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Bass Guitar for Dummies

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Shake the earth with deep, sonorous vibrations. Be the force that relentlessly drives the music. Rumble like the ominous thunder of an approaching storm. For you, it's not enough just to be heard; you need to be felt, too. You need to play bass guitar.Imagine your favorite music without bass. It doesn't work, does it? The bass is the heartbeat of the music, the foundation of the groove, and the glue that holds together all the different instruments. You can feel the vibrations of the low notes – sometimes subtle and caressing, sometimes literally earthshaking – as they propel the song. The bass is the heart. So leave center stage to the other musicians – you have more important work to do. The limelight may be cool, but bassists rule!You can find everything you need to dominate the bass in Bass Guitar For Dummies – whether you're a beginner picking up a bass for the first time or an experienced player looking for way to improve. And you won't drown in complicated music theory, either; this easy-to-understand reference gives you just enough music theory to get you on your way.Bass Guitar For Dummies includes the following topics and more:Exploring the anatomy of a bass guitarGetting started: Holding your bass, positioning your hands, and striking notesReading bass notation and understanding chords, scales, and octavesCreating a groove and playing solos and fillsExamining different bass-playing styles, from rock and funk to blues and reggaeCaring for your bass: Cleaning, changing strings, and so onBuying your own bass and accessoriesTop Ten lists on bassists you should know aboutBass Guitar For Dummies also comes with a CD that includes audio clips of all the examples in the book.So put away the air bass guitar and get yourself the real thing. With the help of Bass Guitar For Dummies, you'll be groovin' in your own band in no time!Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ For Dummies


Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2003


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Print length ‏ : ‎ 360 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764524879


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 75


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1 x 9.25 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #1,342,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2,675 in Guitars (Books)


#2,675 in Guitars (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A great book for bass beginners and beyond
Format: Paperback
I bought this book as a beginner bass player and I'm very happy with it. It covers everything from the basics of tuning, holding, and playing the bass, to more advanced topics like scales, modes, chords, and slap and pop techniques. The book is well-written, easy to follow, and full of helpful tips and exercises. The accompanying audio tracks are also very useful for practicing along and hearing how the bass lines should sound. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to play the bass guitar or improve their skills. It's a great resource for dummies and pros alike! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2023 by VanZan
    • A Great Book Here!
Format: Paperback
Another great book from the '..For Dummies' series. "Bass Guitar for Dummies" is a great book for beginning bassists to advanced bassists. I could see Victor Wooten himself reading this book! It is very easy to understand and the writer explains everything in a simple and fun way, often using funny puns and corny jokes (but I like that sort of thing). The best thing for me is that he explained just about every scale and style of music for the bass. He even included how to write your own bass fills! Another good aspect is the cheat sheet at the beginning of this book. It is a preferated page that you can easily tear out that includes: scale triads, all main scales (major, minor, pent, dim, etc) the order of notes, solo scales (blues, pent, etc) and some easy hand workouts. He even included Gospel Bass into this wonderful book, something I've been Googling to learn how to play and nothing ever came up! If you are a bassist, you NEED to get this book! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2011 by Chanie B
    • Decent
Format: Paperback
This is a good book overall. What you should all know however is that while this book covers very many topics, it doesn't cover some in detail. Example: The book will spend half of a page talking about a specific music style, say funk; it will give about 3 funk (all slight variations from the first) licks to listen to and practice. This is fine and dandy, but the author fails to explain what makes the style a style. You'll look like a fool going to a gig and playing a simple 1 measure funk lick for hours. On the other hand, the author does a pretty good job explaining music notation and timing. He even gives hints and wise advise on purchases ranging from picking out an actual bass guitar to buying bass guitar and string cleaners and effects pedals. I would recommend the book to have as a reference, but if you are planning on seriously learning a specific style of music or how to read musical notation, I recommend buying a book solely devoted to that topic. Patrick Pfeiffer is trying to be a Pat of all trades here, yet he fails to master instructing one... if that makes any sense. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2007 by K
    • Very nice
Format: Paperback
Bought used but good shape came with Cd good very advanced at some points
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2025 by Zooleyus
    • Groovy bass book!
Format: Paperback
I'm a new bass player and this book is great -- I actually sleep with it, hoping to absorb even more through osmosis. I love Patrick's straight-forward approach and sense of humor. While I haven't looked at many other bass guitar books, I like how this one uses music, tabulature and the grid to show what to play. The initial/basic exercises are great for a beginner like myself, and make of lot of sense in the learning process. The CD is helpful, but it keeps playing straight through from one example/track to the next. I might need to change the settings on my computer or CD player, but I think it would be better if it stopped after each track so I could manually play the tracks, one-by-one, and look at the book at the same time to see exactly what is being played. Hopefully, when I become a great bass player, after using this book and practicing a lot, I will be quoted on the cover :) right up there with Adam Clayton. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2008 by Victoria
    • Highly recommended to all bassplayers
Format: Paperback
"Talking about music is like dancing about architecture." Not entirely true, this book explain music's fundamentals in an easy-to-grasp way. This is not only the best "Dummies" book I've read, it's also the most robust and helpful book I've read regarding the bass. The chapter dealing with the styles of popular bassplayers was a favorite of mine. It breaks apart the playing styles of some of my bass heroes, giving insight into how they approach the instrument. Another favorite lesson was the one regarding walking bass lines which I actively employ in my playing. I particularly liked the CD which used real, live musicians (not canned MIDI music using cheesy sounds that one might expect). The CD has the option of playing with or without the bass track. Awesome. I regard myself as a pretty good bassplyer, so I was amazed that I learned a few things from the early chapters of the book, which focus on fundamentals new players need to know. I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to discover or re-discover the electric bass. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2004 by clutterjoe
    • Best bass book i've read
Format: Paperback
This is a great book to get if you're just starting to play, or even if you're more advanced. It goes step by step in very concise, simple lessons. Even if you get stuck or don't understand something the people at Dummies are extremely supportive. To give an example, I was stuck in one part of the book or didn't exactly get something, and I e-mailed customer support at Dummies. They must have got in contact with Patrick Pfeiffer (the author of the book) and he actually called me on my cell phone and explained everything to me! It's one of the nicest things anyone has done for me and I was quite blown away by it. So if you think you'll have an interest in playing bass, I would not hesitate to buy this book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2008 by Jeffy
    • Helpful
Format: Paperback
My ex often used this book after I purchased it for him as a gift; it's a good all-around reference guide. When I gifted it to him, he was already pretty established in his bass-playing--- though he was self-taught and played by ear. I don't think he had ever picked up a bass book prior to this one but he did make use of it and utilize it to its fullest once it became available to him, so it was a worthwhile purchase. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2015 by Emily L

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