or already well into the groove, Bass Guitar For Dummies gives you the thorough balance of theory and practice that distinguishes the titanic Hall of Famer from the just so-so.

P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you're probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Bass Guitar For Dummies (9781118748800). The book you see here shouldn't be considered a new or updated product. But if you're in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We're always writing about new topics!

Autorentext

Patrick Pfeiffer is a professional bassist, bass educator, and composer. His former clients include Polygram, Red Ant Records, Arista Records, and other major labels as well as Adam Clayton of U2. He has recorded with George Clinton, Phoebe Snow, Jimmy Norman of the Coasters, Paul Griffin and Bernard Purdie of Steely Dan, and many other stars.

Klappentext

• Develop solid rhythm and timing
• Build scales and modes into great bass lines

• Play a ton of grooves in a variety of styles Master the bassit's the heart of the band The bass guitar provides the essential link between the instruments laying down the beat and the instruments carrying the melody of a song. With this book as your guide, you can become the bassist you want to be, whether it involves performing before screaming fans or just jamming with your friends. Discover how the bass is used in a variety of musical genres, gain knowledge and confidence from simple lessons, apply techniques the pros use, and polish your bass lines with online practice sessions. Inside...

• Know what to look for when choosing your first bass guitar
• Set up your equipment
• Learn scales, modes, and arpeggios
• Combine harmony and rhythm into grooves
• Explore professional techniques
• Jam with online practice

Zusammenfassung
Way more than just the bass-ics . . .

Whatever you're playingfunk, soul, rock, blues, countrythe bass is the heart of the band. Bassists provide a crucial part of the driving force and funky framework that other members of any band work off. From John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, to The Pixies' Kim Deal, to James Brown's favored bassist, Jimmy Nolan, bass players have made big names for themselves and commanded respect throughout music history.

In Bass Guitar For Dummies, Patrick Pfeifferwho coached U2's Adam Clayton, among othersis your friendly guide to laying down the low end. Starting from the beginning with what bass and accessories to buy, the book shows you everything from how to hold and position your instrument to how to read music and understand chords. You'll develop your skills step-by-step until you're confident playing your own solos and fills.

• Sharpen skills with instructional audio and video
• Discipline your play with exercises
• Understand chords, scales, and octaves
• Care for your instrument
  Whether you're new to the bass or already well into the groove, Bass Guitar For Dummies gives you the thorough balance of theory and practice that distinguishes the titanic Hall of Famer from the just so-so. P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you're probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Bass Guitar For Dummies (9781118748800). The book you see here shouldn't be considered a new or updated product. But if you're in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We're always writing about new topics!

Inhalt

Foreword xv

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 3

Icons Used in This Book 4

Beyond the Book 4

Where to Go from Here 5

Part 1: Getting Started With the Bass Guitar 7

Chapter 1: The Very Basics of Bass 9

Discovering the Differences between the Bass and Its High-Strung Cousins 9

Understanding the Bass Player's Function in a Band 10

Forging the link between harmony and rhythm 11

Moving the song along 11

Keeping time 11

Establishing rhythms 12

Looking cool 12

Dissecting the Anatomy of a Bass Guitar 12

The neck 13

The body 14

The innards 15

On a Need-to-Know Basses: Gearing Up to Play Bass 15

Coordinating your right and left hands 16

Mastering major and minor chord structures 16

Tuning your bass 16

Combining scales and chords 16

Playing Grooves, Solos, and Fills 17

Creating grooves and riffs 17

Treating yourself and your audience to solos and fills 17

Experimenting with Different Musical Genres 18

Stocking Up on Some Bass Gear 19

Buying a bass 19

Getting an amplifier 19

Accessorizing your bass 20

Giving Your Bass Some Good Ol' TLC 20

Chapter 2: Gaining the Tools and Skills to Play 21

Getting a Handle on Your Bass 21

Holding Your Bass 22

Strapping on your bass: Strings to the outside 23

Voilà! Standing with your bass 23

Sitting with your bass 24

Placing Your Hands in the Proper Position 25

Positioning your left hand 25

Positioning your right hand 27

Reading a Fingerboard Diagram 33

The language of music: Scales and chords 33

Viewing a diagram of the major and minor scales 36

Playing open-string scales 37

Finding the notes on the neck 37

Identifying intervals: They're always in the same place 39

Tuning Your Bass Guitar 41

Reference pitch sources to use when playing alone 41

Reference pitch sources to use when playing with others 43

Tuning the bass guitar to itself 45

Playing a Song on Your Bass Guitar 53

Making some noise with the open strings 53

Closing the strings 54

Chapter 3: Warming Up: Getting Your Hands in Shape to Play 57

Understanding the Sound Your Bass Makes 58

Performing Right-Hand Warm-Ups 58

Right-hand same-string strokes 59

Controlling the strength in your striking hand: Right-hand accents 61

Skating across the strings: Right-hand string crossing 62

Coordinating Your Left Hand with Your Right Hand 63

Doing finger permutations 64

Muting the strings to avoid the infamous hum 65

Putting it all together 66

Part 2: The Bass-ics of Playing 69

Chapter 4: Reading, 'Riting, and Rhythm 71

Reading Notation: No Pain, Much Gain 71

Chord notation: The chord chart 72

Music notation: Indicating rhythm and notes 72

Tablature notation: Showing strings, frets, and sequence 73

The vocal chart: Using lyrics and chords for a singer or songwriter 75

Finding Any Note in Any Octave 75

Using the Metronome: You Know, That Tick-Tock Thing 80

Setting the metronome 80

Playing along 80

Dividing Music into Phrases, Measures, and Beat…