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 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 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

  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!

  Zusammenfassung
  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 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 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!

  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 st…