Bass Guitar Books
Hey bass players! Wished you could learn the bass guitar without spending hours trying to find the answers or spending ££££s on lessons or courses?
If you want to learn how to play the bass guitar, you’ve got multiple options:
- Increasing the amount of time you devote to honing your craft
- Acquiring knowledge at a higher cost through university degrees, online lessons, and other means of learning
- Using time-consuming free educational resources, such as YouTube
However, there are pitfalls and problems to all of these methods.
For starters, mastery requires 10,000 hours of intense practice, according to Malcolm Gladwell. However, not all learning is equal, and if you’re not learning the “correct” things, you can practise for days on end without ever reaching your full potential.
And if you pay for pricey courses, you’re likely receiving information gradually since the school or business wants to retain you as a paying customer for as long as possible. What about your instructors? You are ultimately paying for their knowledge and competence, and I can honestly say that if I had knowledgeable educators who told me exactly what I needed to concentrate on, I’d be willing to put up with the worst facilities, as it’s the quality of teachers that will be the most beneficial to your learning!
And lastly, the free educational resource. It seems incredible at first, doesn’t it? In actuality, they merely serve as a hook to entice you to subscribe to a subscription service rather than actually teaching you anything. This is marketing! Unfortunately, real improvement requires a little bit more time than a 10-minute YouTube video.
What does that leave you with then?
You need someone who has worked diligently to hone their profession, who has made all the mistakes and who has the wisdom to know how to rectify them. What exactly does “intensive practise” mean, too? A different saying that I like is “work smarter, not harder.”
Good news. I’ve got a proven method that will help you master your instrument…..guaranteed!
Over ten years ago, I started performing and instructing music. I’ve encountered a lot of other musicians along the way who have attempted to get better but haven’t quite succeeded. Why? because they prefer to run before walking. They attempt things without understanding what they are trying to do and strive to master advanced ideas before understanding the fundamentals. You can’t possibly add knowledge to confusion while learning something as intricate as music, I assure you!
I’ve spent countless painful hours and 10+ years of dedicated learning to get where I am, and I wrote it down so that you can hopefully shortcut your learning journey and achieve quicker results!
If this sounds ideal, then these bass guitar books may be for you!
“This book will save you ££££’s in tuition fees.”
I’ve spent 10+ years of money on private lessons, studying music at the university, reading theoretical books, etc. And I included everything useful I’ve discovered throughout my learning journey in the book so that you will benefit.
“You’ll be able to progress much more efficiently and see results faster.”
Since you won’t be spoon-fed knowledge, you’ll get results faster.
“You’ll be at the top of your class.”
If you read this book while attending a university, I can guarantee that you will be at the top of your class because of how far ahead of your peers you will be.
“The book is useful for exams in ABRSM, RGT, Rock School, and any other area of music.”
Exams can soon turn into memory tests rather than tests of knowledge if you don’t have a skilled teacher who clearly explains logic and understanding of the content. In the long run, do yourself a favour and try to comprehend! For instance, this book will provide you with a thorough grasp so that you may rely less on your memory for your ABRSM grade 5 theory exam!
“The book will help you become a master of your craft…or at the very least…best your competition!”
This is the ultimate goal of a musician.
- To be at one with music.
- To have no separation between yourself and your instrument.
- To speak the language fluently, coherently and artistically.
No one else can duplicate you since they would never be as authentic as the source (you!). Being your own artist and not imitating anybody else is the only way to achieve this, which is how you overcome your competition. I firmly believe that this is the path to take if you want a long healthy career in music.
I recommend starting on my first book ‘How to Master the Electric Bass ‘which contains:
- An essential listening list for the main genres
- A vital equipment guide detailing what you need to play bass guitar
- How to set up a bass guitar that’s suited for your playing style
- How to play the bass guitar, using different playing techniques (fingerstyle, plectrum, slap)
- How to memorise the fretboard and have complete freedom in your playing
- Understanding rhythms and how to count them
- Understanding scales and harmony in a way that’s logical and easy to follow (very useful for analysing tunes or coming up with chord progressions!)
You can even read the first 30 pages for free by signing up for my email list (don’t worry, I seldom send emails and only send ones that I know you’d appreciate!)
Reviews
Review from Esteemed Bassist, Teacher and Author Barend Tromp!
“In his book ‘How to Master the Electric Bass’ Howard Head is introducing a very wide range of basic concepts for the beginning bass student, regardless of musical style. In the introduction of this book he says it all: ‘this book will not tell you what to play, but instead, give you all the tools and knowledge to help you nurture your own sound and playing style’. And that is exactly what Howard does.
All the important things that you need to know when you start your bass career are discussed. Topics as varied as setting up your bass, gear advice and even records and music film recommendations are covered in the first part of the book. In the second part Howard explains how to play the instrument, treating the basics of techniques such as finger style, pick playing and slap bass and also how to read music (in tabs and standard notation). Every exercise is provided with a thorough explanation, which makes it easy for the student to understand.
A large part of the book is devoted to learning how to master the fretboard. It is explained for four, five and six string bass. Howard does this on the basis of scales, making use of fretboard diagrams.
The last part of the book treats the theoretical side of music. Understanding rhythms, scales and harmony, the circle of fifths, intervals, chord function and modes.
Along with this extended book Howard also provides audio recordings and backing tracks of every exercise. How to master the electric bass is very thorough study for every serious bass students. I recommend this book to everyone picking up the bass, no matter what musical genre you want to play.”
Barend Tromp (bassist, bass teacher, reviewer and author of Next Level Slap Bass)
You can buy the book as an ebook (PDF) or paperback. If you buy the paperback, you also get the ebook!
The book is entirely coloured with premium white paper, and the paperback’s cover has a glossy finish since. The majority of theory books won’t often be coloured!
I also made audio tracks for you to practice with in addition to the activities in the book. Upon purchasing, the audio files are downloaded along with the ebook. Additionally, you may watch them on this playlist on YouTube, which is a better method for practice because it allows you to switch between the exercises and slow down the audio files more easily.
Once you’ve bought a bass guitar book, you can message me via email anytime, and I can answer any questions you may have about music.
If you’re struggling with something technical, we can see about organising a lesson, which could be held online over Zoom, or if you live in London, a face-to-face session is doable!
I think it’s important to offer some form of personal learning support, as no one will be at the same level as anyone else. Everyone is on a different journey and will have different requirements.
However, the book is extremely thorough, and I guarantee that you’ll improve your bass playing, or you can have your money back! Just try it out and see if it could benefit you!
Download the tracks for the Bass Guitar Book exercises!
Bass Guitar Book 2
Once you’ve become an absolute wizard and gained complete mastery of your instrument from reading book 1, I have book 2 to continue your journey!
‘Mastering the Language of Music: Interval Ear Training’ will:
- Improve your understanding of pitches, chords, melodies, scales and modes.
- Improve your improvising skills. Get out of finger paralysis!
- Help you interact with other musicians more easily
- Ensure you always know what scales to play on top of different chords
- Encourage you to play what you feel
- Stimulate you to use intervals to construct better melodies
- Aid you identify chords by ear
The first book teaches you how to play your instrument; however, this book teaches you how to play and hear music as a language.
The point is this. Once we’ve learnt how to speak, we can’t expect to be instantly fluent in that language. We must first learn the language and understand its construction by analysing the building blocks. Then after better understanding, the goal is to become more comprehensible through practice. Of course, becoming fluent in any language takes time, and this book seeks to give you the practice resources and answers so that you can learn faster!
The Learning Process in Music is as Follows:
Listening is crucial and forms the foundation for the next steps. It does seem obvious, but you’ve got to appreciate other people’s music, use it for inspiration and feel the art before you rush into analysing!
Imitation is the next step and where you start analysing the music and copying it. ‘How to Master the Electric Bass’ focuses on imitation, teaching you different techniques and ensuring you’re really competent on your instrument.
Assimilation is the process of fully understanding information, ideas and adapting to the environment. This is what ‘Mastering the language of music: Interval Ear Training’ seeks to help with. I think the end goal for any creative is to be able to improvise, adapt to the environment and react to things in that particular moment as it creates absolute authenticity. Just like with other creators, a great comedian can improvise and respond to hecklers, a painter can paint anything at any location, a dancer can react to every beat, and a great musician can play what they instantly feel and react to what the band is playing.
It takes commitment and dedicated practice to reach this creative mastery, and this book’s purpose is to give you those tools and practice exercises to (hopefully) get you closer to this extraordinary level! In fact, you don’t have to play complicated music for people to think you’re at a high level. If you can react in the moment and play simple music that’s more appropriate to the purpose of the song, then you’re on your way to creating exceptional, authentic and meaningful music. Just listen to Miles Davis and countless other greats.
If This Sounds Like Your Cup of Tea, Please Do Consider Reading a Bass Guitar Book!
P.S. I have a general music theory book that contains the same information but removes all tabs. If you’d like more of a challenge and improve your sight reading, that book may be better suited!
P.S.S. You can send me a message anytime, and we can discuss your personal needs to see if this book would be for you or not!